Canadian Veilleux wins at U.S Pro Criterium
The best American sprint cyclists raced 50 laps of a 2km circuit in the Village of Glencoe, Illinois, on Saturday, August 14, the first time in 24 years that the AT&T US Pro Criterium National Champions was not held in Downers Grove, Illinois.
David Veilleux became the first Canadian to win at the event, winning in a two-man sprint against Australian Bernie Sulzberger after a long breakaway. Sulzberger’s Fly V Austalia teammate Alessandro Bazzana led the breakaway over the line for a third-place finish.
"It's a bit of a bitter-sweet win because we were looking forward to the US jersey but at least we won the bike race," said Veilleux. "I saw we had a gap so I rode hard to open it; my director Jonas Carney told me to go for the win. Before the race we wanted to win the jersey but if we were in the situation to win the bike race then we were allowed to go for it. When they saw we were two foreign riders I don't think they were concerned and kind of let us go."
Race director Jon Knouse, the original promoter for the elite criterium series known as the Glencoe Grand Prix, was working with the organizers of the US Pro Criterium Championships for the first time. In 2008 and 2009, the Glencoe Grand Prix was named as the race-of-the-year by the Illinois Cycling Association.
“We were committed to putting on a first class regional bike race even before USA Cycling graciously allowed us to host this year’s event,” said Knouse. “And we are working overtime to ensure that folks will remember Glencoe for a long time as a very enthusiastic cycling town.”
"I thought it was a great course," said Alex Candelario, who raced the event for the tenth time. "It's unfortunate we don't have Downers Grove because it is nice to have some tradition in America; we don't have very many races that continue year after year. But, when a community comes out to support an event like this you have to really show a lot of gratitude towards that.”
Last year’s US Pro Criterium runner-up John Murphy, for BMC-Racing team opted to compete in the Tour de l’Ain in France instead of going for the victory. He was the best American in the race last year and finished second to Austalian Ben Kersten, for Fly V Australia.
“Of course we would have loved to have him with us, it’s always good for races when the current champion defends his title,” said Knouse.
American Daniel Holloway, for Team Bissell, finished fourth in the race, behind the Canadian winner and the two Australian podium-finishers, and ahead of American Team Type 1 rider Kenneth Hanson, to earn the stars-and-striped jersey as the best American.
“I had my Dad in my head today and he gave me motivation. As a sprinter in America this is something you always want to win. It means a lot to me."
Hanson and Holloway finished 27 seconds behind Veilleux, in the same time as a third Fly V Australia winner, Jonathan Cantwell.
"Going into the last corner a lot of guys were looking at Cantwell but he just played it cool," said Holloway. "He had a strong guy up the road. It was four guys wide and Ken Hanson went on the inside. I shut it down in the last corner so that I could carry my speed and I had a solid line around the last corner to the line."
Alexander Candelario, teammate of the race winner, finished one second behind that trio, and one second ahead of Holloway’s teammate Shane Kline.
"We had three guys in the break and Veilleux, being Canadian, was our wild card to play," said Candelario. "I was feeling pretty good but all of us were feeling it because it was a hard race. We played some attacks, chased and attacked again. It was fun, it was real bike racing. The field started to catch us so there was a little bit of panic. We ended up on the last lap having an eight man sprint."
The main field followed only two seconds behind, with a bunch sprint won by Team Type 1 rider Also Ino Ilesic ahead of Kyle Wamsley of team Bissell, in 10th place, making the top-10 riders in the race from only four different teams.
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