JUNE 16, 2010
Thetford Mines, Que – Andrew Pinfold of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis took 3rd in the second stage of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Beauce, moving him up to 3rd overall and giving him the white jersey of the leader of the points competition.
“This was probably the only true sprinter’s stage of the race,” said Team Directeur Sportif Gord Fraser. “We wanted to give Pinner a good shot at the stage win.”
With an eight-rider move well up the road, the Heraklio-Murcia team of race leader Rafael Serrano accepted responsibility for the chase to bring back the break, along with help from the Amore e Vita team of second overall Sergiy Grechyn.
The break was finally reeled in with 10 km remaining, and the sprinters’ teams took over. With a slightly shorthanded five-man team, Fraser said, “we were content to let teams like Fly V Australia and SpiderTech handle the main lead-out duties and surf the strongest train to put Pinner in position for the sprint. Chris (Baldwin) and Marc (de Maar) did excellent work toward the end to accomplish that.”
Unfortunately, Pinfold’s chances at the stage win were derailed a bit when a touch of wheels damaged his rear derailleur, preventing him from using his 11-tooth cog for the sprint. He kept it in his 12-tooth and had a go, taking 3rd in the stage and enough points to move into the sprinter’s competition lead.
Tomorrow’s Stage 3 is sure to shake up the overall standings, as the peloton finishes with the epic climb up Mont Megantic. The final 5 km of the climb averages 10%, with ramps as steep as 20%. It’s a course much more suited to UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis climbers de Maar, Baldwin, Max Jenkins and Morgan Schmitt.
Photo: Provided by UnitedHealthcare
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