Aug 7 - In a Denver Classic that read like a who's who of the NRC rankings, cat 1 rider Jon Stierwalt (Rio Grande) stole the show from the likes of Chris Baldwin and Phil Zajiceck (Navigators), Dan Schmatz (Sierra Nevada), Scott Moninger (Healthnet), and Danny Pate and Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly), and Andy Bajadali and his Vitamin Cottage storm troopers. Early in the race a six-man breakaway left the field, quickly turning into five, including Stierwalt, Bajadali, Baldwin, Zajicek, and Jonathon Garcia (RMCEF). The break stayed away until the finish and it was Stierwalt sprinting in for the win ahead of Baldwin and Bajadali. The field sprint saw no surprises with Schmatz and Candelario taking it for 6th and 7th overall. Joe Pinkerton rubbed shoulders with the best finishing in 10th following a nice sprint. All in all, the final results saw 4 Vitamin Cottage Riders in the top 20, including Christian McCarthy and Alan McCormack along with Pinkerton and Bajadali.
The VC boys next see action at 4:45 pm on Sunday, August 14 at the Swanky's Classic (see www.americancycling.org for details).