Hong, Wiles take Elkhorn GC

Jun 22, 2010 by editor

BAKER CITY — Constant rain and temperatures in the 40s to low 50s couldn’t dampen the spirits in Sunday’s finale at the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race. The Dooley Mountain Road Race is a 102-mile test that features three significant climbs before the summit finish atop the namesake mountain. Riders ascended 7,075 feet, culminating with the multiple switchbacks and six percent grade near the finish.

A breakaway went very early in the Pro/1/2 men’s race. Team Exergy managed to get three out of the six guys in the break, with two of them drilling it on the front all day long on behalf of the team’s climber, Chris Hong, who sat in for an easy ride to the bottom of the final climb.

The gap maxed out at about six minutes. Cameron Cogbun, one of the two CCB/Wheelworks riders, was present along with a Hagens Berman rider. Josh Bartlett (Rubicon-Orbea) bridged up to the break once it was established but before it had much of a gap. Also in there was a Montana rider from (GAS/Intrinsik). The GAS rider came came back to the pack around mile 55, Bartlett around mile 70.

The subsequent flat crosswind section was crazy — with an echelon forming briefly on the front and the remnants of the pack fighting in the gutter for scraps of draft. There were several crashes toward the tail end as the edge of the road would disappear in exchange for loose gravel.

Hong came into the climb fresh and finished two minutes in front of Cogburn, who started the day more than five minutes down overall. Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman) lit up the dwindling chase group a couple of miles into the finish climb, sweeping up all but two of the original break riders and taking fourth on the stage behind Adageo’s Taylor Kneuven. Hong had enough of an advantage to take GC, with Johnson snagging second.

In the women’s race, overall leader Taylor Wiles (Primal/Rocky Mountain Colavita) extended her overall advantage over last year’s winner Teri Sheasby, finishing six seconds ahead of Veloforma’s climbing specialist from Bend. Cucina Fresca’s Jessica Cutler was third, 13 seconds back.

Wiles and Sheasby clung to the top overall spots, with Amy Frykman (Team Delphine) in third more than two minutes back. …

RESULTS
Elkhorn Classic Stage Race
June 18-20

Stage 4 Dooley Mtn RR

Pro/1/2 Men
1. Chris Hong (Team Exergy)
2. Cameron Cogbun (CCB/Wheelworks) +1:58
3. Taylor Kneuven (Adageo) +4:04
4. Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman) +4:04
5. kevin Rowe (Team Exergy) +4:28
Pro/1/2 Women
1. Taylor Wiles (Primal/Rocky Mountain Colavita)
2. Teri Sheasby (Veloforma) +:06
3. Jessica Cutler (Cucina Fresca) +:13
4. Kristine BrynJolfson (Cucina Fresca) +:14
5. Amy Frykman (Team Delphine) +:58

Final General Classification

Pro/1/2 Men
1. Chris Hong (Team Exergy) 34:16.3
2. Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman) +2:23
3. Chris Lyman (Team Specialized) +3:01
Pro/1/2 Women
1. Tayler Wiles (Primal/Rocky Mountain Colavita) 59:59.9
2. Teri Sheasby (Veloforma) +:29
3. Amy Frykman (Team Delphine) +2:01

Complete OBRA results are HERE.