March 28, 2010 - Roman Kilun of UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis ventured to the Central Valley of California to take on the two-day, three-stage Topsport Stage Race this weekend and came away with two stage wins and the overall title against a strong NorCal elite field.
The race opened with a double day Saturday, starting with a 90-minute circuit race in the early part of the morning. Kilun rode conservatively, staying in the main bunch for the entirety of the race, but not contesting the sprint in order to save some energy for the 10-mile time trial that would follow just an hour and a half after the end of the circuit race.
The strategy paid off. “It was a bit hard going from the circuit race to the time trial an hour and a half later but it worked out okay,” he said.
Kilun won the time trial and took the race lead by a thin two-second margin. That set the stage Sunday for a tense, 92-mile road race on a rolling course with time bonuses out on the road.
Kilun benefited from a break that got up the road, with riders who weren’t a threat to his lead picking up the bonus seconds. He worked with other teams to bring back the break, and when the inevitable attacks started after the catch.
“I tried to cover the moves late,” he said. “When we got to the last climb, I put in an attack and got away. There was still one guy up the road and I caught him. We came to the line together and I was able to get over him in the sprint.”
Kilun added that the first-year race was well-run, and the road race covered much of the course used for the famed Copperopolis Road Race in and around the town of Copperopolis.
Photo: Jonathan Devich, Epic Images
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