Lance Armstrong and Shelly Olds won their respective Nevada City Classics on Sunday, both using strong solo efforts to ride to victory in the 49th annual race through the Northern California mining town.
2009 Nevada City Classic: Olds wins it in style.
The Proman team softened the women's field up with a blend of tempo and aggression before Olds delivered the final blow, racing off alone to take the win.
Armstrong, meanwhile, joined an early three-man break with Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer and Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) that eventually lapped the field, cheered on by a crowd that race director Duane Strawser estimated at about 20,000.
Clad in Livestrong livery, the seven-time Tour de France champion went it alone with six laps to race, taking a lead of a dozen seconds as he churned out 2.5-minute laps on the 1.1-mile, seven-turn circuit with 120 feet of climbing per go-round.
The Nevada City course is widely considered one of the most difficult racing circuits in the West. The 1.1-mile course starts on the town’s sloping main drag – Broad Street – looking downhill at the first turn, a tight 90-degree bend just a few hundred meters from the start/finish.
The sketchiest part of the course comes in turn two, because riders see what looks heading into it like a broader curve, which narrows as they come out of it. The course continues counterclockwise and climbs back to the top of Broad Street for a thrilling descent through the start/finish area.
Teamwork delivers Olds to victory
Olds’ Proman teammates quickly strung out the field in the women’s race, with Helene Drumm setting the pace before Rachel Neylan attacked to draw out their opponents.
2009 Nevada City Classic: Miller and Nash with
ProMan teammates Shelly Olds and Helene Drumm.
Neylan served as the decoy to set up the much anticipated, but equally indefensible, counter-attack and winning solo move by Olds.
National criterium and road race champ Brooke Miller (TIBCO) tried to keep the Proman onslaught in check, but in the end settled for a fine second place with Katerina Nash (Luna) taking third.