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With only three seconds separating the top three in the GC, the race detonated instantly in St-Georges. The 66.5 mile circuit course included one menacing climb on each of the ten laps and the hill became a crucial element in the upheaval of the general classification.

Attacks began at the start of the day, and a counter-move on the second lap saw an eight man break emerge. BISSELL’s Pat McCarty and Jason McCartney were in the move, and their goal for the day was to capture the KOM points. Pat started the day in second place in the KOM classification and knew it was in his reach to take the lead. With the outstanding support of his teammate, Pat was able to take full points on all three of the KOM climbs while Jason protected his accents. With four laps to go, Nathan Brown (Bontrager), Christian Meier (Canada), and Phil Deignan (United HealthCare), bridged up to the break. The break consistently held a gap around one minute and with three laps to go the expanded group of eleven had a fifty five second advantage. Meanwhile, the peloton was being shattered as the pressure in the chase group isolated race leader, Francisco Mancebo, until he had no protection and was forced to defend his lead solo. The lead group continued  to race aggressively but safely as rain began to fall in the final miles, and they maintained over a minute lead to the finish. Diego Jimenez (Inteja) took the stage win from the breakaway group while Nathan Brown won the overall. Jason McCartney came across for 5th and Pat McCarty locked up his KOM victory.

After a solid four stages at Tour de Beauce, sickness struck the BISSELL Team and took out BISSELL’s GC leader Carter Jones and teammate Phil Gaimon. Jones and Gaimon took the start on Saturday morning but had to abandon after a stomach bug took its toll.

The seventy eight mile circuit race in Québec City began with more attacks, and a five man group were able to get away on the second of twelve laps. The highest placed rider in the break was nearly three minutes down in the GC; therefore, the group was given some clearance from the peloton. With five laps to go, the pressure was turned up in the chase group and the attacks resumed. Three riders snuck off the front and were able to bridge to the five leaders which altered the dynamics in the group. The new eight leaders maintained a comfortable gap and entered the final lap with a one minute advantage. Marc de Maar (United HealthCare) took the win in a sprint from the day-long breakaway.

The BISSELL Team felt the loss of two of its riders, but Chris Baldwin finished for a strong 14th place. Baldwin holds onto 11th place in the GC. Sunday’s St. Georges’ circuit will be another tough stage.

BISSELL performed well on the rolling 20 km time trial course from St - Benoit to Labre with five riders in the top twenty. Phil Gaimon put in the team’s fastest time of 27:07  with Jones closely behind at 27:14. The day’s fastest time was clocked at 26:30 by Joey Rosskopf  (Hincapie Development).

The team’s results boost them to second overall in the team classification with Carter Jones in sixth place in the GC, only twenty nine seconds out of the lead. The final two stages will see very aggressive racing as history has shown jersey changes in these last two days. Saturday's circuit includes 12 laps in Quebec City and has proved to be very fast while Sunday’s 10 lap circuit in St. Georges will wear on the riders after six cumulative days of hard racing.

As anticipated, thursday’s Queen Stage was a brutal one that shattered the peloton and reshaped the general classification. From the start, attacks were plenty, but the peloton was very reluctant to let anything go. Finally after a very fast first hour of racing which saw speeds of 50 km/h, a group of six got away, and BISSELL’s Vennell was there. The group built up a gap of 1:30 before cooperation began to shut down. Javier Megias (Novo Nordisk) attacked the group, and this led to the eventual capture of the his five breakmates. Megias made it solo to the first sprint before BISSELL’s McCartney and Rob Britton (Canada) bridged across. The new three leaders stayed off the front and managed a 3:35 gap. They were eventually reabsorbed just before the second KOM with 21 miles to go. The real battle of the day started as Mont Mégantic loomed. The quick tempo and  the average 7.5% grade shattered the group. The final dual was between BISSELL’s Jones, Matt Cooke (CRCA), and Francisco Mancebo (5 Hour Energy). Cooke attacked in the final mile, but Jones was able to stay on his wheel. After getting gapped, Mancebo attacked with 300 meters to go and was able to pass Jones and Cooke for the win. Cooke finished five seconds back for second place, and Jones was 12 seconds back for third.

His great finish catapulted Carter into third place in the general classification. Jones’ time trial expertise should suit him well for Friday’s 20 km individual time trial.

BISSELL maintained its strong position the GC on stage 2 of Tour de Beauce. The 95 mile stage played out in cold and wet conditions, and after a flurry of attacks BISSELL’s Pat McCarty made the move with two other riders. The three riders worked well together while Bontrager controlled the front of the peloton. As the second KOM neared, the pace from the chasers picked up, but the threesome still maintained an advantage as they approached the downtown circuits in Thetford-Mines. The aggressiveness increased as the miles ticked off, and the three leaders were finally caught just 500 meters from the line.

BISSELL again had a steady presence at the finish with Baldwin crossing for sixth and Vennell, Kyer, Jones, Gaimon, McCarty, and McCartney all finishing in the front group. McCarty took a time bonus at an intermediate sprint which propelled him into 7th in the general classification, and Baldwin continues to hold a place in the top ten.

Thursday brings the queen stage which is a 103 mile course starting in Saint-Georges and concluding with a mountain top finish at Mont-Mègantic.

BISSELL sits in good position after the opening stage of the Tour de Beauce with Chris Baldwin in seventh place and Kyer, Jones, McCarty, and Vennell all within ten seconds of the leader.

The first stage of the six day event was a 102 mile race on undulating terrain. An early break of two riders got away and built up a maximum gap of nine minutes before several teams including BISSELL reeled them in. The rain soaked roads made for a sketchy finish, but BISSELL made it safely across the line with Baldwin crossing for sixth place. 

The BISSELL squad will continue to strive for good position in the GC. Wednesday’s course will be 94 hilly miles with more rain in the forecast.

Sixteen World-Class Professional Cycling Teams Confirmed to Participate in 2013 USA Pro Challenge

Current No. 1-Ranked Sky Procycling Returns to United States

to Compete in America’s Toughest Cycling Race

Denver (June 11, 2013) – Taking place August 19-25, 2013, the 2013 USA Pro Challenge will feature 16 of the world’s top professional cycling teams, including UCI No. 1-ranked Sky Procycling, which includes 2012 Tour de France overall winner Bradley Wiggins and second place finisher Chris Froome. Comprised of UCI Pro, Pro Continental and Continental teams, the race will include some of the top talent in the sport. Taking riders on a heart-pounding journey through the Colorado Rockies, the eight-day stage race will travel nearly 600 miles from Aspen to Denver.

“After featuring an impressive lineup of teams and riders for the first two editions of the USA Pro Challenge, the 2013 race will host the most competitive field yet,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the Pro Challenge. “Interest from teams continues to grow year after year, making the selection of these 16 even more difficult, but we looked at the stats and listened to the fans, and have put together a field that is going to keep things interesting down to the last minute of racing in Denver.”

Featuring teams hailing from eight countries, including the top-three ranked teams from the 2012 Tour de France, the USA Pro Challenge will test riders by taking them to unprecedented elevations.

"We're really looking forward to the USA Pro Challenge,” said Carsten Jeppesen, head of technical operations for Sky Procycling. “It's a great race that has everything.  With climbing, sprints and a time trial, as well as good crowds, it's a mini-Tour – the kind of race we really like. We'll certainly bring a strong team and there are some strong young American riders in Joe (Dombrowski) and Ian (Boswell) who would love to be there in front of their home crowd. It's only our second race in the U.S. and we aim to put on a good show."

Following is the complete list of teams that will be competing in the 2013 USA Pro Challenge:

UCI ProTeams

• BMC Racing Team (USA) @BMCProTeam
• Cannondale Pro Cycling (ITA) @cannondalePro
• RadioShack Leopard Trek (LUX) @RSLT
• Sky Procycling (GBR) @TeamSky
• Team Argos-Shimano (NED) @1t4i
• Team Garmin-Sharp (USA) @Ride_Argyle
• Team Saxo-Tinkoff (DEN) @TeamSaxoTinkoff

UCI Professional Continental Teams

• Champion System Pro Cycling Team (CHN) @TeamChampionSys
• UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA) @UHCprocycling
• Team Novo Nordisk (USA) @TeamNovoNordisk
• COLOMBIA (COL) @Col_Coldeportes

UCI Continental Teams

• Bissell Pro Cycling (USA) @BissellCycling
• Bontrager Cycling Team (USA) @BontragerCT
• Optum Presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA) @OPTUMpbKBS
• Jelly Belly p/b Kenda (USA) @JellyBellyTeam
• Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home (USA) @TeamJamisHB

**Full team rosters will be announced closer to the race.

In 2012, with a lead change nearly every day, one of the closest professional races in U.S. history came down to the final moments of the Individual Time Trial in Denver. This year’s race promises to be just as exciting with the top-three teams from last year returning, including overall team winner RadioShack Leopard Trek. Additionally the teams of each of last year’s jersey winners are confirmed to compete again – overall winner Christian Vande Velde and Waste Management Sprint Jersey winner Tyler Farrar’s team Garmin-Sharp; Nissan King of the Mountains Jersey winner Jens Voigt’s team RadioShack Leopard Trek; and Aquadraat Best Young Rider Jersey winner Joe Dombrowski’s 2012 team Bontrager (now on Sky Procycling).

The Pro Challenge is welcoming three teams for their first appearance in the race, including Sky Procycling, COLOMBIA and Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home. Additionally seven veteran teams will be returning for a third time in 2013 – BMC Racing Team, Team Garmin-Sharp, Cannondale Pro Cycling, RadioShack Leopard Trek, Team Novo Nordisk (formerly Team Type 1), UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling and Bissell Pro Cycling.

"We always look forward to racing in the USA Pro Challenge every year,” said Jim Ochowicz, team president/general manager of BMC Racing. “It tests our team's resources in the mountains of Colorado, which are famous in the world of cycling for their difficult ascents and descents. It comes at a great time in the season when most racers are in peak condition and eager to test their legs. The BMC Racing Team is ready to challenge for the overall race lead each and every day."

More information on each team can be found on the USA Pro Challenge website athttp://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/teams.

About the USA Pro Challenge

Referred to as “America’s Race,” the USA Pro Challenge will take place August 19-25, 2013 and travel through eight host cities from Aspen to Denver. For seven consecutive days, the world’s top athletes race through the majestic Colorado Rockies, reaching higher altitudes than they’ve ever had to endure. After attracting more than 1 million spectators in 2012, making it one of the largest cycling events in U.S. history and the largest spectator event in the history of the state, the USA Pro Challenge is back for 2013. Featuring a challenging, 599-mile course, the third annual race will spotlight the best of the best in professional cycling and some of America’s most beautiful scenery.

More information can be found online at www.USAProChallenge.com and on Twitter at @USAProChallenge. 

The Philadelphia cycling community welcomed back bike racing after it was in jeopardy of losing the premiere one-day event. The course which has hosted the landmark event in the city for the past 28 years has undergone some minor changes this year but still retains most of the trademark elements namely Lemon Hill and the Manayunk Wall. For the first time, this year’s 120-mile men’s race featured 10 laps on a 12 mile circuit and ended with a grueling finish atop the Manayunk Wall.

After an opening battle for sprint and KOM points, the threatening move of the day came late when five riders finally got away. BISSELL worked hard to close the gap, and the leaders were eventually brought back just as the race approached the town of Manayunk for the final time. Jeremy Vennell was BISSELL go-to guy but got caught behind a crash in the closing miles. He was able to chase back onto the lead group, but his legs were empty for the finish. With 300 meters to go, Kiel Reijnen (United Healthcare) sprinted for the win.

BISSELL was glad to return to one of the toughest one-day races on US soil.