JUNE 26, 2010
Milwaukee, WI – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis train was only four-deep at the Downer Classic in Milwaukee Saturday evening, but the outcome was the same as it was 10 days ago in the second stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix: Hilton Clarke and Karl Menzies took the top two spots.
Instead of a full six-rider lead-out, Clarke and Menzies need only Brad White and Jonny Clarke.
“Because there were only four of us, we weren’t too aggressive,” Clarke said. “We were covering a lot of moves. And really, I wasn’t feeling that great so I ended up putting a lot on the guys.”
When no moves stuck, the Team prepared for the sprint finish. With one lap of the one-mile course to go, White took over the front with Jonny Clarke, Menzies and Hilton Clarke on his wheel.
“Brad was unbelievable,” Clarke said. “When he took over the front, he took it way further than we expected. He was going so fast, none of us could move. He got us to almost the last corner, and Jonny took us into the finishing straight.”
Finally, with 150 meters to go, Clarke and Menzies hit out from Jonny Clarke’s wheel and paid back their teammates for their work with the top two spots on the podium.
“It was a lot of fun,” Clarke said. “The race is held in an entertainment district, so there are a lot of pubs on the course and a ton of people. One of the people from UnitedHealthcare who did our group ride Friday morning has a house on the second straight on the course and there were a bunch of UHC people there cheering us on. I’m glad we were able to put on a good show for them.”
Notes
The Downer Classic was Stage 10 of the Tour of America’s Dairyland. The four-man squad will also make the trip to Waukesha for the final stop of the Tour, the Carl Zach Cycling Classic.
Photo: Jonathan Devich, Epic Images
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