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AUSTRALIA'S MATT GOSS CONTINUES HTC-COLUMBIA'S RUN AT TD BANK BIKE RACE
- 6-6-2010
- Categorized in: 2010 Phila International Cycling Championship
Philadelphia – 06/06/2010 – The 2010 TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship was a hard-fought battle over 156 long miles, with breakaways and solo attacks, all culminating in a fast field sprint that saw Australia's Matt Goss (HTC-Columbia) crossing the line first. The win makes it the second year in a row for the HTC-Columbia team, in both the men's and women's races. Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Doimo) and Norway's Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing Team) came in for second and third place.
The HTC-Columbia team was on its heels most of the day, not having any riders in the main breakaways. But the veteran team did not panic, knowing that this race would likely come down to a field sprint. "We knew it was going to come back," said Goss about the breakaway. "We were not in the best position all day, we kept missing the breaks. A lot of the other teams helped but our guys were up there chasing too."
The field almost left the catch of the final few breakaway riders too late, sweeping them up in the final three kilometers. But once it was all back together the sprinters moved to the front for the tricky final loop around Logan Circle.
"I was in a good position coming out of the circle," said Goss about setting up the sprint. "[The speed] kind of slowed after that and I thought we were in a bit of trouble. But some guys hit on the left so I managed to get onto their wheels. Two guys even had a bit of a gap and I thought it was going to be trouble but it actually gave us something to chase!"
Goss, who recently won a field sprint at the prestigious Tour of Italy, was able to use that speed again to come around the other sprinters for the win.
How it unfolded
Early in the race a huge breakaway of nearly 40 riders formed, but with so many miles yet to cover nobody expected this to be a major factor. In fact, after the first lap the breakaway had already shed a few riders. Later in the race the breakaway split apart with a smaller group forming on the front.
Australian Nathan O'Neill (Bahati Foundation) escaped from this group and rode on the front solo. While he knew that he would not win the race, he had another objective in mind -- the SugarHouse Jackpot. By riding on the front he was able to win the majority of sprint points to take home the $5,000 first prize.
O'Neill's teammate Cesar Grajales was also in the breakaway, and did a fine job in the climbing competition, taking the maximum points at the top of the Manayunk Wall and Lemon Hill climbs each lap. "I was working for it and it's the best I can do for the team, so I tried to win it," he said.
"I am just happy I was able to [win.] I had done many attacks up the wall to be sure I got the points. I had to do it every lap, twice. And I wasn't skipping pulls, so it was very hard."
As is the case every year, huge crowds massed in the hot viewing spots on the Manyunk Wall and Lemon Hill. One of the biggest cheers came in support of the U.S. National Team wearing the stars and stripes jersey in front of a very patriotic crowd. And the crowds on the finish line were equally as large for the spectacular finish, with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter cheering on the racers.
The HTC-Columbia team was on its heels most of the day, not having any riders in the main breakaways. But the veteran team did not panic, knowing that this race would likely come down to a field sprint. "We knew it was going to come back," said Goss about the breakaway. "We were not in the best position all day, we kept missing the breaks. A lot of the other teams helped but our guys were up there chasing too."
The field almost left the catch of the final few breakaway riders too late, sweeping them up in the final three kilometers. But once it was all back together the sprinters moved to the front for the tricky final loop around Logan Circle.
"I was in a good position coming out of the circle," said Goss about setting up the sprint. "[The speed] kind of slowed after that and I thought we were in a bit of trouble. But some guys hit on the left so I managed to get onto their wheels. Two guys even had a bit of a gap and I thought it was going to be trouble but it actually gave us something to chase!"
Goss, who recently won a field sprint at the prestigious Tour of Italy, was able to use that speed again to come around the other sprinters for the win.
How it unfolded
Early in the race a huge breakaway of nearly 40 riders formed, but with so many miles yet to cover nobody expected this to be a major factor. In fact, after the first lap the breakaway had already shed a few riders. Later in the race the breakaway split apart with a smaller group forming on the front.
Australian Nathan O'Neill (Bahati Foundation) escaped from this group and rode on the front solo. While he knew that he would not win the race, he had another objective in mind -- the SugarHouse Jackpot. By riding on the front he was able to win the majority of sprint points to take home the $5,000 first prize.
O'Neill's teammate Cesar Grajales was also in the breakaway, and did a fine job in the climbing competition, taking the maximum points at the top of the Manayunk Wall and Lemon Hill climbs each lap. "I was working for it and it's the best I can do for the team, so I tried to win it," he said.
"I am just happy I was able to [win.] I had done many attacks up the wall to be sure I got the points. I had to do it every lap, twice. And I wasn't skipping pulls, so it was very hard."
As is the case every year, huge crowds massed in the hot viewing spots on the Manyunk Wall and Lemon Hill. One of the biggest cheers came in support of the U.S. National Team wearing the stars and stripes jersey in front of a very patriotic crowd. And the crowds on the finish line were equally as large for the spectacular finish, with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter cheering on the racers.
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