Falcon soars, Cash-Wooten cashes in at Dairyland

By Lisa Downey
Rolling hills, scenic forest and twisted country roads dotted with dairy farms served as the backdrop for stage 8 of the Tour of America’s Dairyland presented by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, where Sarah Caravella (Team CARD) and James Stemper (Kenda-GEARGRINDER) closed the day in yellow. Carrie Cash-Wooten (Vera Bradley Foundation) and Yosvany Falcon (Bahati Foundation) took stage wins.

The sixth and final lap around the day’s 10-mile loop for the pro women ended with a spectacular field sprint. Cash-Wooten, demonstrated once again her tremendous sprinting ability to snatch the win on the inside from overall leader Caravella, who was pushing hard on the outside. Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter  & Co.-Twenty12) made the day’s top three complete with Caravella holding onto the yellow jersey. 

The scorching overhead rays combined with short, power climbs and fast descents made for a brutal day of extreme racing, but seeing past the burn, racers including men’s podium star Yosvany Falcon (Bahati Foundation) commented on how they appreciated the beauty and intricacies of the course. 

The men’s race saw a dozen or so riders off the front for the last three laps, but it boiled down to a hellacious uphill bunch sprint, which Falcon (Bahati) nailed, at the nearly 80-mile mark as Aurelion Passeron (Garneau) and Mike Northey (Rubicon-Orbea) bit down hard to lock in second and third, respectively.  

The ever-shuffling story under the spotlight has belonged this week to the men’s leader’s jersey. Ownership shifted again Thursday as Rudolph Napolitano (Helen’s) stood at third overall with Chad Hartley (Kenda-GEARGRINDER) returning to the second step and Stemper taking back the yellow and white Holstein jersey after finishing eighth on the stage.

 Notes

• A rider who packed in more than she signed up for was Marnie Pearsall (GEARGRINDER) , a Cat 3/4  rider and physician of internal medicine, who braved the sticky, early morning air to race and then was later called upon to assist with a potential injury during a pro men’s crash on the course. Pearsall closed out her stint in Greenbush by donning the yellow dress for the overall podium presentation. 

On to Fond du Lac

The Tour of America’s Dairyland heads to Fond du Lac on Friday for the Fond du Lac Bicycling Gran Prix before heading to the ISCorp Downer Classic on Milwaukee’s Eastside on Saturday. Closing ceremonies for the 11-day 2010 Tour of America’s Dairyland will take place Sunday at the Carl Zach Cycling Classic in Waukesha.

FILED UNDER: News / Race Report / Road TAGS: Tour of America's Dairyland