SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
Doylestown, PA – Karl Menzies of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis seems to thrive in rotten conditions. The big man from Tasmania finished 2nd in a wet and grimy Univest Doylestown Criterium, taking advantage of strong work by teammates Jonny Clarke and Tim Johnson to be well-positioned to win the bunch sprint for 2nd behind race winner, Johan Lindgren, of the Swedish CykelCity team.
“It was an aggressive race from the start,” Menzies said. It was also hazardous. Early crashes left UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis shorthanded after Rory Sutherland, Marc de Maar and Jake Keough all hit the deck. In fact, well under half of the 108 starters actually made it to the finish line.
“There were a lot of moves,” Menzies said. “I was in a couple. Tim was in a couple. But some of the other teams would cover moves and then just sit on and that just killed any move.”
With six laps to go, Lindgren slipped off the front alone. UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis put Johnson on the front to spearhead the chase, but other teams that were interested in setting up for a sprint finish were less interested in contributing to the chase. That gave Lindgren just enough leash to stay away.
“Jonny dropped me off with 200 meters to go and I got a good run at the line,” Menzies said. “Lindgren was only a few seconds ahead of us when we were sprinting. It’s not an easy course to stay away on, so give him some credit. It’s a bit disappointing to get second, but under the conditions and given we were shorthanded, it’s not a bad result for the team.”
Notes
Johnson’s efforts in breaks and riding the front of the bunch earned him the win in the Sprint Competition ahead of Menzies in 2nd place.
Photo: Jonathan Devich, Epic Images
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