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Winner of first stage is victorious once again, adds to overall lead

By Heather Clark / For The Bulletin

Published: July 23. 2009 4:00AM PST

For the second time in as many days, the women’s pro peloton had no answer for Evelyn Stevens.

After claiming the race leader’s jersey in a Stage 1 sprint to the finish on Tuesday, Stevens brought her climbing legs to the Three Creeks Road Race on Wednesday for round No. 2 of the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.

The Webcor rider from New York City launched a solo attack with five kilometers to go up the grueling final climb on Three Creeks Road to claim her second victory of the race and extend her overall advantage in the 89-rider women’s field.

“She attacked, and no one could go with her,” said Bend’s Chrissy Ruiter, who maintained her hold on third place overall with a fourth-place finish Wednesday.

Stevens completed the 80-mile Three Creeks Road Race in 3 hours, 35 minutes and 31 seconds, while New Zealander Cath Cheatley crossed the finish line four seconds later to take second place in the stage. Cheatley’s performance Wednesday moved her into second place in the overall standings, while Stevens padded her lead in the overall by 18 seconds.

“I just wanted to ride hard and ride well for the team,” said Stevens, who is racing as a fill-in rider for Webcor this week.

Cheatley, riding for Colavita, put in a strong effort to join Stevens at the 1K-to-go mark, and it appeared that Cheatley had momentum on her side.

But at 200 meters to the finish, the yellow jersey got a jump on Cheatley and handily outsprinted her to the line.

Stevens explained that she was able to catch her breath while Cheatley led the way in the final kilometer, and added: “At 200 meters, I just kicked around her.”

As the main field splintered up the sun-baked, 10-mile finishing climb that pointed west out of Sisters, the remnants of the peloton absorbed five riders who were off the front from an earlier breakaway. And that’s when Stevens, who only 13 months ago entered her first bicycle race as a Category 4 (beginner) rider, made her countermove.

A chase group of five riders, which included Ruiter and Cheatley, responded, but only Cheatley was eventually able to close the steady 10-second gap held by Stevens.

Cheatley, who represented New Zealand in cycling at the 2008 Olympic Games, said she “dug deeper” to catch Stevens. But she added that the effort left her too tired to contest the final sprint.

“I knew (Stevens) would have something left in the tank,” Cheatley said. “I was pretty naked.”

ValueAct’s Kristen McGrath, of Durango, Colo., broke away from the chase group at 500 meters to take third place on the stage, while teammate Ruiter crossed the finish line in fourth, 27 seconds behind Stevens.

Under another day of blistering-hot sun, the riders in the women’s peloton exchanged a flurry of attacks and counterattacks as they made their way on back roads from Bend north to Redmond and then westward to Sisters.

But the peloton chased down every breakaway attempt until a group of six riders — in which all the major teams were represented — finally got one to stick 53 miles into the race on Holmes Road, between Crooked River Ranch and Sisters.

The breakaway riders held a three-minute advantage as they navigated their way through Sisters before falling apart on the 2,000-foot ascent to Three Creek Sno-park.

In the jersey competitions Wednesday, Colavita’s Tina Pic won both intermediate sprints to secure the green sprinter’s jersey, while Webcor rider Amy Dombrowski slipped on the red-and-white polka-dot jersey. Meanwhile, Julie Beveridge kept the white Best Young Rider jersey, awarded to the highest-placed rider who is 23 years old or younger.

Heather Clark can be reached at bulletinheather@gmail.com.

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