Devo Wrap: A Fleche perspective from atop Mur de Huy

The USA Cycling National Development Program scattered riders far and wide to contest races in Europe and also represent the country at the Juniors Pan American Games in South America. America enjoyed tremendous results, fortifying its position among the elite cycling countries in the world.

Women

La Flèche Wallonne Féminine

Tayler Wiles scales the Mur de Huy climb as part of the La Flèche Wallonne Féminine. (Photo by Casey B. Gibson)

Evelyn Stevens (Boulder, Colo./Specialized-lululemon) became the first American woman to win that race after besting Marianne Vos (NED/Rabobank Women Team) in a two-up sprint to the top of Mur de Huy, which served as the finish line.

Additionally, Megan Guarnier (Mountain View, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top) and Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./Specialized-lululemon) placed seventh and 14th, riding for their respective teams.

Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Team Exergy Twenty12) posted USA Cycling's best result, placing 30th, 1:32 behind Stevens in the final results. Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Team Exergy Twenty12) finished 16 seconds behind Dvorak in 35th place. Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Tayler Wiles (Sandy, Utah/Team Exergy Twenty12) finished 6:40 and 7:29 behind Stevens, respectively. Eighteen-year-old Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./Vanderkitten) finished the race 16:40 behind Stevens.

Omloop v Borsele

On the following Saturday, a group of four women overcame pouring rain, gusting winds and low temperatures at the Omloop v Borsele in Belgium.

A five-rider breakaway, including USA Cycling's Megan Guarnier (Mountain View, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top) got away in the early stages of the race. The breakaway, which gained a few bridging riders through the 121.5-kilometer race, stuck for the duration of the race.

Guarnier attacked with two kilometers remaining in the race to finish seventh. Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Team Exergy Twenty12), Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Team Exergy Twenty12) each finished 46 seconds behind the race winner Ellen van Dijk (NED), placing 17th, 54th and 77th, respectively, in the final results.

GP Stad Roeselare

On Sunday, the same group of women contested the Grand Prix Roeselare, a 129.5-kilometer road race featuring nine climbs. After the cobbled Kemmelberg climb, a group of 17 riders broke free from the peloton.

Three riders attacked that group and stayed away for the balance of the race.

Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Team Exergy Twenty12), Megan Guarnier (Mountain View, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top) and Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) each finished 2:51 behind the race winner Van Vleuten in the final results, finishing 13th, 16th and 60th, respectively. Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Team Exergy Twenty12) completed the race 3:25 behind van Vleuten.

U23

A group of U23 men contested the five-stage Toscana-Terra di Ciclismo in Italy for USA Cycling. Larry Warbasse (Traverse City, Mich./BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Cycling Team) and Joshua Berry (Coeur D'Alene, Idaho/Chipotle-First Solar Development Team) placed 28th and 29th, respectively, in the final results. Warbasse was 9:51 behind the winner, Fabio Aru (ITA), while Berry was 10:19 behind.

The contest began Tuesday with a 164.5-kilometer road race spanning Figline Valdarno to Scarperia, which saw five of the six USA Cycling riders finish in the main group, only 10 seconds behind the stage winner, Enrico Barbin (ITA).

Berry and Warbasse finished with the leaders, placing 10th and 20th, respectively. However, attrition began to set in following the 130.2-kilometer second stage. Two of the USA Cycling riders did not finish the second stage and a third couldn't start it.

Down to only three riders, the Americans' work was cut out for them. Warbasse finished only 39 seconds behind the stage winner, Francesco Bongiorno (ITA). Berry was 2:36 back in 50th. Ty Magner (Athens, Ga./BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Cycling Team) was unable to finish the stage, leaving Warbasse and Berry in contention.

In the final two stages, Berry placed 21st and 39th while Warbasse was 61st and 16th in the fourth and fifth stages.

Juniors

The team pursuit en route to placing eighth at the Juniors Pan American Games in Guatemala. (Photo by Gus Carillo)

The track competition consists of 11 events spanning April 23-26 before the focus shifts to the road racing on April 28-29. The 20-kilometer time trial makes up the first day of road competition before the 104-kilometer road race concludes the cycling competition.

On Monday, first-year juniors Noah Williams (Wimberley, Texas/Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development) and Zack Gould (Boulder, Colo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development) competed in the individual pursuit with Williams placing seventh (3:35) and Gould finishing 18th (3:40). Miguel Byron (Miami, Fla./BLUE STAR-BOOM Development Team) was unable to complete the scratch race due to a crash with two laps remaining in his heat.

On Tuesday, the foursome of Erik Volotzky (Chatsworth, Calif./VRC-Get Crackin'-MS Society), Williams, Gould and Imari Miller (Fort Worth, Texas/Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development) rallied for eighth in the team pursuit.

Bryon is slated to contest the points race on Wednesday to conclude the American participation in the track portion of competition.

In the road portion of competition, the following three riders are slated to compete in the time trial for United States on Saturday:

Gregory Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
Jonathon Schilling (Grover, Mo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
Noah Williams (Wimberley, Texas/Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)

On Sunday, the following group of junior men are scheduled to ride in the road race:

Miguel Byron (Miami, Fla./BLUE STAR-BOOM Development Team)
Gregory Daniel (Englewood, Colo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
Zack Gould (Boulder, Colo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
Imari Miller (Fort Worth, Texas/Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
Jonathon Schilling (Grover, Mo./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
Erik Volotzky (Chatsworth, Calif./VRC-Get Crackin'-MS Society)
Noah Williams (Wimberley, Texas/Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)

COMING UP

The following four women are slated to contest the Cyclisme Feminin Elsy Jacobs, a three-stage road race in Luxembourg, spanning Friday, Saturday and Sunday for USA Cycling:

Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Team Exergy Twenty12)
Megan Guarnier (Mountain View, Calif./Team TIBCO-To the Top)
Kristin McGrath (Boise, Idaho/Team Exergy Twenty12)
Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./Vanderkitten)

USA Cycling's National Development Programs are supported by the USA Cycling Development Foundation. Support the future of American cycling with an online donation now.

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