German über-sprinter recovers from mid-race crash
Ina Teutenberg (HTC-Highroad) won the Merced Downtowm Grand Prix criterium, the third stage of the Merco Credit Union Cycling Classics, to take the UCI team’s second stage of the race. Teutenberg recovered from a mid race crash to beat Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12) and Pascale Schnider (Red Racing) at the end of the 25 lap, 20 mile (32.2km) race.
“Amanda [Miller] started off very strong from the beginning,” says Teutenberg. “She set a hard pace and put me in position to win at the end.”
Miller was part of a three-rider break, in the first half of the race, which forced the Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 team of race leader Alison Starnes to control the peloton. Once it was caught there was an attempted breakaway from HTC-Highroad’s Ally Stacher, but she crashed on the final turn before the finish line.
“I came into the turn too hot and I was up front,” she said. “And when I went down I took another girl with me.”
After a few more breaks were attempted in the latter stages of the race from riders such as Emily Collins (Vanderkitten-Focus) and Megan Guarnier (Tibco), the peloton all came together for the inevitable bunch sprint; almost inevitably, it was Teutenberg who came out on top.
“It was a pretty long sprint,” she explained. “Amanda set me up on the last turn, and I went wide and let two girls go on the inside, but I was able to get ahead in the sprint for the win.”
With Starnes finishing safely in the peloton there are no changes at the top of the overall standings, although the time bonus for third place moves Schnider 4 seconds closer to the lead.
Result stage 3
1. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC-Highroad
2. Coryn Rivera (USA) Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12
3. Pascale Schnider (Swi) Red Racing
4. Liza Rachetto (USA) Primal/Map My Ride
5. Lauren Tamayo (USA) Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12
6. Mary Maroon (USA) Webcor/Alto Velo
7. Emily Collins (USA) Vanderkitten-Focus
8. Kendall Ryan (USA) Team Tibco/To the Top
9. Elis Bradshaw (USA) Touchstone Climbing
10. Ruth Winder (USA) HDR p/b Lombardi Sports
Standings after stage 3
1. Alison Starnes (USA) Peanut Butter & Co-TWENTY12
2. Kristin McGrath (USA) Peanut Butter & Co-TWENTY12 @ 1’38”
3. Pascale Schnider (Swi) RED Racing @ 1’41”
4. Molly Van Houwelling (USA) Metromint Cycling @ 2’19”
5. Amanda Miller (USA) HTC-Highroad @ 2’20”