Click here to view photos fom the race.
At the inaugural Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix of
Cycling Sunday, riders traveled from all over the country and the world,
hitting the asphalt in six events on the halfway point of the International
Cycling Classic (commonly known as Superweek).
Pro competition heats up at Superweek halfway point
Joshua Carter (ABD Cycling Team) from Fairview Heights,
Illinois, placed third in the 100K Men's Pro race. Adam Bergman
(Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) from Lino Lakes,
Minnesota placed first, followed by New Zealand's Josh England (A&F
Pro Development Cycling Team).
The July 22 race was an hourglass-shaped, 0.9-mile loop criterium
through downtown Evanston. The stage offered a $2,800 prize purse.
Midwest teams excel in Men's Cat 3 race
Oak Park's Edward Amstutz (XXX Racing-Athletico) captured a first-
place win in the Cat 3 Men's 40-mile race. Amstutz's bursts during the
last two laps helped him lead the pack at the end, all the while realizing
the competition was coming strong from many teams.
"In a race like this, there's a lot of guys that can win," said Amstutz. "Get
A Grip has a lot of strong riders, a lot of the friends we have over at
Team Clif Bar, and Turin has got a great team. So you really had to be
looking from all sides."
Amstutz was gracious in victory and attributed his accomplishment with
his teammates in mind-one of whom was a main blocker for his path.
"Nicholas Westlund has taken care of me all week. He is really a clean,
efficient rider. I've had some good results from following the backbone of
him."
Several other local riders posted impressive top 10 finishes in the Men's
Cat 3 race. Chicago's Eric Wiecek (Team Get A Grip Cycles) placed
sixth. Trey McClure (Turin Bicycle/Barker+Nestor) placed eighth
followed by Steven Vandeven (Team Get A Grip Cycles) in ninth.
"There were a lot of riders going for the win or nothing," said Eric
Goodwin (Team Clif Bar Midwest) who placed 15th in the Men's Cat 3.
"These races are why our team races."
In the Men's Cat 4/5, Nathan Longley (Team Beans & Barley) of
West
Allis, Wisconsin took first, while Chicago's Matthew Smith (Big Shark
Racing Team) placed second. Jason Danvir (Sugar Cycles -
Specialized) of Houston finished third. Joe Ebenroth from Oak Park
(XXX Racing) finished fifth place.
Chicago rider Debbie Dust places fourth in Women's Pro & Cat
1/2/3
In the Women's Pro 1/2/3, National Championship Bronze Medal winner
Samantha Schneider (Mesa Cycles) proved again why she's one of the
best young riders in the country.
"There were some good breaks out there," said the West Allis,
Wisconsin native. "Halfway through I was feeling good."
Schneider's mental toughness held off second place finisher, Skye-Lee
Armstrong (FRF Sports) of Australia. Third went to Georgia rider Leigh
Valletti (TargetTraining).
Team Kenda Tire posted several impressive finishes in the women's
race. Chicago's Debbie Dust placed fourth and Corie Berrigan from
Marseilles, Illnois placed 11th.
Wisconsin cyclists take Masters Men 40+
The Masters Men 40+ race saw Wisconsin riders sweep the top three.
Brent Emery (Velo Trocadero) of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, took
first. Madison's Chris Halverson (Nova IS Corp) placed second, while
Gene Tolli (CZ Velo) finished in third. Evanston's Paul Swinand (Met
Life) took fourth place.
In the Masters Men +30 Cat 1/2/3, Grant Potter of Parkland, Florida, rode
his way to victory past second place finisher James Sweeny. Kevin
Anderberg received third.
The overall Pro 1/2 point leader yellow shirt went to Germany's Christian
Lademann with 135 points. The Women's Pro 1/2 point leader, with 185
points, is Kelly Benjamin of Overland, Kansas.
Pro 1/2 Men
Top 10 finishers
1. Adam Bergman, Lino Lakes, MN (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by
Cooking Light)
2. Josh England Auckland, New Zealand (A&F Pro Development
Cycling Team)
3. Joshua Carter, Fairview Heights, IL (ABD Cycling Team)
4. Marco Rios, Mexico (Kahala-LaGrange)
5. Peter Dawson, Australia (SouthAustralia.com)
6. Thomas Soladay, Bethesda, MD (Kelly Benefit Strategies/LSV)
7. Viktor Rapinski, Belarus (Navigators Insurance)
8. John Meyers, Champaign, IL (Turin Bicycle/Barker & Nestor)
9. Jonathan Cantwell, Australia (Kahala-LaGrange)
10. Darren Harry, Australia (Alliance)
Pro & Cat 1/2/3 Women
Top 10 finishers
1. Samantha Schneider, West Allis, WI (Mesa Cycles)
2. Sky-Lee Armstrong, Australia (FRF Sports)
3. Leigh Valletti, Decatur, GA (TargetTraining)
4. Debbie Dust, Chicago, IL (Team Kenda Tire)
5. Monique Hanley, Yarragon, Australia (Team Type 1)
6. Maegan Daigler, Denver, CO (24 Hour Fitness/Pro Design)
7. Holly Borowski, Oakland, CA (Touchstone/US Armed Forces)
8. Patricia Bell, San Luis Obispo, CA (Morgan Stanley/24 Hour Fitness/
Specialized)
9. Kendi Thomas, Greencastle, IN (Whitman College)
10. Kimberly Sawyer, Marietta, GA (BMW/Bianchi)
Cat 3 Men
Top 10 finishers
1. Edward Amstutz, Oak Park, IL (XXX Racing/AthletiCo)
2. Patrick Fasse, Park City, UT (Vanguard Media Group)
3. Bert Cross, Austin, TX (Hotel San Jose/ RedBudSports.com)
4. Tyler Brandt, Fairfax, CA (Team Swift)
5. Jason Cardillo, San Francisco, CA (Eastside Cycles/Scott)
6. Eric Wiecek, Chicago, IL (Team Get A Grip Cycles)
7. Tim Woodcock, Canada (Woodcock Cycle Works)
8. Trey McClure, Aurora, IL (Turin Bicycle/Barker+Nestor)
9. Steven Vandeven, Chicago, IL (Team Get A Grip Cycles)
10. Aaron Knapp, Bloomington, IN (Morris Trucking Velo)
Cat 4/5 Men
Top 10 finishers
1. Nathan Longley, West Allis, WI (Team Beans & Barley)
2. Matthew Smith, Chicago, IL (Big Shark Racing Team)
3. Jason Danvir, Houston, TX Sugar Cycles - Specialized)
4. John Firak, Chicago, IL (Active Endeavors)
5. Joe Ebenroth, Oak Park, IL (XXX Racing/AthletiCo)
6. Mark Watkins, Chicago, IL (XXX Racing/AthletiCo)
7. Michael Kirby, Chicago, IL (XXX Racing/AthletiCo)
8. Michael Weber, Whitefish Bay, WI (IS Corp)
9. Danny Robertson, Rolling Meadows, IL (Team Mack Paper Co.)
10. Pieter Ombregt, Chicago, IL (XXX Racing)
Masters Men 30+
Top 10 finishers
1. Grant Potter, Parkland, FL (HerbaLife)
2. James Sweeny, Jacksonville, FL (ABRT)
3. Kevin Anderberg, Louisville, CO (Pro Design/24 Hour Fitness)
4. Aric Hareland, Minneapolis, MN (SilverCycling)
5. Thomas Cox, Bloomington, IN (Morris Trucking Velo)
6. Denny Yunk, Wauwatosa, WI (CZ Velo)
7. Michael Heagney, Libertyville, IL (PYOC)
8. Jason Snider, Minneapolis, MN (SilverCycling)
9. Michael Zellman, Crystal Lake, IL (Team Mack Paper Co.)
10. MatthewTamel, San Jose, CA (Shaw's/GCC)
Masters Men 40+
Top 10 finishers
1. Brent Emery, Menomonee Falls, WI (Velo Trocadero)
2. Chris Halverson, Madison, WI (Nova IS Corp)
3. Gene Tolli, Albany, WI (CZ Velo)
4. Paul Swinand, Evanston, IL (Met Life)
5. Clark Priebe, Webster City, IA (Team Mack Paper Co.)
6. Stephen Gregoios, Tracy, CA (Morgan Stanley/24 Hour Fitness/
Specialized)
7. Dennis King, Arroyo Grande, CA (Central Coast Magazine)
8. Mark McGeen, Waukesha, WI (Team Mack Paper Co.)
9. David Schaer, Skokie, IL (Metlife)
10. Jeffrey Thompson, Hartland, WI (Team Beans & Barley)
Click here for complete results.
Click here to view photos fom the race.
