Jeremy Grimm used the tactic of conserving energy to win the Pro Men's race in the 2010 International Tour de 'Toona's Intown Criterium Sunday.
Catherine Cheatley, who lapped the field in winning the Pro Women's race, had all the energy in the world.
Cheatley, a native of Wanganui, New Zealand who is racing for the Kutztown, Pa.-based Team Colavita/Baci Pro Cycling squad, finished the 65-kilometer, 40.3-mile race through hot, sun-drenched intown Altoona in 1:39, an entire lap ahead of her nearest pursuers - runner-up Erica Aller of the Dolce Vita Cycling team and third-place finisher Laura Van Gilder of the Mellow Mushroom squad, a Pocono Pines, Pa. native who was gunning for her fifth criterium win here.
Grimm, who resides in Orrville, Ohio and races for the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health/RGF Solutions team, finished in 1:28. Phillip Gaimon of the Kendra Pro Cycling team was second, a split-second behind Grimm, and Ryan McKinney of the Clean Currents squad was third.
Only the winners' times in each category were made available to the media.
Cheatley, 28, participated as a member of Team New Zealand in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Her last appearance at the International Tour de 'Toona was back in 2007, when the event was a seven-day stage race.
The Tour was cut back to one day in 2008 and cancelled altogether last summer, primarily because of a lack of sponsorship.
Cheatley credited her five teammates in Sunday's event with being aggressive and helping her sprint out to a big lead that she never relinquished.
"Our team plan was to be aggressive,'' she said. "We were constantly attacking. We were fortunate, because, team-wise, we had the largest [number of racers] in the race today, and we wanted to force a break.''
Cheatley fulfilled a lifelong dream by participating in the Olympic Games road cycling competition in Beijing two summers ago. She is hoping to compete in the 2012 Games in London as well.
"It was pretty awesome,'' she said of her Beijing experience. "It's something that I've always dreamed of since I was a child. I had a great experience, and now I'm looking forward to going to London.''
Cheatley was surprised at her ability to get out to a big lead in Sunday's hot weather.
"It was a really strong field,'' she said. "I didn't expect to lap the field. But once I did, my teammates kept me safe.''
Grimm, 35, turned up the intensity at the end of the race to prevail in a sprint finish over the last two turns on the final mile-lap of the course.
"It was a little hot out there today, but it was an excellent day to race,'' Grimm said. "I had three bottles of water with me, so I stayed hydrated, which helped me. And I tried to conserve as much energy as I could until the end of the race.''
It was a good strategy, considering the fact that Grimm didn't start strong in the beginning.
"With about 18 laps to go, I felt like I wasn't going to be able to do it,'' Grimm said. "But I was in the lead group of riders, and I conserved my energy by pulling at 80 percent of my effort instead of 90 to 95 percent of my effort until the final part of the race.''
It was a game plan that worked admirably for him.
"I tried to save as much energy as I could for the final two turns,'' he said. "And, going into the final two turns, I felt really good.''
PRO MEN
(Listing name, team, and winner's finishing time)
1, Jeremy Grimm, Cleveland Clinic Sports Health/RGF Solutions1:28
2, Phillip Gaimon, Kendra Pro Cycling
3, Ryan McKinney, Clean Currents
4, Frederick Norton, Kelly Benefit Strategies
5, Evan Fader, Kelly Benefit Strategies
PRO WOMEN
(Listing name, team, and winner's finishing time)
1, Catherine Cheatley, Team Colativa/Baci Pro Cycling1:39
2, Erica Aller, Dolce Vita Cycling
3, Laura Van Gilder, Mellow Mushroom
4, Kaytee Boyd, Bike NZ
5, Robin Farina, Team Vera Bradley
By John Hartsock
Jeremy Grimm used the tactic of conserving energy to win the Pro Men's race in the 2010 International Tour de 'Toona's Intown Criterium Sunday.
Catherine Cheatley, who lapped the field in winning the Pro Women's race, had all the energy in the world.
Cheatley, a native of Wanganui, New Zealand who is racing for the Kutztown, Pa.-based Team Colavita/Baci Pro Cycling squad, finished the 65-kilometer, 40.3-mile race through hot, sun-drenched intown Altoona in 1:39, an entire lap ahead of her nearest pursuers - runner-up Erica Aller of the Dolce Vita Cycling team and third-place finisher Laura Van Gilder of the Mellow Mushroom squad, a Pocono Pines, Pa. native who was gunning for her fifth criterium win here.
Grimm, who resides in Orrville, Ohio and races for the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health/RGF Solutions team, finished in 1:28. Phillip Gaimon of the Kendra Pro Cycling team was second, a split-second behind Grimm, and Ryan McKinney of the Clean Currents squad was third.
Only the winners' times in each category were made available to the media.
Cheatley, 28, participated as a member of Team New Zealand in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Her last appearance at the International Tour de 'Toona was back in 2007, when the event was a seven-day stage race.
The Tour was cut back to one day in 2008 and cancelled altogether last summer, primarily because of a lack of sponsorship.
Cheatley credited her five teammates in Sunday's event with being aggressive and helping her sprint out to a big lead that she never relinquished.
"Our team plan was to be aggressive,'' she said. "We were constantly attacking. We were fortunate, because, team-wise, we had the largest [number of racers] in the race today, and we wanted to force a break.''
Cheatley fulfilled a lifelong dream by participating in the Olympic Games road cycling competition in Beijing two summers ago. She is hoping to compete in the 2012 Games in London as well.
"It was pretty awesome,'' she said of her Beijing experience. "It's something that I've always dreamed of since I was a child. I had a great experience, and now I'm looking forward to going to London.''
Cheatley was surprised at her ability to get out to a big lead in Sunday's hot weather.
"It was a really strong field,'' she said. "I didn't expect to lap the field. But once I did, my teammates kept me safe.''
Grimm, 35, turned up the intensity at the end of the race to prevail in a sprint finish over the last two turns on the final mile-lap of the course.
"It was a little hot out there today, but it was an excellent day to race,'' Grimm said. "I had three bottles of water with me, so I stayed hydrated, which helped me. And I tried to conserve as much energy as I could until the end of the race.''
It was a good strategy, considering the fact that Grimm didn't start strong in the beginning.
"With about 18 laps to go, I felt like I wasn't going to be able to do it,'' Grimm said. "But I was in the lead group of riders, and I conserved my energy by pulling at 80 percent of my effort instead of 90 to 95 percent of my effort until the final part of the race.''
It was a game plan that worked admirably for him.
"I tried to save as much energy as I could for the final two turns,'' he said. "And, going into the final two turns, I felt really good.''
PRO MEN
(Listing name, team, and winner's finishing time)
1, Jeremy Grimm, Cleveland Clinic Sports Health/RGF Solutions 1:28
2, Phillip Gaimon, Kendra Pro Cycling
3, Ryan McKinney, Clean Currents
4, Frederick Norton, Kelly Benefit Strategies
5, Evan Fader, Kelly Benefit Strategies
PRO WOMEN
(Listing name, team, and winner's finishing time)
1, Catherine Cheatley, Team Colativa/Baci Pro Cycling 1:39
2, Erica Aller, Dolce Vita Cycling
3, Laura Van Gilder, Mellow Mushroom
4, Kaytee Boyd, Bike NZ
5, Robin Farina, Team Vera Bradley
