Fraser, Willock lead Joe Martin

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By Ian Dille, VeloNews correspondent

After a double day of competition on Saturday at the Joe Martin Stage Race, Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis) retained his overall lead in the men’s race and Erinne Willock (Webcor-Platinum) moved into the top spot in the women’s general classification.

Fraser won the field sprint of a 92-mile road race in the morning, then finished ninth in the 2.5-mile uphill time trial – 19 seconds behind teammate Scott Moninger – to stay in the lead.

Meanwhile, Tina Pic (Colavita-Cooking Light) took the women’s 69-mile road race, but Willock won the afternoon’s time trial to move into first overall, 20 seconds in front of Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light).

Fraser’s still got it
Don’t believe Gord Fraser if he tells you he’s getting old, he’s a bit tired, or he’s using the Joe Martin Stage Race just for preparation. For the second consecutive day the humble but confident Health Net-Maxxis rider shot across the finish line in Fayetteville, Arkansas with his arms raised high in the air.

Coming into the fast, downhill drag to the finish of the men’s road race, held on a difficult 24-mile circuit, Jelly Belly took control of the field in a bid to set up sprinter Alex Candelario for the win.

“We had a really good lead-out from about a kilometer and a half to go. The guys pretty much delivered me to the line and I got beat by Gord . . . again! Once again!” Candelario said in mock frustration.

“We had a pretty stiff head wind that actually played into Gord’s favor. He pulled out of my draft at the last second and he just had more momentum. It was a good call, it worked out for him pretty well.”

Before Fraser was able to vie for the win, he had to rely on the work of his teammates — including general-classification contender Moninger — to chase down an early break containing Brian Jensen (Jelly Belly), Zac Bell (Rite Aid), Robbie King (Priority Health), and Eneas Freyre (Target Training). The escapees were still holding onto a two-minute lead with only six miles to go.

For the break’s most aggressive rider, Jensen, it was a day of déjà vu. Two years ago on this same stage he rode solo for 80 miles before being caught shortly before the finish.

On this day, only Bell was able to maintain contact with Jensen as he made a late desperate charge for the line.

But with the help of Toyota-United, which had been dropped out of the break’s early nine-man group, Jensen and Bell were caught and Fraser was, again, victorious.

Moninger TTs up the GC
Climbing alongside and out of a steep valley in the heart of Arkansas’ Boston Mountains, Moninger set the fastest time in the men’s 2.5-mile time trial — 8:30 — to take the win and move into second place overall.

Moninger finished two seconds in front of his teammate Nathan O’Neill and five seconds in front of Anthony Colby (Target Training).

However, Fraser was able to hold onto his overall lead, thanks in part to the 15-second time bonus he acquired by winning the road race earlier that morning.

With Fraser in first and teammate Moninger in second the onus will be on the other teams to attack heading into Sunday’s difficult criterium.

Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United), for one, has been looking forward to the criterium since finishing second to Fraser on stage one.

“The time trial will be important but it is also a hard criterium and I like my chances there.” Stevic said shortly losing after the initial field sprint.

Pic nips Gilder in road race
For the second day in a row Tina Pic (Colavita-Cooking Light) nipped Laura Van Gilder (Lipton), taking the field sprint win in the women’s 69-mile, stage-two road race.

Pic’s teammate, Gina Grain, was third.

While Van Gilder was the first to jump in the sprint for stage one, on Saturday it was Pic who went early, then held on for the win following an aggressive day of racing.

With 10 Victory Brewing and six Webcor-Platinum racers hoping to force a split over the steep pitches of the race circuit around Hogeye, Arkansas, the women’s race featured many attacks, but none of the many breaks gained a significant amount of time.

“The whole last lap was really aggressive because some teams weren’t keen on bringing the sprinters to the line,” said Van Gilder. “This is the most aggressive racing we’ve had all year.”

Willock cracks 10 minutes, takes lead
Erinne Willock (Webcor-Platinum) won Saturday’s time trial in imposing fashion to move into the overall lead. As the only woman to finish under 10-minutes with a time of 9:41, she gained twenty seconds on runner up Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light).

Bausch, now in second overall by only six seconds, will have a final opportunity to overtake Willock in Sunday’s technical downtown criterium.

“My handling skills are fine,” Willock said when asked about how she’d fare on Sunday. “It’s the sprint that’s not great.”

If the criterium comes down to a sprint, Bausch will have the help of her fast-finishing teammates Tina Pic and Gina Grain, and the knowledge that the 15, 10, and 5-second bonuses available for the top three spots could give her the overall win.

Joe Martin Stage Race
Fayetteville AR. May 13
Road race
Men
1. Gord Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis), 3.33.29
2. Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly)
3. Richard England (Priority Health)
4. Caleb Manion (Jelly Belly)
5. Shawn Milne (Navigators)
6. Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United)
7. Emile Abraham (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork)
8. Viktor Laza (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork)
9. Chad Nikolz (Broadmark/Hagens-Berman)
10. Robbie King (Priority Health)

Women
1. Tina Pic (Colavita-Cooking Light), 3.01.36
2. Laura Van Gilder (Lipton)
3. Gina Grain (Colavita-Cooking Light)
4. Kelly Benjamin (Diet Cheerwine)
5. Katherine Bates (Nurenberg)
6. Shontell Gauthier (Joy Ride)
7. Kim Geist (Victory Brewing)
8. Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light)
9. Laura Yoisteen (Victory Brewing)
10. Maatje Bennassi (Excel Sports)

Time trial
Men
1. Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis), 8.30
2. Nathan O’Neill (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:02
3. Anthony Colby (TargeTraining), at 0:05
4. Andrew Bajadali (Jelly Belly), at 0:08
5. Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United Pro), at 0:10
6. Richard England (Priority Health), at 0:13
7. Jason Donald (Team Einstein’s), at 0:15
8. Jonathan Garcia (Team Einstein’s), at 0:17
9. Gordon Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:19
10. Predrag Prokic (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork), at 0:21

Women
1. Erinne Willock (Webcor-Platinum), 9:41
2. Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light), at 0:20
3. Alisha Lion (Webcor-Platinum), at 0:22
4. Felicia Gomez (Webcor-Platinum), at 0:25
5. Kori Seehafer (Lipton), at 0:43
6. Alison Powers (Rio Grande-Sports Garage), at 0:46
7. Sue Palmer-Komar (Colavita-Cooking Light), at 0:47
8. Brooke Ourada (Colavita-Cooking Light), at 1:00
9. Kathleen Billington (TRIA), at 1:02
10. Kristen LaSasso (Lipton), at 1:07

Overall
Men
1. Gordon Fraser (Health Net-Maxxis), 8.03.25
2. Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:11
3. Ivan Stevic (Toyota-United),
4. Nathan O’Neill (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:13
5. Anthony Colby (TargeTraining), at 0:16
6. Andrew Bajadali (Jelly Belly), at 0:19
7. Richard England (Priority Health)
8. Jason Donald (Team Einstein’s), at 0:26
9. Predrag Prokic (AEG-Toshiba-JetNetwork), at 0:32
10. Brian Dziewa (Mercy), at 0:34

Women
1. Erinne Willock (Webcor-Platinum), 5.52.07
2. Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light), at 0:06
3. Alisha Lion (Webcor-Platinum), at 0:22
4. Kori Seehafer (Lipton), at 0:34
5. Tina Pic (Colavita-Cooking Light), at 0:42
6. Felicia Gomez (Webcor-Platinum), at 0:43
7. Alison Powers (Rio Grande-Sports Garage), at 0:46
8. Sue Palmer-Komar (Colavita-Cooking Light), at 0:47
9. Laura Van Gilder (Lipton), at 0:48
10. Kathleen Billington (TRIA), at 1:02

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FILED UNDER: Road TAGS: Joe Martin Stage Race