Boone wins Elkhorn criterium

Jun 18, 2011 by editor

BAKER CITY — Scattered rain showers in Northeast Oregon curbed the women’s Cat 1-2 criterium at the Elkhorn Classic Saturday, but when the roads dried out in time for the Cat 1-2 men to take the streets for the Stage 3 contest, Team Oregon/Laurelwood’s Andrew Boone sprinted in for a solo win.

Pouring rain caused carnage in the Cat 4 race before officials canceled the women’s Cat 1-2-3 combined event, but roads cleared in time for the men’s Cat 3 and Cat 1-2 races. Team Oregon’s aggressive tactics saw Boone, Eli Romer, Brendan Treacy, and Christopher DuBois off the front in separate moves with riders from Hagens Berman, Yahoo! Cycling and Ironclad Performance Wear.

But it was Boone’s move with two laps remaining that eventually found success. Hagens Berman rider Tyler Stearns went with him and sat on his wheel for several laps, but Boone was still able to come through the final corner clear and hold a slim margin over a fast pack to the line. Stearns finished two second later, while Shawn Howard (Vertical Earth) brought in the field sprint for third place five seconds after Boone.

Boone gained enough time to move into a tie for sixth overall with Ironclad Performance Wear’s Jonathan McCoy at 1:12 behind leader Lang Reynolds (Hagens Berman). The top five on GC remained unchanged going into Sunday’s 102-mile Dooley Mountain Queen Stage, which will be the final proving ground for the overall contenders.

RESULTS
Elkhorn Classic Stage Race
Stage 3 Gold Rush Criterium
June 18

Cat 1-2 Men
1. Andrew Boone (Team Oregon/Laurelwood) @ 59:25
2. Tyler Stearns (Hagens Berman) +:02
3. Shawn Howard (Vetical Earth) +:05
4. Gabe Varela (Yahoo! Cycling) s.t.
5. Maikey Lopero (Life Cycle) s.t.

GC
1. Lang Reynolds (Hagens Berman)
2. Josh Liberles (HPChiro/Alpine Mortgage Planning) +:14
3. Jake Hansen (Word-RCB) +:34
4. Davis Shepherd (Gregg’s/Trek) +1:09
5. Colin Gibson (Hagens Berman) +1:10

Cat 1-2 Women GC Stage 3 canceled
1. Ashley Koch (Tri-Sports/Eclipse Racing) 3:46:37
2. Jane Despas (Yahoo! Cycling Team) +:17
3. Anna Christiansen (Ironclad Performance Wear) +:38
4. Anona Whitely (Ironclad Performance Wear) +3:10
5. Allison Beall (Team REP) +5:38

Complete OBRA results are HERE.