Kneuven, Tyrrell top the bunch at Banana Belt #1

Mar 6, 2011 by editor

HENRY HAGG LAKE — It was undoubtedly a day of breakaway success Sunday during the Banana Belt Series opener at Hagg Lake. Taylor Kneuven bridged to the day’s winning move in the men’s Pro/1/2 race and then slowly whittled down the competition before taking a two-up sprint for the win. OBRA Road Race Champion Leia Tyrrell soloed to her first victory of the season after countering a move by Sorella Forte teammate Jen Akeroyd.

Kneuven, a Cat 1 who returned to Oregon last summer after graduating from school in Colorado, joined a group of six riders who together built a lead of more than a minute heading into the last of the five laps. Sharing work with Kneuven in the break were Jake Hansen (Word-RCB), Ryan Carlson (Cyclepath), Jon Myers (Team S&M), Duncan Oliphant (HP Chiro) and two others, but it was Hansen who eventually grenaded the group with an attack not long after riders got the bell on the last lap. Kneuven was the first break companion to latch onto Hansen’s move, with Carlson eventually clawing his way up the road to the pair.

Now a trio, the leaders worked together to consolidate their advantage before the inevitable attacks and counters started playing out on the backside of the course. Carlson dropped a chain several kilometers from the finish and lost contact, leaving Kneuven and Hansen to battle for the first series win. The more experienced Kneuven eventually powered away from Hansen on the short power climb to the line, finishing with a five-second advantage. Carlson hung on for third, crossing the line another 12 seconds later.

In the women’s race, Tyrrell spent nearly half the day riding off the front alone in the championship jersey that she won last August. The Sorella Forte teammates spent much of the first half of the race softening up the peloton with a series of attacks and counters, but when Tyrrell finally snapped the elastic during lap three, the cast was set for the rest of the race. With her teammate Akeroyd patrolling the front of the field to discourage any concerted chase efforts, Tyrrell built a lead of more than three and a half minutes by the end of the race. Upper Echelon Fitness rider Megan Chinburg eventually took charge of the chase, but she lacked the help or the horsepower to pull back Tyrrell on her own. Her efforts did net second place on the day, however, with Akeroyd finishing just behind for third.

In the men’s Masters 1/2/3 race, Sunset Cycles’ John Weathers sneaked away from the field about halfway through the race and soloed in for the win about a minute ahead of chasing Karsten Hagen. The field stormed in more than three minutes later. Mike Dunn used a long solo breakway to take the win in the Masters 50+60+ race. Beaverton Bicycle Club’s Killian Bailey took along flyer in the Junior race and earned a big win. USA Cycling’s Junior 10-12 National Road Race Champion Grant McElroy finished second.

The series continues next week on the same course, although races will run clockwise and finish on a downhill. The series returns to the counter-clockwise direction March 27 for race #3.

Check back for photos from the entire day and more results as they come in.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Banana Belt #1
March 6, 2011

Cat 1/2/ Men
1. Taylor Kneuven (Unattached)
2. Jake Hansen (Word-RCB)
3. Ryan Carlson (Cyclepath)
Cat 1/2/3 Women
1. Leia Tyrrell (Sorella Forte)
2. Megan Chinburg (Upper Echelon Fitness)
3. Jen Akeroyd (Sorella Forte)