Matthew Goss finishes HTC-Columbia double in Philly, winning the Philadelphia International Championship

Matthew Goss finished off the HTC-Columbia double in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon, taking out the bunch sprint from a group of 34 riders at the Philadelphia International Championship.

Goss edged Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Doimo) for his first Philly win, less than a month after taking a stage at the Giro d’Italia and a few hours after HTC’s Ina Yoko-Teutenberg won the women’s event. Alexander Kristoff (BMC) rounded out the podium in third.

Hot from the gun

The air was hot and heavy at the 9 a.m.. start and the racing followed suit. Attacks went from the gun as the peloton rolled three laps on the one-mile opening circuit in the city center. Riders from Kenda-Geargrinder, Spidertech-Planet Energy and the U.S. national team were among those taking the first cracks at an early escape.

The first split to stick came in the initial 14.4-mile lap on the main circuit. The action at the front of the race was fluid in the first long lap; some 25 riders rode off the front of the peloton and Nathan O’Neill (Bahati Foundation) made a solo attack from that group which lasted more than half a lap. That 25-rider group was caught and two moves that countered and joined forces bridged to O’Neill and comprised the day’s long break.

Riders in that move included O’Neill and teammates Jason Donald, Cesar Grajales and Matt Rice; Chad Beyer (BMC); Ermanno Capelli (Footon-Servetto); Chris Jones (Team Type 1); Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Doimo); Andres Pereyra (Jamis-Sutter Home); Ryan Roth (Spidertech); Taylor Shelden (U.S. National Team); and Scott Zwizanski (Kelly Benefit Strategies).

The breakaway built a maximum advantage of nearly five minutes midway through the 16-lap circuit race. The group worked smoothly to build its lead, contesting the finish line prime and KOM for a few laps before settling into rhythm.

Routley on the solo flyer

Behind the leaders, the peloton upped the pace with nine laps remaining. Bissell, Fly V Australia, Jamis-Sutter Home and UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis were among those sharing the work. By the time the breakaway approached the feed zone with seven laps to go, the gap was under three minutes and Routley saw a lack of commitment in the escape.

“We had a breakaway of 19 guys and most teams had a couple guys in it,” said Routley. “It was kind of frustrating that a lot of guys weren’t willing to really commit and give ’er.”

Routley put in a few hard pedal strokes to lift the pace in the group, but soon found himself alone on the front of the race.

“Guys were kind of sitting up, so I took a couple of hard pedal strokes to ride off the front, hoping it would ignite some enthusiasm and guys would pick it up, but they just let me go and I got a little gap and decided just to go,” said Routley.

The Canadian pushed his lead out to more than 30 seconds as the break hung him to dry in the head and crosswinds beating the course along the Schuylkill River. Still, Routley maintained his advantage until the final lap over the Manayunk Wall when the remnants of the breakaway – at that point Capelli, Grajales, Oss and Roth – picked him up near the base of the climb.

The new group of five leaders came onto the Wall with a one-minute advantage. Routley fell off the pace early on the climb and the leaders were again four. The group continued to roll through smoothly as they entered the final inner circuit laps, Capelli and Roth chasing the stage win, Grajales chasing the double points at Lemon Hill and Oss setting up his sprinter Sagan in the peloton behind.

The last Manayunk hurrah

In the peloton, Liquigas juiced it up the final climb in Manayunk, momentarily gapping Goss and about 15 other riders. The split came back together on the descent to Kelly Drive, however.

“I didn’t feel incredible,” said Goss. “I couldn’t follow Sagan and those guys when they went on the climb the last time, but I had to take the risk of the gamble and stay in the bunch and hope it would come back together, which it did.”

The four leaders entered the penultimate lap with an advantage of 35 seconds. With a tiring Jamis-Sutter Home shouldering much of the pace-making in the peloton, the group appeared to have a chance of staying clear.

The first solid indication that the leaders would be caught came on that lap when Oss showed on the Lemon Hill climb that he was clearly the strongest in the group, backing off the pace after he gapped his companions. After regrouping, the break continued on, but on the final lap, Grajales, Roth and Capelli again fell off the pace and Oss was solo.

Liquigas’ Valerio Agnoli and Caleb Fairly of the U.S. national team countered the catch and bridged to Oss with 2.5 miles remaining. The three played games on the front for a mile, the Liquigas tandem taking turns attacking the American, before the peloton swept them up as they headed into the final mile of the race.

As the group came through the start/finish for its final loop around Logan’s Circle, Goss sat in the wheels behind rivals Sagan, Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis) and Jonathan Cantwell (V Australia).

“I was in really good position as we came out of the traffic circle, but it kind of all stopped; everyone was a little too close to the front, I think,” said Goss. “I thought we were in a little bit of trouble, but some guys went on the left and I managed to get on with those guys.”

Goss came around the side and opened his kick with 200 meters to go on the slightly uphill finishing straight, holding off a charging Sagan with Kristoff in his slipstream.

“I just had to put myself in a good position. Coming off the track, one of the things I’m trying to do a little bit better is fight for position and be where I want to be,” said Goss. “I know the race pretty well and it’s a race I love, so it’s good to win.”

Sagan, on the other hand, found himself out of position in the finale.

“It was crazy the whole time,” he said.  “I went way to the left to go around and start my sprint, but I was closed down a bit. It’s always a lottery.”

Grajales is king

Grajales took the KOM competition, the Bahati team’s main goal for the race.

“From the beginning, it was the plan (to get in the break). We knew I was riding strong and I’m not a sprinter, so the best way to use me is to go for the KOM competition,” said Grajales.

The classification win came at the first race since the team’s reorganization last week.

“It’s like the beginning of the new team for us,” Grajales said.

Complete results

Quick results

• 1. Matthew Goss, HTC-Columbia, in 6:15:46
• 2. Peter Sagan, Liquigas-Doimo,  s.t.
• 3. Alexander Kristoff, BMC,  s.t.
• 4. Alejandro Alberto Borrajo, Jamis-Sutter Home,  s.t.
• 5. Vidal Celis, Footon-Servetto-Fuji,  s.t.

FILED UNDER: News / Race Report / Road TAGS: Philadelphia International Championship

Brian Holcombe

Brian Holcombe is the editor of VeloNews.com. Holcombe joined VeloNews in 2009 following years spent introducing students to whitewater kayaking and working in avalanche control, among other more risky ventures. His graduate work in communications at the University of Denver focuses on innovation and digital media management. Holcombe is a CSU Ram fan and proud parent and has been accused of attacking too much on the VN lunch ride. Follow him on Twitter @FCBrian.

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