Anderson, Eposti take stage 2 in Boulder
Kim Anderson (Colavita-Cooking Light) outsprinted Mari Holden (T-Mobile) to win stage 2 of the Excel Sports Boulder Stage Race on Saturday, while Paul Eposti (Haul n’ Ass) caught a lead trio napping and slipped past for the victory in the men’s race.

The 8.5-mile Boulder-Roubaix circuit, which was mostly dirt, wrought a fair amount of havoc among the peloton. No follow vehicles were allowed, though three pits were set up along the circuit, so when Ann Trombley (Excel Sports) flatted in the early going of the 42.5-mile women’s race, teammate Maatje Benassi gave her a wheel, allowing a short but stressful half-lap chase back to the leaders. Maatje wouldn’t be so lucky, finishing more than nine minutes down on the leaders.

Gretchen Reeves (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects) had a tough day, too. She flatted on the first lap, had to patch a cut tire with a GU packet, and then chased for three laps solo before finally catching back on with less than seven miles left to race.

“I was really happy to catch back on,” said Reeves, who was looking forward to Sunday’s Sunshine Canyon Hill Climb. “I am a little afraid about my legs - I went really hard today, but I am not afraid to go hard tomorrow. We will have to see.”

In the men’s race, three riders spent close to 70 miles in front of the main field only to be pipped at the line by a rider they thought had been lapped.

Chuck Coyle (Vitamin Cottage), Ian Macgregor (TIAA-CREF) and marathon mountain bike racer Mike Janelle (Tokyo Joe’s) made their move on the first lap of their 76.5-mile race, building a gap of more than a minute that briefly came down, then rebounded as the chase group engaged in a little negative racing.

The slowing of the bunch prompted Eposti and Chris Brennan (Monsoon-Rio) to try to bridge to the leaders. Over the last climb the duo had closed within 15 seconds, and Eposti jumped, dropping Brennan and charging toward the leaders.

Thinking he was a lapped rider, the lead trio let Eposti ride by, only to watch him throw his arms up as he crossed the line. Coyle, Macgregor, and Janelle went two, three, four, and Brennan rounded out the top five.

Time-trial winner Chris Baldwin (Navigators) had a tough day, flatting on the final descent and losing more than two minutes to the main group. But teammate Phil Zajicek had it even tougher, crashing out of the race at the end of the first lap.

Excel Sports Boulder Stage Race
Boulder, CO. May 13-15
Women Pro/1-3
1. Kim Anderson, Colavita-Cooking Light, 42.5mi in 2:00:20
2. Mari Holden, T-Mobile, same time
3. Catherine Powers, s.t.
4. Ann Trombley, Excel Sports, s.t.
5. Irene Mercer, s.t.

Men Pro/1-2
1. Paul Esposti , Haul n’ Ass, 76.5mi in 3:07:27
2. Chuch Coyle, Vitamin Cottage, at 0:03
3. Ian MacGregor, TIAA-CREF, s.t.
4. Mike Janelle, Tokyo Joe’s, s.t.
5. Chris Brennan, Monsoon Racing, at 0:14

Overall
Men Pro/1-2
1. Mike Janelle, Tokyo Joe’s, 3:24:42
2. Chris Brennan, Monsoon Racing, at 0:04
3. Ian MacGregor, TIAA-CREF, at 0:05
4. Andrew Bajadali, Vitamin Cottage, at 0:14
5. Chuck Coyle, Vitamin Cottage, at 0:19

Women Pro/1-3
1. Mari Holden, T-Mobile, 2:18:42
2. Ann Trombley, Excel Sports, at 1:06
3. Brooke Ourada, T-Mobile, at 1:15
4. Kerry Barnholt, Subaru-Gary Fisher, at 1:35
5. Gretchen Reeves, Rocky Mountain-Business Objects, at 1:50

Abraham, Freedman win stage 2 at Joe Martin
Health Net-Maxxis fought to build a break in stage 2 of the Joe Martin Stage Race on Saturday, but Jelly Belly-PoolGel kept the race under control for race leader Ben Brooks and brought the race down to a sprint finish in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Emile Abraham (Monex) won the fast, slightly downhill finish ahead of Karl Menzies (Advantage Benefits-Endeavor Cycling), the runner-up for the second consecutive day. Brooks crossed third.

Gord Fraser (Health Net), Vince Laza (Aerospace Engineers-VMG) and Dave Sachs (Advantage-Endeavor) attacked the field just seven miles into the 92-mile race, and the three got out to a two-minute lead. Sachs was dropped seven miles later, but Fraser and Laza continued and built a 3:44 lead 37 miles into the race.

Then around the 40-mile mark, two more Health Nets, John Lieswyn and Doug Ollerenshaw, joined by Aerospace’s Eric Murphy, tried to bridge to the leaders. Health Net’s Chris Wherry followed and managed to reach the leaders, who now only held a one-minute lead.

At the 63-mile mark, Fraser and Laza began to feel their day’s effort and drifted back into the main pack. Wherry continued, however, and eventually was joined by teammates Lieswyn and Ollerenshaw.

The three dangled out front with a lead of 20-30 seconds for the next 20 miles. But Jelly Belly timed the catch nicely, retrieving the Health Net trio and foiling several other breakaway attempts, bringing the bunch in for a sprint finish.

The women’s race got off to a fast start when Candice Blickem (Quark) attacked 12 miles into the 68-mile race. She was followed by teammate Grace Fleury, but Fleury drifted back after a couple of miles out front.

Blickem built time gaps as big as five minutes, but her margin was down to three minutes with eight miles remaining. With just a couple miles left her lead was just one minute. And then all her hopes went flying by her as nine riders rode past for the sprint finish.

Nicole Freedman (Ford-Basis) took the victory ahead of Laura Van Gilder (Quark) and Liza Rachetto (Lipton). Blickem wound up 10th.

Later in the afternoon, Danny Pate (Jelly Belly-PoolGel) and Lynn Gaggioli (Monex) won the 2.5-mil hill-climb time trial, which featured an afterage grade of 6.8 percent. Pate covered the climb in 8:37, while Gaggioli clocked a 9:44.–Neemah Aaron

Joe Martin Stage Race
Fayetteville, AR. May 13-15

Overall (after 3 stages)
Men
1. Ben Brooks, Jelly Belly-PoolGel, 8:08:09
2. Danny Pate, Jelly Belly-PoolGel, at 0:04
3. Scott Moninger, Health Net-Maxxis, at 0:06
4. Cavaliere Clemente, Aerospace Engineering-VMG, same time
5. Karl Menzies, Advantage-Endeavor, at 0:07

Women
1. Lynn Gaggioli, Monex, 5:52:16
2. Grace Fleury, Quark, at 3:12
3. Chrissy Ruiter, Ford-Basis, at 3:31
4. Katharine Carroll, BMW-Bianchi, at 3:34
5. Dotsie Cowden, Colavita-Cooking Light, at 3:48