Leonard, Simmons win Tabor race
Mindy Simmons is all smiles Saturday as she wins the Mt. Tabor Circuit Race. ©Pat Malach
PORTLAND — Mindy Simmons outsprinted the women’s Cat 1/2/3 field to get her second-ever win at Mt. Tabor Saturday, while John Leonard used a late race charge to solo in for the men’s Cat 1/2 win at Tabor, the fifth race of the Oregon Cup Series.
John Leonard celebrates his win on Mt. Tabor. ©Pat Malach
Simmons rode without teammates in the field and weathered the attacks and chases from Ironclad Performance Wear, Upper Echelon Fitness and KBC. But the pace slowed slightly as riders began to regroup and think about setting up for the finish when the main field approached the final laps intact.
“I tried to just lay low, be smart and wait for the end, Simmons said. “Amy (Campbell) jumped early on the right kind of in the gutter, and I didn’t want to take that line, so I hung onto Jen (Akeroyd) and then hit it through the last corner and hoped no one could get me. I could feel them, but I just didn’t want to look back.”
Akeroyd finished just behind Simmons for second and added to her lead in the women’s Oregon Cup. Emily Charbonneau charged into third. Simmons said the last time she topped the podium at Mt. Tabor was for her first Cat 4 win.
Inspired by prize money for the winner of each lap, immediate attacking split the men’s Cat 1/2 race into two groups by the time the riders rounded the 1.3 mile course to start the second of 30 laps. Leonard was active all day on the front along with Oregon Cup leader Jake Hansen (Word-RCB) and Ironclad’s Jonathan McCoy, HPChiro/Alpine Mortgage’s Brendon Gallant, Cycleptah’s Ryan Carlson and Gentle Lover’s Steven Beardsley.
The attacking was constant throughout the 90+ minute race, but it was McCoy’s jump for the line with two to go that finally launched Leonard for the win.
“I’ve done this race so many times before, and I know I’m not a good sprinter, but usually with two to go I’ve got good punch and good power and it looked like he was just going for the points sprints,” Leonard said of McCoy’s initial jump and his own decision to tag along.
Leonard circled around with McCoy but then quickly dropped the Ironclad rider with a savage attack that opened a huge gap back to the field, where Carlson had made his own escape and was trying to bridge.
“You gotta have a really good gap on the last lap if you want to stay away,” Leonard said, “because the sprinters are coming up 10 miles an hour faster than you are at the finish. I was just trying to hang on. I was completely anaerobic on that last lap.”
The effort was good enough to land Leonard at the finish line with plenty of room to salute the victory. An equally jubilant Carlson passed McCoy and soloed in for second. McCoy held off the field and finished third. Beardsley grabbed the field print for fourth ahead of Cliff Heaberlin (Guinness Cycling).
Hanson added to his Oregon Cup lead with a sixth-place finish, one spot better than Oregon Cup third overall Gallant. Series runner-up Andrew Boone (Team Oregon/Laurelwood) was racing in Bend and did not compete at Mt. Tabor. The next Oregon Cup is the High Desert Road Race in Bend June 10.
Please check back later for the complete photo gallery.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Mt. Tabor Circuit Race
May 21
Women Cat 1/2/3
1. Mindy Simmons (Guinness Cycling)
2. Jen Akeroyd (Sorella Forte)
3. Emily Charbonneau
4. Erin Playman (KBC)
5. Amy Campbell (KBC)
Men Cat 1/2
1. John Leonard (Rapha Racing NW)
2. Ryan Carlson (Cyclepath)
3. Jonathan McCoy (Ironclad Performance Wear)
4. Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers)
5. Cliff Heaberlin (Guinness Cycling Team)
Complete results are HERE.
