Rubicon dominates; Van Uden wins at PDX Twilight Crit

Aug 13, 2010 by editor

Rubicon-Orbea controlled the front of the Portland Twilight Criterium for the final 10 laps and took the top four spots. Fifteen-year-old Logan Owen of Washington's Hagens Berman team finished fifth.

PORTLAND — Rubicon-Orbea’s internationally flavored cast of riders left town with a loud bang Friday night, taking the top four spots at the 9th Annual Portland Twilight Criterium presented by Subaru in this city’s North Park Blocks. New Zealand’s Roman van Uden led the parade of teammates Ben Chaddock (Canada), Mike Northey (New Zealand U23 Criterium Champion) and Quinn Keogh (United States) across the line for the team’s last race together before riders head their separate ways.

Beer gardens, a handmade bike show and food vendors added to the festival atmosphere Friday night.

In a revelation of the race, 15-year-old Logan Owen of Washington’s Hagens Berman team was the only rider who managed to fight his way into Rubicon’s battle-hardened lead out train that took over in the last 10 laps of the 60-minute event. Owen muscled his way past Rubicon’s veteran ace Aaron Tuckerman (New Zealand) for fifth.

Tuckerman guarded the back of his team’s lead out train well, slamming the door shut hard enough in some corners to delay the podium presentation for several minutes as OBRA officials sorted out protests over alleged behavior in the closing laps. After deliberation, the race commissar let the results stand.

Temperatures in the mid 90s and high humidity tested racers along the technical six-corner, L-shaped course on fair-to-rough pavement over highly crowned roads. Pro mountain bikers Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Jason Sager (Jamis) showed up to add some horsepower to the field, and two-time Olympian Bob Mionske also toed the start line. Crowds lined the course several layers deep in hot spots, with a handmade bike show to warm them up, beer gardens to keep them cool and food vendors to make them happy.

Van Uden led things off with an attack that brought on a chase by Trebon — in training for the upcoming cyclocross season — that immediately stretched the field to its breaking point. Tour de Nez stage winner Graham Howard (HPChiro/Scott’s Cycles of Salem) went next but was soon joined by several Rubicon riders before the bunch pulled them back. Constant escape attempts and the ensuing chases combined with crashes and fatigue to whittle the field by as much as a third.

Racing was up close and personal.

And when the race closed in on its final laps, Rubicon-Orbea left little doubt which team was in charge. The yellow-and-black-kitted team (with the exception of Northey’s white NZ national champion’s jersey) gathered at the front, with 6’5” track star Jason Allen at the point driving the pace to ward off late attacks, an effort that seemed to stifle the field.

“Jason did an awesome effort with 10 laps to go,” Van Uden said. “He just stuck it out on the front, which meant we could sit there and be in a good position for the sprint.”

In fact, Allen’s final effort closed down the race so effectively the team’s plan to expend themselves leading out Northey proved unnecessary.

“Jason did such a long pull that I was still really fresh coming into a half lap to go,” Van Uden said. “I hit it on the back straight with the intent of leading out for them to come around, but the course is so short from there that I was able to stick it to the end. And Mike (Northey) was getting dive-bombed by everyone from behind, so it made it tough for him.”

Gentle Lovers rider Steven Beardsley, who appeared to be having words with Tuckerman as the pair crossed the line, had hoped to celebrate his birthday with a hometown win at Portland’s biggest one-day road race, but he said Rubicon’s aggressive riding at the finish made it impossible. Beardsley accused Rubicon riders of chopping his wheel in corners and trying to force him out of their lead out organization, preventing him and others from attacking or moving forward. In the end, he settled for a 12th-place finish and didn’t get his birthday win.

Van Uden credited his teammates with putting him into position to post his last win in the U.S. with the Rubicon organization of David and Norrene Godfrey.

“Tonight was just a huge team effort,” he said. “We all worked so well together. Everyone was just attacking and following moves. And so it was just a great team race. I can’t thank them enough.”

CAT 3 RACE

Ironclad's Jeff Harwood won the bunch sprint to close out the 40-minute Cat 3 race that started the evening.

In the 40-minute Cat 3 race, Ironclad Performance Wear’s Jeff Harwood dug deep to take a crowded bunch sprint victory in front of recently crowned OBRA road race champion Kyle Brown (Team Bike Tires Direct) and Beaverton Bicycle Club junior Joe Prettyman.

Check out the PHOTO GALLERY.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Portland Twilight Criterium Presented by Subaru
Friday, Aug. 13

Pro/1/2
1. Roman van Uden (Rubicon-Orbea)
2. Ben Chaddock (Rubicon-Orbea)
3. Mike Northey (Rubicon-Orbea)
4. Quinn Keogh (Rubicon-Orbea)
5. Logan Owen (Hagens Berman)
Cat 3
1. Jeff Harwood (Ironclad Performance Wear)
2. Kyle Brown (Bike Tires Direct)
3. Joe Prettyman (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
4. Greg Milarda (Team Waste Management)
5. Scott Jones (Portland Velo)

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

: Two-time Olympian and former Lance Armstrong teammate Bob Mionske takes the line.

: The Pro/1/2 men get ready for the starting whistle.

: Sam Nicoletti won the final Mt. Tabor race and took the Senior men’s overall crown. ©Pat Malach/FILE PHOTO

: HPC’s Graham Howard was on the attack early.

: Howard’s HPC teammate Aaron Coker rode well.

: Cyclocross star Ryan Trebon takes a corner.

: Brad Ross and guest on the support moto.

: Davy Yeater (River City Bicycles) tried an early escape.

: Kona’s Ryan Trebon got in some good intensity training for cyclocross season by helping chase down the Rubicon breakaway attemtps.

: Gentle Lovers’ Mark Blackwelder rode in support of teammate Steven Beardsley’s effort.

: Shannon Skerritt (Speedvagen) looks for help.

: Recently back from France, Marcel de Lisser got a call up at the start.

: Hagens Berman sent a small squad to the race and went on the attack.

: Relatively new to the Pro/1/2 field, Jake Hansen (Word-RCB) hung on until the finish.

: Pro mountain biker Jason Sager (Jamis) got in some weekend intensity training.

: Eventual winner Roman van Uden (Rubicon-Orbea) went on the attack from the start.

: Riders used the width of the road for attacking on the long backside straightaway.

: Ryan Trebon (Kona) leads the pack.

: Aaron Tuckerman played patrolman for Rubicon-Orbea, tagging along with many of the race’s moves.

: heads up in the bunch!

: Cat 2 newcomer Adrian Richardson (Guinness) rode well.

: Brand new OBRA road race champ Quinn Keogh (Rubicon-Orbea) drives the field.

: The field bunches up as the end of the race nears.

: Rubicon-Orbea’s ben Chaddock leads teammates Van Uden, Keogh and Northey.

: Bloodied from a late-race crash, Word-RCB’s Stephen Bedford soldiered on to the finish..

: No fooling around for Rubicon-Orbea at the front of the field in the closing laps.

: Rubicon-Orbea occupies the top four spots, with 15-year-old Logan Owen (Hagens Berman) finishing fifth.

: Winner Van Uden thanks his teammates for the win and team managers David and Norrene Godfrey for the opportunities.

: Rubicon-Orbea controlled the front of the Portland Twilight Criterium for the final 10 laps and took the top four spots. Fifteen-year-old Logan Owen of Washington’s Hagens Berman team finished fifth.