Press Release
The Aussies invade Alabama and Fly away with the win
Cycling Australia
April 18, 2010
Ben Kersten (Fly V Australia) has scored victory in the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama edging out compatriot Hilton Clarke (Bahati Foundation) with Kersten's team mate Alessandro Bazzana third across the line.
The third of twenty-five races that comprise the US National Racing Calendar (NRC), the Sunny King Criterium was held under near perfect weather conditions in front of more than 4,000 spectators that lined the flat four-corner, one kilometre rectangular downtown circuit that included a slight uphill rise before the finish.
The men’s sixty-lap race took place under the lights with solo attacks starting after the opening lap, but never getting far. After a number of solo attempts failed, five riders got a gap and were bolstered by four more men around twenty laps into the race, but they were reeled in. Another break formed a couple laps later containing last year’s winner, Karl Menzies (United Healthcare presented by Maxxis), but it shattered during a prime lap as did the field.
The break reshuffled and a revitalized group powered on. All the major teams were represented in the reformed fifteen-rider break and so the lead margin soon doubled from twenty-five to fifty seconds.
Luis Amaran (Jamis/Sutter Home) and Alessandro Bazzana (Fly V australia) leapt from the break with twenty-four laps remaining and lapped the field with twenty-one laps to go. The rest of the break caught the field a lap later. Although Amaran & Bazzana went off the front again, they were hauled in. Kenda presented by Gear Grinder’s Chris Monteleone opened a gap and dangled in front of the field for nearly ten laps while his team manned the front. But he too was reeled in leaving eight laps to contest.
Three laps from home, Ivan Dominguez was working hard for Amaran, his Jamis/Sutter Home teammate but in the final bunch sprint Kersten received a perfect lead-out from Bazzana to take the win.
"Once we took the lap, I was motivated for a sprint finish and Baz (Bazzana) and I worked well together to ensure we arrived with the group. It's a testament to how well Baz is riding right now was that not only did he lead me out perfectly, but he also held on to finish third,” said Kersten. "There was a great atmosphere and I loved racing here. I’ll definitely come back.”