A familiar scene - Fisk wins Bannock!
Vitamin Cottage riders have been busy stepping on and off the podium over the past couple of weeks. First up over the July 27 weekend was the the Salida Omnium, a three-stage race with a time trial, road race and criterium. Beth Fisk took a dominating victory in the overall pro-1-2 women's omnium. To do so, she won the time trial, took fourth in a demanding hilly road race, and won the criterium. Other notable VC women's results included the time trial: Renee Eastman (6th); Criterium: Anne Lannan (7th); Omnium Overall: Renee Eastman (8th). In the men's master 45+ omnium, Vitmain Cottage rider Jimi Gibson took the road race stage, which was also the state road race championship. If the men's pro-1-2 omnium was a golf tournament, Vitamin Cottage shot well over par. However, Jon Tarkington managed a respectable 9th in the time trial, 6th in the road race and 9th overall.
The men's team reconciled it's Salida performance by taking 1st and 2nd in the Federal Center circuit race and second in a hotly contested Bannock Criterium. At the Federal Center Vitamin Cottage riders Jon Tarkington, Dirk Friel, and Joe Pinkerton were part of an 8-man breakaway in the final 15 minutes of the race. The break of strong riders consisted of Kevin Nicol (Tokyo Joe's), Timmy Duggan (Team Slipstream), Colby Pearce (USA Cycling); Zak Grabowski (VMG racing); and Taylor Phinney (5280). With half a lap to go, Tarkington sacrificied his own chances and took a long pull delivering Dirk Friel and Joe Pinkerton to the line for a 1-2 finish. Tarkington hung on for 6th and once again the elite squad worked to perfection as a team.
Dirk Friel takes the win at the Federal Center
In the women's version of the Federal Center Circuit, Vitamin Cottage matched its earlier performance by the men's team. Syrae Weikle took the victory with Beth Fisk in second. In Sunday's Bannock Criterium, Beth Fisk took the win for Vitamin Cottage. The men's Bannock race was a national caliber field. Vitamin Cottage was in the mix of every serious break the entire race. With 15 minutes left, Dirk Friel integrated a 4 man break. Unfortunately for three of them, the break included BMC sprinter Dan Schmatz. As expected, Schmatz took the win, but Dirk Friel was right behind in second. Friel has made the podium in almost every race he's entered this season.
The breakaway works together at Bannock
With only a few races remaining, the Vitamin Cottage men's and women's pro-1-2 teams and the men's 45+ team hold commanding leads in the season-long best all around team competition. Interestingly, both pro-1-2 teams and the 45 + team focus on winning races as a team as their first priority. In so doing, the points competition takes care of itself.