The stage 3 Scenic Gorge Time Trial is well-named.
HOOD RIVER — Just to remove any doubts, United healthcare’s Marc de Maar went out and earned the leader’s jersey awarded to him via penalty the previous stage by taking out the stage 3 Scenic Gorge Time trial of the 2010 Indie Hops Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.
“I definitely had a good ride today,” de Maar said in a report on the UHC website. “It’s a very hard course, very hilly and not a lot of flat sections. It’s a hard course to keep a rhythm on. I was up at 7 this morning with Gord (Fraser) to see the course, which helped.”
The time trial made a moot point of the penalty handed out to teammate Morgan Schmitt on stage 2 for drafting behind a support vehicle. De Maar covered the 18.5-mile windswept course in 44:06.2, just 14 seconds faster than Mach, who placed second in this stage last year. Team Type 1’s Michael Creed finished third with a time of 44:20.2. Last year’s Scenic Gorge Time Trial winner Chris Baldwin (UHC) suffered mechanical problems with a rubbing brake on his TT bike and finished more than four minutes off the other GC contenders.
The top three places in General Classification remain unchanged, with de Maar leading Mach by 14 seconds, followed by Hagens Berman rider Sam Johnson in third 42 seconds down. Creed now sits fourth, 44 seconds in arrears.
Next up is the Wy’East Road Race, where de Maar said he hopes to go for another stage win.
“We haven’t made a race plan yet for tomorrow, but I want to try and win the stage again,” de Maar said. “The uphill finish is good for me, and I want to get a bit more time on Mach before the criterium if I can.”
Read our complete report with more photos on CyclingNews.com.
RESULTS
Stage 3 TT 18.5 miles
Friday, June 4
Men
1. Marc De Maar (UHC) 44:06.0
2. Paul Mach (Bissell) 44:20.2
3. Michael Creed (Team Type 1) 44.42.3
GC
1. Marc De Maar
2. Paul Mach
3. Sam Johnson
Women
1. Holly Van Houweling (Metro Mint) 51:47.4
2. Robin Secrist +:40
3. Laura Brown (River City Bicycles) +1:22
GC
1. Holly Van Houweling (Metro Mint)
2. Robin Secrist
3. Sue Butler (River City Bicycles)
