August 2010 News Articles

The Chris Thater Memorial was a hard and fast race to cap off the NRC series. BISSELL’s Andy Jacques-Maynes was the man off the front at the midway point of the race after throwing out a string of counter attacks. Andy managed to build a fifteen second gap over the chasing peloton before being reabsorbed. Next, it was Daniel Holloway’s chance to dazzle the crowd in his stars and stripes as he counter attacked just as Andy was caught. BISSELL continued to dominate the action as the next to go on the hunt was BISSELL’s Kyle Wamsley. He was later joined by others including Frank Pipp (BISSELL) forcing Fly V to chase. With 2 laps to go, the group was back together and the team set up for a field sprint with Wamsley taking a very narrow 4th and Holloway coming across in 10th. A good day of racing to conclude the 2010 NRC!

By VeloNews.com Updated: Sep 13th 2010 4:41 PM EDT

Eastern Canada is gearing up for North America’s only ProTour events this year, the Gran Prix of Quebec (Sept. 10) and the Grand Prix of Montreal (Sept. 12). Eighteen ProTour teams, three Continental Pro teams and a Canadian national team are on the race startlists released Wednesday.

“We have a high-quality peloton that will be racing on two difficult, up-and-down courses, with repeated hill climbs that will favor climber-puncheur riders and all-rounders,” said Charly Mottet, sport manager of Grand Prix Cycliste ProTour Québec–Montréal.

Mottet, a three-time Tour de France stage winner, finished third at the Grand Prix des Amériques in 1989, on the Mount Royal course in Montréal. A variation of the course is being used for the GP Montreal.

Highlighting the startlists: Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Samuel Sanchez, Rabobank’s Robert Gesink, Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions), Americans Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer(RadioShack), Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso and the young Slovakian star Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Doimo.

A special Canadian national team will be directed by Team SpiderTech-Planet Energy’s Steve Bauer and include Quebec’s Dominique Rollin (on loan from Cervelo TestTeam), Canadian road champion Will Routley (from Jelly Belly), David Veilleux and Ryan Anderson (both from Kelly Benefit Strategies), Rob Britton (Bissell) along with Spidertech stars David Boily, Guillaume Boivin and François Parisien,

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/news/canada-gears-up-for-next-months-protour-races-the-gp-montreal-and-gp-quebec_136658

By Brian Holcombe Updated: Aug 23rd 2010 10:50 AM EDT

As the air thinned and the clouds built on the high slopes of Mount Nebo Thursday, Ian Boswell (Bissell) clung to the wheel of Francisco Mancebo (Canyon Bicycles) as the three-time Tour de France top-10 finisher pursued eventual winner Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny’s). Boswell’s third-place ride, which bumped him up to fourth overall – and a tie with third overall Darren Lill (Fly V Australia) – confirmed what Trek-Livestrong director Axel Merckx had known for more than a year.

“I was in contact with Ian already last year,” said Merckx after the stage. “He was supposed to go to the development team for Cervelo and that team didn’t happen and I couldn’t pick him up because I was really full last year.” While the timing didn’t work out for Boswell at the RadioShack feeder program this year, the Bend, Oregon-based rider penned a deal to join Trek-Livestrong for 2011.

Boswell, 19, continued his strong ride through the rest of the Utah tour, winding up third overall behind Leipheimer and Mancebo and best young rider.

“We stayed in touch for a while and Bissell did a good job with him and developed him already very well, but I was always interested in him and hoping to scoop him up for next year,” said Merckx.

Boswell has flourished in his first year in the Continental ranks with Bissell. The former Hot Tubes riders won the Nevada City Classic in June and had a strong showing at his hometown race, the Cascade Classic in July, finishing 14th overall and second in the best young rider competition behind Trek-Livestrong’s Ben King.

“I won Nevada City earlier on this year,” said Boswell. “That was a huge confidence booster, winning that and then having a good ride at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend kind of opened my eyes and made me realize that the level that I’ve been at and the level these guys are at isn’t that different. To be able to ride with these guys today, I’m just reassured in my head that I can ride with these guys.”

That confidence carried over to Utah. Teammates Paul Mach and Jeremy Vennell pointed to Boswell before stage 1 as the man to watch for the team in the mountains. The team showed that backing when they protected their new climbing threat in the crosswinds around Utah Lake Thursday.

“The team had a lot of faith in me all day and kept me out of the wind, so I came into the bottom of the climb really fresh,” said Boswell after Thursday’s stage. When Mancebo, Jai Crawford and Darren Lill (Fly V Australia) forced the final selection, Boswell was there. And when Leipheimer attacked, and Lill faded after he tried to match the acceleration, Boswell was the only rider able to follow Mancebo’s chase.

“I expected it to separate like that and I had the good legs and was able to follow,” said Boswell. “I’ve always kind of known I can do this. I’ve been under the radar.” In the end, Boswell couldn’t come around Mancebo in the downhill finish and settled for third.

Inking the Contract

Boswell signed a one-year contract to join Trek-Livestrong earlier this month. Merckx said that negotiations went smoothly and they made a verbal commitment before Cascade and finalized the one-year contract after the race. “We had been talking on and off all year and kept in contact,” said Merckx. “We got the contract all figured out then.”

Boswell’s future director was impressed by his ride on the front of the race Thursday. “Today is again proof that he is a great talent,” said Merckx. “He is obviously a really strong climber. He is good in the long, steady climbs and the thing that he needs to improve in himself is his time trialing.” (Boswell was 44th, at 1:15 behind stage winner Taylor Phinney in Friday’s time trial.)

If there were any situation in which Boswell, who finished second overall at Liège-La Gleize, could improve, it is with Trek-Livestrong. In just three years, the team has developed a knack for identifying and building solid TT riders. Merckx hoped to use an improved time trial to build Boswell into a real stage race threat at the ProTour level.

“We’ll try give him the best possible equipment and the tools to develop him into a real stage race rider in the future and hopefully in the big team later on,” said Merckx.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/08/news/who-is-ian-boswell-the-tour-of-utahs-best-young-rider-and-third-overall_136147

After the arduous Park City Crit, only 86 of the 120 riders took the start for Sunday’s 164K mountainous queen stage. BISSELL’s Ian Boswell endured the challenging course to join Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny’s) and last year’s winner, Francisco Mancebo (Canyon Bicycles), on the final podium.

The day got started with a large breakaway of 16 riders including 2 BISSELL’s, Frank Pipp and Pete Latham. The group held a steady tempo over Deer Lake Reservoir into Midway Valley and toward Tipanoga Mountain. The battle for the intermediate sprints kept the action in the lead group steady with David Tanner (Fly V) and Taylor Phinney (Trek Livestrong) battling for the points. The Alpine loop saw the reshuffling of the lead group and as the break neared the KOM only 6 riders survived. At the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Jai Crawford (Fly V) attacked out of the front group and only Marc DeMaar (United Healthcare) followed. Crawford gradually increased speed on the climb and eventually dropped DeMaar. Meanwhile, the peloton entered Little Cottonwood 2 minutes behind the leaders. Leipheimer’s battle with Mancebo in the chase group reduced the gap but shattered the group. Ian found his rhythm to hold his pace steady with the leaders up the climb. With the Snowbird finish in sight, Leipheimer increased his speed to drop Mancebo and close in on the leader, Crawford. The two approached the line together with Crawford taking the stage win and Leipheimer securing the overall win. Mancebo came across 1 minute back to claim 3rd for the stage and 2nd overall. Ian crossed in 8th place and was only 1:21 behind Leipheimer. His outstanding race locked him in for 3rd place, overall, and retained the best young rider jersey.

Saturday’s stage 4 was a new addition to the Tour of Utah with a 1.6 hilly circuit in downtown Park City. Similar to other stages in this tour, this crit was suited for the climbers. After a flurry of early attacks, Jeff Louder (BMC) made his move 2/3 into the 75 minute race and immediately established a 15 second gap. A chase group formed and included BISSELL’s Jeremy Vennell. However, Louder was too determined and was able to increase his lead to 60 seconds in the closing laps. Jai Crawford (Fly V) attacked with 2 laps to go to claim second and with Francisco Mancebo (Canyon Bicycles) close on his heals for third. A significantly diminished chase group lined up for a field sprint with Ben Jacques-Maynes (BISSELL) crossing in 5th place.  Ian Boswell (BISSELL) finished in the main group to retain the best young rider and sits in 5th place, overall. BISSELL is 3rd in the team competition and looks forward to Sunday’s queen stage, Park City to Snowbird.

At the start of today’s 125k stage to Mt. Nebo, a large group of riders split from the field and included BISSELL rider’s Ben Jacques-Maynes, Frank Pipp, and Pete Latham. They gained 1:30 on the field before being reeled back in. From there, Jai Crawford (Fly V) made a move which was soon countered by an attack from his teammate, Darren Lill (Fly V). Lill forged ahead and was soon joined by last year’s Tour of Utah winner, Francisco Mancebo (On the Rivet). Four more riders including BISSELL’s Ian Boswell eventually bridged up to the duo and the newly formed group of 6 rode clear. Five kilometers from the finish, Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny’s) made his move. Boswell and Mancebo joined efforts to claim the final podium spots. Boswell finished 3rd on the stage to move to 4th in the GC and claimed the best young rider.

Thursday’s stage from Ogden to Salt Lake City was 136k and only a prelude to the climbing that is to come in the Tour of Utah. Two KOM and two intermediate sprints brought more heat to the race action in the stage which saw an early move from BISSELL’s Jeremy Vennell. However the day’s main animation occurred as a lead group of 14 approached the rollers coming into East Canyon Dam. BISSELL’s Ben Jacques-Maynes, Davide Frattini (Team Type 1), and David Tanner (Fly V) attacked out of the group and worked well together to form a significant gap. The break of 3 swelled to 6 when Phil Gaimon (Kenda), Ben King (Trek Livestrong), and Alex Dowsett (Trek Livestrong) bridged across. BMC and Canyon Bicycles worked the front of the main field to reduce the gap. Under pressure, one by one, riders fell off the front group until only Tanner and Dowsett were there to fight for the finish. Tanner would take the stage win, but Dowsett took the GC. A field of 50 riders sprinted for the line 23 seconds back with BISSELL’s Frank Pipp crossing 3rd and getting 5th for the stage. BISSELL’s top riders in the GC heading into stage 2 are Paul Mach in 11th and Frank Pipp in 12th.

BISSELL had a very impressive start to the Tour of Utah with 6 riders setting the top 20 fastest times in the prologue. The early best time was set by Bobby Lea (On the Rivet) with a time of 6:15 for the 2.8 mile out-and-back course. Frank Pipp was BISSELL’s 1st rider off for day to set a solid time of 6:25 and Pete Latham was next to secure BISSELL a spot in the top 20 with a time of 6:21. Ben Jacques-Maynes set a great time of 6:15 which put him in 2nd only 1 second behind Lea. BISSELL’s Rob Britton and Paul Mach continued to exemplify BISSELL’s strength in the time trial by locking in places in the top 20. Alex Dowsett (Trek Livestrong) was the 107th rider off and the U23 rider set a scorching time of 6:05 to take the lead. However it was his teammate, Taylor Phinney (Trek Livestrong), who dominated the field with a record setting time of 6:02. Jeremy Vennell was 5th from the final rider and threw in a great time of 6:18 for a 9th place finish. BISSELL riders BJM, Jeremy Vennell, Pete Latham, Rob Britton, Paul Mach, and Frank Pipp had outstanding rides to make BISSELL the team with the most riders in the top 20. Great start to “America’s Toughest Stage Race” for the BISSELL Pro Cycling Team!

BISSELL fielded a team of 9 riders for the 2010 USPro Crit Championship which included Daniel Holloway, Patrick Bevin, Andy Jacques-Maynes, Shane Kline, Peter Latham, Cody O’Reilly, Frank Pipp, Kyle Wamsley, and David Williams. After 23 years of the racing in neighboring Downers Grove, this year marked the first year for the town of Glencoe to host this prestigious race. The new venue presented unpredictable new challenges and saw exciting racing between international riders racing alongside Americans who were competing for their national title. The 2.16k course contained 10 corners and a tough climb for a 100k fast criterium.

The racing was technical and tactical from the start and saw many threatening moves; however, the break that would stick came at the mid-way point of the race. The 12 man move contained 8 Americans and included representation from the major teams. BISSELL’s Shane Kline and Holloway were matched against 3 riders from Kelly Benefits, 2 riders from Fly V and Jelly Belly, and United Healthcare and Team Type 1 who each had a single rider represented. Within each of the teams, there contained a mixture of Americans and international riders which added to the tactical elements in the race. United Healthcare who were unsatisfied with their lone rider in the break unsuccessfully led the charge from behind and gained support from Kenda on the final laps. The gap hovered between 40-50 seconds and at 10 laps to go the break began to attack itself. Allesandro Bazanna (Fly V) was the first to attack but he was chased down by Scott Zwizanski (Kelly Benefits). The next pair to breakaway included 2 foreigners: reigning Canadian crit champion, David Veilleux (Kelly Benefits), and Bernie Sulzberger (Fly V). They gained a 30 second advantage but the hotly contested battle for the national jersey was brewing behind. There were several attacks out of the group by those vying for the title but it was another international rider, Bazanna, who would successfully get away. With 3 international riders across the finish, BISSELL’s Daniel Holloway shot out of the final corner and had a long sprint to the finish where he crossed as the first American to take the stars and stripes. After an amazing day in the break, Kline finished as the 4th American across and BISSELL’s Kyle Wamsley rounded out the top five.

BISSELL rode a great tactical race from Kline and Holloway within the break and the team supporting them from behind. Congratulations to the BISSELL Pro Cycling Team who had 3 of the top 5 riders from the U.S.A.!

Huge crowds packed the streets in Charlotte on Saturday night and were treated to an exciting 50 mile crit. The course was an undulating and technical 1.3 mile circuit, and the action started with a massive pile up in the third lap. The threatening move of the day came on the 11th lap when 12 riders got away. Andy Jacques-Maynes and Daniel Holloway represented BISSELL in the move. The gap grew to 1 minute but a chase from AeroCat Cycling Team and the offering of $1,000 primes stirred the chasers. The lead group was reshuffled and with 10 laps to go BISSELL went on the offensive forcing numerous splits. The final group of 20 got off the front and included Frank Pipp, Daniel Holloway, and Patrick Bevin. BISSELL controlled the group and the gap hovered at 20 seconds. With 1 lap to go, the gap had fallen to 8 seconds and BISSELL hit the front holding the first three positions in the group. They pushed the break allowing the move to stay clear. BISSELL led through the final four corners. On the final ascent, Jonathan Cantwell (FLY V) surged ahead for the win with Patrick finishing a very close third. The BISSELL Team rode a great race delivering Patrick to the podium with the best crit riders in the US.

BISSELL brought home the win for its sponsor, Giordana, in Wednesday’s Cabarrus Creamery Crit, the second of five races that make up the Giordana Crossroads Classic. The one hour crit in Concord, NC is part of the USA Crit series and the valuable points on the line draw a competitive field.

BISSELL’s Daniel Holloway had the win in his sights with a solo attack from the gun. Daniel was caught and several counter attacks ensued; however, BISSELL marked all moves. The most threatening move of the day came from Frank Pipp and 2 others. This 3 man group nearly lapped the field before being desperately chased by the field led by Mountain Khakis. Some dangerous splits happened in the final 30 minutes but all was brought back together for the finish. BISSELL lined up with 6 laps to go. Andy Jacques-Maynes and Daniel finished it off with Daniel clearly winning the sprint. "Today was a great day for the team," says Holloway, "from beginning to end we were aggressive and well organized. It worked out great and gave the whole team confidence for the next races."

Post-stage interview with Jeremy Vennell and Ben Jacques-Maynes, both of BISSELL, after stage 3, the Gullo International Criterium at the Alexian Bros Tour of Elk Grove.

Vennell and his teammate Daniel Holloway spent about half of the 60-lap race as part of a dangerous 6-man break which held the pack at bay. Teams were burning riders trying to chase them back but finally they were caught with 7 laps to go. Jacques-Maynes took a solo flyer in the final laps but was also caught.

Vennell finished 5th overall and BISSELL won the team classification.

The final day of the Tour of Elk Grove was a heated battle and BISSELL rode the most aggressive race. With the top 19 riders all within 20 seconds, 3 intermediate sprints, and a 20 second time bonus for the win the race was wide-open.

Near the halfway point of the 60 lap crit, BISSELL’s Jeremy Vennell attacked the field. He was joined by teammate, Daniel Hathaway, Reid Mumford (Kelly Benefits), Heath Blackgrove (Hotel San Jose), Jake Rytlewski (Kenda), and Hayden Brooks (Fly V). The break was the threat for the day with Jeremy only 6 seconds out of the lead and 6 seconds available for intermediate sprints. Jeremy and Daniel rode themselves inside out, and Jeremy took top place in all of the 3 sprints. The breakaway was only 25 seconds short of lapping the field, and Jeremy had gained 6 seconds placing him on even time with the race leader. The chasing field led by United Healthcare and Chris Horner (Radio Shack) knew the threat was imminent and reduced the gap losing many of the riders in the process. The group was reabsorbed within the final 10 laps; however, the leader board looked much different with Jeremy tied for the overall lead with Karl Menzies (United Healthcare) and Menzies at a loss for team support as many of his teammates had abandoned. BISSELL continued to throw out the attacks with Ben Jacques-Maynes establishing a gap in the final laps. Again, Chris Horner led the chase and Ben was caught after having spent a couple of laps off the front. As the reduced field approached the finish, there was a crash 100m from the line. The race officials imposed the time gap which placed Jeremy off the overall podium. BISSELL’s Kyle Wamsley and Patrick Bevin had an outstanding sprint to finish 4th and 7th, respectively.