THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Bissell's big boys take control of the Gila time trial
Felicia Gomez wins the womens race while Goldstein maintains her overall lead
On another blustery day in southwestern New Mexico, Bissell's big men Tom Zirbel and Ben Jacques-Maynes hammered on the GC contenders to take the first two spots in the 16.4-mile Tyrone time trial.
Zirbel turned a 34:26, beating his teammate by about 17 second and third place rider Chris Wherry (Toyota-United) by 49 seconds.
Zirbel beat Team Tecos-Trek's Colombian climber Gregorio Ladino Vega by almost two minutes. Ladino fell to second place, just two seconds behind Zirbel. Tecos' Bernardo Colex did a better time trial than Ladino and maintained his third position on GC.
The men started at 9:30 in the morning and the wind was not much of a factor until the final few riders — the best placed on GC — began rolling out.
The hilly course features a downhill finish where, in most previous years, riders with 55-tooth chainrings could spin out. This year, many riders crossed the line still laboring at the pedals, their hands on their cowhorns bars, rather than their aero extensions, struggling to control their bikes in the crosswinds.
Zirbel, who is six-foot-four and about 200 pounds, said he figured the crosswinds bothered him less than most.
“I just keep telling myself that it's good for me when there's crosswinds ... all the guys fighting for GC are about a buck-thirty, and I'm about twice that,” he joked.
Jacques-Maynes, who joined long-distance breakaways on the Gila's first two stages, is six-foot-one and 165 pounds.
The pair's size is unlikely to help them on Sunday's critical Gila Monster stage, which features several brutal climbs. A handful of top climbers, including the Tecos pair, sit close behind Zirbel on GC.
Bissell's Burke Swindlehurst, a three-time Gila winner, sits in sixth place, 54 seconds behind Zirbel. 2006 Gila winner Chris Baldwin of Toyota-United sits in seventh, 59 seconds back.
“We've got a strong team and they are going to keep me out of trouble and force a hard tempo and take it out of the legs of the climbers. We still got a lot of options and we expect to use them all,” Zirbel said.
Before the Gila Monster, the riders will compete in the downtown Silver City criterium on Saturday. The criterium typically has little effect on the GC.
Women's race
Aaron's Felicia Gomez won the time trial and moved into sixth place on GC, while Value Act's Leah Goldstein maintained her overall lead with a strong second place finish.
Many of the women chose low-profile wheels to help battle the crosswinds, but Gomez chose a disc rear wheel and deep section front wheel. She reported little trouble maintaining control, although she said she spun out her 55-11 top gear in several tail wind sections.
"I felt in control; I was able to use the drops for most of the race. I stood up a few times on the climb for power," Gomez said.
