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Locals have banner day in Dade City races

By JESSICA MUNDIE
Published February 28, 2007

Bicycle racers are sprinting for 2007 Florida Series Points, and the first flurry of events saw a new group of talented locals who already are at the top of the rankings.

East Pasco Habitat for Humanity Road Race and Criterium Weekend in Dade City brought out the competition several weeks ago. The best USA Cycling racers in the Southeast battled area racers for thousands in cash and FPS points.

Professional Josh Thornton Toyota/United Cycling Team turned a trip home into a lucrative stage race win, surviving team tactics of Miami's powerful JetNetworks Team. Thornton visited San Antonio, but not long enough to distract himself from his major early-season goal of winning Pasco's double race weekend on Feb. 17-18.

Top locals at the road races, breaking into the top 10 in Pro 1-2, were: Chris Scott (Locos), Gary Yates (Team Outspokin) and Frank Lopez (Preferred Alliance). Scott placed fourth at Lake Mary Criterium on Feb. 11, showing his form is coming along nicely in the early races.

Women's Category 1-2 riders Jacquelyn Crowell and experienced champion Tina Elliott (both Cycle Science Team) lived up to their reputations as fast Miami female cyclists, and the "combine" tactics they used were impossible to beat. Third place went to St. Petersburg's Elizabeth Morse-Hill (Ford Cycling Team/Orlando Velo), who just came off a win at the Florida State Cyclocross Championships in Largo.

True to her word, former UCI Masters World Mountain Bike Champion Shelly Allen (Team Outspokin) of Pinellas Park showed up with her skinny tires and sprinted to a strong third place in the Women's Category 4 road race.

"I just came out to watch the cross races in Largo, and riders asked if I was going to race again," Allen said. "I jumped into this road race for fun, and I may do a few more."

USA Cycling's top-ranked Master 55-plus racer Mike McCollum of Largo has shown consistent results, with his second in the road race. McCollum does well in major races, and if he can get around this season's high-speed crashes, he will earn another national championship medal. McCollum (Jacksonville Racing Club), 61, also beat Miami's national champion, Manny Aguilera, in Lake Mary the previous week.

"This is all about enjoying your training and reaching your goals," McCollum said. "We all enjoy the travel, and my racing in Australia was great, but there's plenty of competition in the U.S. now for masters. Plenty of American riders are racing at an elite level now."

Also in the mix in the road race: Team Neptune Category 35-plus racers Mark Yaeger of St. Petersburg and Paul Kavan of Tampa. Kavan, 36, was undefeated in last month's state championships.

Windswept criteriums on Feb. 18 brought out Florida's fastest speed merchants, sprinting around the multi-lap course in historic downtown Dade City.

Keeping the cash and the trophies in Pinellas county: Trish Cohen (Team Neptune), Sheila Lopez (Team Outspokin), Jonathan Levie (Team Gearlink), Mark McGarry (Team Neptune) and Pavel Stuchlik (Team American Classic).

TOUR OF CALIFORNIA: Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team is off to a tremendous start to the season, as Levi Leipheimer won the Tour of California stage race Sunday. Earlier last month, Team Disco riders and fans faced the news that Discovery Channel is ending its multimillion dollar sponsorship of the team (the retired Lance Armstrong is still onboard as a manager).

Leipheimer may have won the Tour of California, but Florida's cycling fans are still talking about the thrill of checking out podcasts of former Miami rider Ivan "Cuban Missile" Dominguez (Toyota/United Cycling Team) jamming past European stars from CSC and Rabobank to win the 45-plus mph pack sprint on the final stage Sunday.

Back in Dade City, spectators got the news Dominguez had won the final stage. Some said it seemed like yesterday that Cuba's national cycling champion from Havana defected while part of a Cuban cycling team trip to the Goodwill Games in New York City on July 26, 1998.

Just days before his travel visa expired, Dominguez told his watchful Goodwill Games Cuban team leader he was leaving his hotel room to get a sandwich. Only when Dominguez did not return that night, did his teammates realize he had made his escape with only the cycling warmup uniform on his back.

Dominguez said he was helped by many generous riders and their families in south Florida. Those who have seen him race in criteriums, say Dominguez quickly earned the respect of his fellow Florida riders with his class and talent.

GEARLINK CUP: Jared Zimlin and Mirek Magdziak will play host at the Gearlink Cup Criterium in downtown Palm Harbor on March 10. Part of the Squiggy Classic Race Weekend, the criteriums offer racing for most USA Cycling categories, including juniors, masters, women and pro 1-2 riders.

Spectators are expected to line the downtown course to watch the area's best racers battle for their share of the $8,000 prize purse. Racing begins at 12:30 p.m.

The premier event will be the Pro 1-2 race, which will be held at 7:30 p.m, giving it a European flavor of exciting evening racing.

Times Correspondent Jessica Mundie can be reached at sptimescycling@yahoo.com

[Last modified February 27, 2007, 20:11:15]