Sunday, June 22, 2008
B3
SPOTLIGHT
Stage 1: Tuesday
Morning prologue time trial (10 a.m.), followed by criterium in the evening (6 p.m.). The start and finish lines for the time trial and criterium circuits is in front of Philadelphia’s Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, the same ground as the 1947 National Cycling Championships. The 2-mile time trial circuit will include Martin Luther King Drive, while the 1.2-mile criterium (total of 25 miles) will take place on the Memorial Hall Concourse.
Stage 2: Wednesday
Beginning at 10 a.m. at Green Street and E. Lancaster Pike in Downingtown, the 91-mile road race winds through Amish Country, with mostly rolling terrain and two intermediate sprints in Ephrata and Hershey. The course also will include a 2.5-mile King of the mountain sprint at the top of Spring Hill and a final sprint to the finish line in Carlisle in front of Dickinson College. Estimated finish time of 1:15 to 2 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m.
Stage 3: Thursday
Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Highmark Headquarters in Camp Hill, this stage is 104 miles and takes riders up and over two mountain passes. The first begins at mile 66 and climbs 3.5 miles to the top of Tuscarora Summit. The second is at mile 82 at Sideling Hill for a 3-mile climb with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet before a winding, technical descent into Bedford. Estimated finish time of 2:15 to 3 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 9 a.m.
Stage 4: Friday
Beginning at 11 a.m. at Penn and South Juliana Street in Bedford, this 60-mile stage likely is the most difficult and should separate the leaders from the pack. The route turns uphill just 15 miles in for a climb to Bald Knob Summit, a 5.5-mile ascent with grades of 10 to 15 percent. The riders will then crest the Laurel Hill Summit at mile 40 for a 2-mile climb with a 15-percent grade before passing through Ligonier and sprinting to the finish line at Ligonier and Alexandria Street in downtown Latrobe. Estimated finish time of 1 to 2 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.
Stage 5: Saturday
Beginning at noon on Market Street just off Route 30 in Ligonier, this 83-mile route into Pittsburgh will feature rolling terrain with a King of the Mountain sprint at mile 21 and an intermediate sprint at mile 38. The riders will roll through the East End and into the South Side with a sprint finish at the American Eagle Outfitters headquarters at the SouthSide Works. Estimated finish time of 2:55 to 3:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m.
Stage 6: June 29
The race concludes at 5 p.m., opening with a 50-mile, classic downtown criterium consisting of 33 laps on a 1.5-mile course that runs along Boulevard of the Allies, Grant Street, Sixth Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The start and finish line is the intersection of Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street, with an approximate finish time of 6:50 p.m. and the awards ceremony to follow. Opening ceremonies start at 4 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA · DOWNINGTOWN · CAMP HILL · BEDFORD · LIGONIER · PITTSBURGH
Local traffic info, road closures
I Roads will be closed at the start/finish lines for all stages of the Tour of Pennsylvania. The area around the American Eagle Outfitters headquarters just across the Hot Metal Bridge in the SouthSide Works will be closed Saturday afternoon. A circuit race on the surrounding streets, including several blocks of East Carson Street, will also be closed for approximately 45 minutes once the cyclists enter the city during the race’s fifth stage. I On June 29, the Tour will conclude with a criterium downtown with the start/finish line at Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. The route, which includes Boulevard of the Allies, Grant Street, Sixth Street and Liberty Avenue, will be closed from approximately 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. I Additionally, competitors will be surrounded by rolling closures as they progress from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, mostly along Route 30. State police will usher cars off the route for 3-5 minutes in front of the racers and re-open the roads after the caravan passes through. Those who are traveling behind the caravan should expect delays.
TOUR OF PENNSYLVANIA
Tips on watching the stage race featuring some of the world’s best young cyclists, going from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
BY KAREN PRICE
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
June 24-29 · A spectator’s guide
Television network Versus will broadcast nightly wrap-ups at 6 p.m. starting with Stage 2 on Wednesday and continuing through Stage 5 on Saturday. Coverage of Stage 6 begins at 5:30 p.m. Sunday
The teams
INTERNATIONAL
NATION Argentina
18 teams will compete in the six-stage, 420-mile race:
The Tour of Pennsylvania bicycle stage race kicks off Tuesday in Philadelphia and ends Sunday in Pittsburgh. In between, some of the best young cyclists under the age of 25 from around the world will travel 420 miles following historic Route 30 and passing through not only some of the state’s most beautiful country, but also its most taxing terrain. These aren’t the cyclists you’ll see at the Tour de France or the Olympics this summer, but just give them a few years. In this race, the first of its kind for under-25 cyclists in the United States and a signature event of Pittsburgh’s 250th celebration, 18 teams of six cyclists each will be competing for a purse of $150,000. Versus will broadcast nightly recaps starting with Stage 2 on Wednesday, and coverage of Sunday’s final stage will begin at 5:30 p.m. People in the Pittsburgh area will have the opportunity to catch the action live during three stages — at the end of Stage 4 from Bedford to Latrobe, at Stage 5 from Ligonier to the South Side, and at Stage 6, a criterium that will be held downtown. Read on for all you need to know to follow the race, whether in person or on television.
NOTABLE Climber-heavy squad includes Gustavo Borcard, reigning under-23 Argentine national road champion. Australia Praties Cycling Team Time trial specialist Ben Norton placed first at the Victorian Open road race in Australia. Belgium Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy Keep an eye on Belgian Steven Van Vooren and Pennsylvania’s own Jim Camut. Canada Team RACE Pro Team director is Steve Bauer, the first Canadian to win a stage at the Tour de France. Germany Team Stadler Andreas Ciensky made the top 15 overall at the Tour of Berlin last month. Netherlands Global Cycling Sander Aardenburg is likely the biggest threat for this team accustomed to mostly flat terrain. South Africa Konica Minolta Continental Cycling Team Christoff Van Heerden and Herman Fouche lead this team heavy on sprinters. TEAM NAME Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Pro Cycling NOTABLE Top rider is Canadian David Veilleux, three-time under-23 Canadian champion. Led by Princeton’s Nick Frey, the reigning under-23 national time trial champion.
TEAM NAME Esco-Telefonicos Argentina
DOMESTIC PROFESSIONAL
STATE Minnesota
North Carolina Time Pro Cycling
DOMESTIC ELITE AMATEUR
STATE/REGION Arizona TEAM NAME NOTABLE Team Waste Management/Racelab U23 The official feeder team for the Jelly Belly pro team, led by Kiel Reijnen of collegiate cycling powerhouse Colorado. California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized Led by Max Jenkins, winner of the under-23 road race at last year’s U.S. national championships. Team VRC Racing/NOW-MS Society Cycling Team In five years, the team has produced six professional cyclists. Keep an eye on fast finisher Nick Martinez. ZTeaM Team director is former Tour de France pro Frankie Andreu, team leader is Stefano Barberi of Brazil. VMG/Felt Development arm of Team Garmin-Chipotle, watch Peter Stetina, the best young rider at last year’s Tour de Toona in Altoona. Fiordifrutta Cycling Team Top-ranked amateur team in the 2007 National Racing Calendar standings. Sakonnet Technology U25 Team Ryan Baumann was the top under-23 rider at last year’s Tour of Virginia. PA Lightning Pennsylvanians Taylor Brown, Michael Chauner and Chris Ruhl lead the squad. Penn St. Cancer Inst-GPOA-Canondale Former collegiate national champion Chris Kuhl and Elliot Gaunt are the ones to watch.
to the cyclists. Race director Dave Chauner also recommends the “feed zones,” areas where team cars stop in advance of the riders and get ready to hand off bags of food. The tops of the hardest climbs are also good places to watch. “That’s when the riders are going the slowest so you have the best chance of seeing the suffering on their faces,” he said. In Stage 4, check out the crest of Laurel Hill Summit, a two-mile climb at a 15 percent grade, or check out the sprint into downtown Latrobe at Ligonier and Alexandria Street. Stage 5 has a feed zone at the road leading into St. Vincent’s College, roughly 41 miles in from the starting line at Market Street in Ligonier. The pack will later cross the Hot Metal Bridge before ending in the SouthSide Works with a loop that includes Sidney Street and Carson Street. Stage 6 is the downtown criterium, with the start and finish line at Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. For detailed route maps, including street names and estimated times of arrival, go to www.tourofpa.com and check out the race routes section. — — — Karen Price can be reached at kprice@tribweb.com or 412-320-7980.
California
California
The strategy
Cycling may seem like an individual sport, but a stage race is quite the opposite. The amount of strategy involved can be staggering, from designating a team leader to readjusting when an unexpected leader emerges, from dealing with breakaways to recovering from crashes. Ideally, a designated leader, such as Lance Armstrong or Levi Leipheimer, will have to do as little work as possible during the race to keep them fresh for the difficult stages. It will be up to their teammates to chase down other cyclists who break from the pack and try to get ahead. It will also be up to the teammates to ride in the front of the pack, or the peloton, and let the leader draft. “The basic idea is to keep the leader as fresh as possible so that when the race gets really hard, they have the reserves,” said Chris Mayhew, a professional cycling coach with JBV Coaching. “On a particularly hard section of the course
California Colorado
New England New York Philadelphia Pittsburgh
hopefully the leader has been behind his teammates the entire time so at that point he can make a really hard attack on that hill while everyone else is exhausted.” Every rider is timed at every stage, with each day’s time added up to create an overall time. The cyclist with the lowest time at the end of the race is the winner. Points are also awarded for the best climbers, who get the King of the Mountain jersey, and the best sprinters. “On the flat stages, there really won’t be big time splits, but in the middle stages with a lot of climbs, if you have a bad day you could lose an hour,” said Mayhew, 32, of Mt. Lebanon. “That’s when it will really start to open up.”
Where to watch
The best place is the finish line. Highmark Healthy High 5 Finish Line Festivals are planned for every stage but the first, are free and will include announcers giving reports as the riders draw closer plus activities to keep spectators entertained in the meantime. The awarding of jerseys will also follow each stage completion. Start lines are also great places to watch, particularly for autographs, photos and other access
Race jersey guide
YELLOW: The most coveted; reserved for the overall leader. POLKA-DOTS: Climber’s jersey, given to the rider who has accumulated the most King of the Mountain points over the decisive climbs of the course. ORANGE: Most aggressive, awarded subjectively to the rider who shows the greatest tenacity and presented in honor of General John Forbes. GREEN: Best sprinter, presented to the rider who demonstrates the most raw power and great positioning, gaining the most points at the front of the pack. BLUE: Teamwork, presented to the team judged to be most capable of controlling the race and its outcome over the entire racecourse. WHITE: Best young rider, presented to the best in the next generation of cyclists.