T-Mobile Scores Back-to-Back Victories

SEVEN SPRINGS, Penn (May 22, 2003) – Team T-Mobile’s Amber Neben (Irvine, Cal.) clinched the Women’s Elite Road Race Championship Thursday by way of a determined attack on a particularly difficult course in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania. Neben, who took second in the national championship in 2002 and 2001, finished the 81-mile race in 4:06:16 and was especially grateful to her T-Mobile teammates for the opportunity to bring home the national title.

“I’m so honored to win the stars and stripes,” said Neben, “Our goals as a team were to win the national championship, so to be able to come across the line first for the team is really great.  I’ve been second two years in a row, so it is incredible to come through with a win today, but really everybody contributed today- everybody.”

Team T-Mobile rounded out the top three spots on the day with Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho) and Kimberly Bruckner (Boulder, Colo.) finishing together in 4:10:45 for second and third respectively.  Lyne Gaggioli (Velo Bella) broke up the all T-Mobile affair with a fourth-place finish on the day at 4:12:46.  Dede Barry (Boulder, Colo.)secured fifth in 4:12:58 with Katrina Grove close behind Barry for sixth in 4:13:09.

An exact replica of yesterday’s weather conditions greeted the 60-rider peloton with temperatures in the low 50’s and calm winds .The challenging course served up a bevy of climbing with riders facing a hearty 3,200 feet of deceptive climbing on each lap.  The furious climbing brought with it high-speed descents, and the course delivered the full menu as many riders were struggling to hang on after one lap of the 27-mile course.

The real action began at 24 miles into the 81-mile affair when a group of eight took the opportunity to push the pace.  The T-Mobile team led with the majority rule and immediately put five contenders in the lead pack.  Kimberly Bruckner (Boulder, Colo.), Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.), Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho), Dede Barry (Boulder, Colo.), and Katrina Grove (Fort.Collins, Colo.) all set the tempo high in order to position the team for a national championship title. Three riders stayed tight with the dominant T-Mobile group- Lynn Gaggioli (Velo Bella), Christine Thorburn (Vaniqua/Red 5 Racing), and Kate Maher (Basis) were also thinking about national championship jersey honors. 

This group of eight put a steady gap on the main group and at the 25-mile mark had quickly increased their lead to 1:40.  The undulating climbing broke apart the remainder of the field leaving little left of any organized efforts to chase anything down.

Lap two saw several repeated attacks by Barry and the T-Mobile gang only to have their attempts contained by Gaggioli, Thorburn, and Maher. At the base of the final climb Neben knew that frequency of attacks had to be wearing on everyone and decided to make a move.  That move proved to be the deciding factor- as noone had the legs to chase her down.

“My teammates had forced the other three girls to work, work, work, and then I attacked at the bottom of the climb so I was able to get away,” commented Neben after the race.

 “I couldn’t have asked for a better set-up. It was really great teamwork and it worked out well.  I have to be smart when I attack because of the style of rider that I am so I have to pick and choose my places, and attacking on a long climb is much better for me. Then I just kept a comfortable, hard pace until the finish”

Neben did indeed have the help of her trusty teammates and it was Armstrong, Barry, Bruckner, and Grove who deflected any notions of a chase.  Neben cranked hard up the final miles of Copper Kettle Highway and simply mashed away on her Cannondale- entrusting that along with the cooperative efforts of her teammates she would secure her first national championship jersey.

While the 28 year-old from Irvine faced the last lap alone cushioned by a healthy 2:36 between her and the rest of the T-Mobile gang, the loyal and steadfast group of four would still have to negotiate the deceptively brutal roads in Laurel Highlands for a final lap before the entire podium would be decided. 

It was at mile 58 where Kristin Armstrong found herself out in front after a quick descent. She cleared the group with 22 seconds and decided to keep the tempo high.

“We wanted to keep as many of us together as possible,” said Armstrong. “ Christine (Thorburn-Vaniqua/Red 5 Racing) kept on setting tempo to get up to Amber, but we slowed things down to prevent that. We really wanted a win here, so we felt good about Amber out front. But now we were thinking- how are we going to get second and third? So, we started more attacks- first Dede launched several and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts I thought I’d try. I ended up getting away on a downhill and just kept it going.”

With Armstrong away, Kimberly Bruckner also sensed an opportunity to secure all three podium spots by bridging up to Armstrong.  Bruckner, hands firmly in the drops, rode up strong to Armstrong at the 64-mile mark and the two would motor in side-by-side to clinch second and third for T-Mobile.

Velo Bella’s Lynn Gaggioli would stay strong to claim the only non-T-Mobile podium spot for the two-day event.

“They’re (T-Mobile) the National Team and that’s the way it should be- so they should have the best riders,” noted Gaggioli immediately after the race. “Nobody had the strength to get away from them today.”

Espoir Women

On what Megan Elliott (Tama, Iowa) described as a “ brutal course”, the 21 year-old first-year rider from Saturn turned in a flawless performance to clinch her second consecutive Espoir National Road title.  Elliott, clocked at 4:26:53, found herself in the second main group and tried to make up for a “disappointing time trial performance” Wednesday. 

“This course really took it out of you so I just picked different points along the way to get through it. I was disappointed with my ride in the time trial yesterday so I was really shooting for today’s race.”