By Sean Weide

Chihuahua, Mexico — Rock Racing stamped its authority on another stage race Saturday when Oscar Sevilla captured the overall title at the Vuelta a Chihuahua.

Sevilla’s win in Mexico adds to victories by Rock Racing at three other stage races this year: the Vuelta a Asturias (Francisco Mancebo), Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic (Sevilla) and Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah (Mancebo).

Not bad for a team many were writing off even before the 2009 season was underway, Team Owner Michael Ball said.

“This has been a spectacular year for us and we’re not done yet,” Ball said, referring to Rock Racing’s five-rider squad that is readying for Sunday’s start of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Australia.

“I am so proud of the teamwork and unselfish attitude on this team,” Ball added. “Francisco certainly would have liked to have won this race for a third straight time but he and the rest of the guys rode their butts off to make it happen for Oscar.”

Rock Racing Director Sportif Rudy Pevenage ensured Sevilla was in no danger of losing his six-second lead over Gregorio Ladino (Tecos Trek) by having Rock Racing ride the front for much of the 72-mile (118 km) race from Delicias to Chihuahua. In the end, Javier Benitez (Contentpolis-AMPO) took his third stage of the race by winning the field sprint.

Sevilla’s win was his fourth of the season, adding to the overall title he won in July at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic and a stage win at that race and one at the Vuelta a Asturias in Spain in April.

“This really was more of a win for the team than one for me,” Sevilla said. “I could not have done it without the help of my teammates. It was also great that Michael Ball was down here for the last stage. That made it all the more special.”

Rock Racing also celebrated David Vitoria’s win in the sprint classification, adding to the King of the Mountain jersey he won at the Vuelta Mexico Telmex in March.

Photos: Courtesy Alex Aguirre

Camargo, Mexico — Only Saturday’s 72-mile (118 km) stage at the Vuelta a Chihuahua stands in the way of Oscar Sevilla delivering a milestone victory for Rock Racing.

If the Spaniard maintains his overall lead, he will have scored Rock Racing’s third straight overall title at a stage race this year, adding to wins at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic in July and the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah in August.

“I’m feeling relaxed, with no pressure,” Sevilla said. “I have very talented teammates around me who know what to do to make sure I maintain my lead through to the end.”

Rock Racing protected Sevilla’s six-second advantage over Gregorio Ladino (Tecos Trek) on Friday's Stage 5 by riding the front throughout the 88-mile (142 km) race from Parral to Camargo. A breakaway group of seven riders was reeled in three miles from the finish and César Vaquera (Orven) won the field sprint.

To date, Rock Racing has won 33 races, including the overall at Cascade by Sevilla in July and Francisco Mancebo’s victory in Utah in August. Mancebo registered his fifth top 10 placing at the Vuelta a Chihuahua Friday with sixth place in the sprint.

Besides working for Sevilla, Rock Racing’s David Vitoria will be looking to hold onto the sprint classification jersey he earned on Stage 2 of the six-day race. There are two sprints and one categorized climb on Saturday’s final stage.

Photos: Courtesy Alex Aguirre.

Parral, Mexico — Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla increased his lead from three to six seconds with his third-place finish on Stage 4 at the Vuelta a Chihuahua.

Sevilla finished 19 seconds behind Daniel Moreno (Caisse D'Epargne) in Thursday’s 119-mile (192 km) race from Guachochi to Parral. Previous race leader Michael Rasmussen (Tecos Trek) was second, two seconds behind Moreno.

Sevilla widened his lead over Gregorio Ladino (Tecos Trek) by sprinting ahead of last year’s Vuelta a Chihuahua runner-up and the 2009 UCI Americas Tour champion on the slightly uphill run-in to the finish. Ladino appears to be Sevilla’s only serious contender with two stages to go. Rui A. Da Costa (Caisse D’Epargne) is third, 1:03 off the lead, while fourth-placed Dario Cioni (ISD) is 5:13 behind.

For the fourth straight day, Rock Racing was the aggressor, using Glen Chadwick, David Vitoria and José Gutierrez to set a feverish pace that rapidly whittled the front group down to fewer than two-dozen riders.

“We drilled it in the cross/tailwind with Paco (Francisco Mancebo) and Oscar on our wheels,” Chadwick said. “It even put Ladino out the back. But Tecos clawed back up to us before the first King of the Mountain sprint.”

Vitoria remains the sprint classification leader, six points ahead of Rasmussen. Friday’s 88-mile (142 km) stage includes only one rated climb – right from the start in Parral – as well as two sprints. The race ends Saturday with a nearly flat, 72-mile (118 km) stage.

Photos: Courtesy Alex Aguirre

By Sean Weide

Guachochi, Mexico — Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla put himself in prime position to win the Vuelta a Chihuahua Wednesday by powering a four-man breakaway on Stage 3 that finished more than four minutes ahead of the fifth-placed rider and left half the field a whopping 24 minutes behind.

Sevilla is the new race leader, three seconds ahead of 2009 UCI Americas Tour champion Gregario Ladino (Tecos Trek), who finished second overall at this race a year ago. The two were joined in the decisive break by Dario Cioni (ISD) and stage winner Rui Costa (Caisse d’Epargne). The four escaped about halfway through the 94-mile (152 km) race from Creel to Guanchochi.

American Matt Busche (Kelly Benefit Strategies) finished alone in fifth, 4:22 behind, while Rock Racing’s Francisco Mancebo won the field sprint for sixth, 7:34 after Sevilla’s group. Mancebo, who has won the past two editions of this race, will now be working to defend the lime green leader’s jersey that Sevilla will wear for Stage 4.

“I didn’t think we’d gain so much time, especially with only me and the ISD rider (Cioni) working,” Sevilla said after finishing third on the stage. “So it was a good reward for a maximum effort. I think Rock Racing is definitely strong enough to defend the jersey.”

Rock Racing not only leads the team classification, but it will also be defending the red sprint leader’s jersey worn by David Vitoria. He figured prominently in breakaways on Stages 1 and 2.

Rock Racing’s Glen Chadwick, who was part of a seven-man move early in Wednesday’s race, said the stage may not have been long, but it was certainly not easy.

“We did more than 3,000 meters of vertical climbing today and the wind has been a pain in the butt,” Chadwick said. “Every day, it seems like we're riding into it or it is hitting us from the sides.”

Thursday’s stage is the longest of the race – 119 miles (192 km) – from Guachochi to Parral. It includes two categorized climbs and three sprints.

Photos: Courtesy Alex Aguirre

by Sean Weide

Chihuahua, Mexico — Oscar Sevilla finished third and his Rock Racing teammate Francisco Mancebo was fourth in Sunday’s prologue time trial of the fourth edition of the Vuelta a Chihuahua.

Michael Rasmussen (Tecos-Trek) won the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) uphill race against the clock by a few hundredths of a second over Spaniard Daniel Moreno (Caisse d'Epargne). Sevilla was one second behind the two, while Mancebo was three seconds off the winning time of 8 minutes and 44 seconds.

Rasmussen, 35, returned to cycling in July after serving out a two-year suspension for lying about his whereabouts as they related to out-of-competition anti-doping tests.

Sevilla said he felt strong in the race that finished at the top of a second category climb. But if he could do it over again, he would surely do one thing differently.

“I made a little mistake in my gearing,” Sevilla said. “I could have used a 39 x 25 instead of a 39 x 23 for the last two turns (because it was so steep).”

Mancebo is the two-time defending champion of the seven-day, six-stage race. Last year, he beat (2009 UCI Americas Tour champion) Gregario Ladino by 34 seconds. In 2007, he bested Christian Meier and Antonio Aldape, who finished equal with him on time in the final classification.

Monday’s Stage 1 is a 73.4-mile (118.2 km) race from Chihuahua to Cuauhtémoc. The undulating stage includes three sprints and one categorized (Cat. 3) climb.

Photos: Courtesy Alex Aguirre

Salt Lake City, Utah — If this was the start of the Toughest Stage Race in America, Rock Racing’s Francisco Mancebo and Oscar Sevilla didn’t seem to notice.

Breaking away from a decimated peloton on the final climb of Stage 1 at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, Mancebo and Sevilla rode the final kilometers into Salt Lake City alone and crossed the line together 25 seconds ahead of the pack.  Mancebo took the win and the yellow jersey from BMC’s Brent Bookwalter.

It was a surprise finish to a race that saw the two-man break of Ouch’s Bradley White and Trek-Livestrong’s Sam Bewley firmly ahead by 3:30 at the base of the final KOM.

Feeling strong on the way up, Sevilla attacked 4 km from the top and Mancebo followed.  Catching White on the descent, the duo gained momentum and never looked back. A fragmented chase group tried to close the gap but could shave no more than five seconds off the pair’s 30-second lead.

“From the beginning, our plan today was to just to relax and let BMC work hard,” said Rock Racing Assistant Team Director, Chepe Garcia.  “On the final climb, Oscar and Paco were feeling great and decided to go for it. We said why not? Why wait for tomorrow if you can do it today?”

Coming off big results at last month’s Bend Memorial Cascade Classic where Sevilla and Mancebo finished 1-2 in the overall, followed by a team mini-camp in Reno, Nevada Mancebo says the team is even stronger than it was in Bend.  “We had a great camp after Cascade which has made a big difference. Our mentality coming into Utah was to be better than we’ve ever been and we feel like we are.”

His first time racing at the Tour of Utah, Mancebo likes what he sees “This is an incredible course and very well-suited to both Oscar and I.  It’s going to be hard day tomorrow, but we’re ready.”

Today’s Stage 2, a 124 km stretch from Thanksgiving  Point to Mount Nebo serves up a 20-mile grind to the finish line that rises 4,000 vertical feet to the highest point of the Wasatch Mountains.

Photos: Courtesy Brian Hodes (VeloImages)

Bend, Ore. — Rock Racing stamped its authority on the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic in a big way during Sunday’s final stage of the six-day race in Bend, Ore.

Yellow jersey wearer Oscar Sevilla helped Rock Racing teammate Francisco Mancebo put in an attack in the final miles of the Deschutes Brewery Awbrey Butte Circuit Race that moved Mancebo from third to second overall in the final standings.

In addition to the 1-2 finish overall, Rock Racing also took home the team title to cap a week that saw it win two stages and place third in two others.

“It was a good job by the boys,” Rock Racing Team Director Lorenzo LaPage said. “This was a difficult racem but all season long, this team has shown that it is strong and every guy has good experience. They just keep getting better and better.”
Jeff Louder (BMC Pro Cycling) was the rider Mancebo displaced for second place. Louder finished 20 seconds behind Sevilla and Mancebo in the final 83-mile (133 km) race that was won by Anthony Colby (Colavita-Sutter Homes presented by Cooking Light).

About the only disappointment of the race, LaPage said, was a crash Sunday that left David Vitoria with a lot of road rash but no broken bones.

“Thankfully, he’s OK,” LaPage said. “The idea was to bring Sevilla, Pena and Mancebo into good position on the last lap but after he (Vitoria) fell off, we had to do all the work with just three guys.”

Sevilla’s victory is Rock Racing’s 30th on the year to go along with 63 podium (top three) placings. It is also the Spaniard’s first win at a stage race in the United States and his first overall victory at a stage race since capturing the RCN Classic in Colombia last October.

Stage 6 Results
1. Anthony Colby (USA) Colavita Sutter Home
2. Taylor Shelden (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin
3. Alex Howes (USA) Felt-Holowesko Partners-Garmin

Final General Classification
1. Oscar Sevilla Rivera (USA) Rock Racing
2. Francisco Mancebo Perez (USA) Rock Racing
3. Jeff Louder (USA) BMC Racing Team
4. Rory Sutherland (USA) OUCH Pro Cycling Team
5. Chris Baldwin (USA) OUCH Pro Cycling Team
6. Jeremy Vennell (USA) BISSELL Pro Cycling Team
7. Victor Hugo Pena (USA) Rock Racing
8. Matt Wilson (USA) Team Type 1
9. Steve Bovay (USA) BMC Racing Team
10. Chris Jones (USA) Team Type 1

Photos: Courtesy Brian Hodes, VeloImages

Xining, China — Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton and Oscar Sevilla made big moves up the overall classification Wednesday at the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China.

Hamilton was second and Sevilla finished fifth on Stage 6 as Sevilla climbed to third overall and Hamilton to fourth. Sevilla is 14 seconds off the lead and Hamilton only one second behind him. Four stages remain in the 10-day, 841-mile (1,354 km) race.

Rock Racing nearly scored its first stage win in China when Hamilton attacked inside the final mile. The former Tour de France stage winner and Olympic time trial gold medalist was shadowed by race leader Hossein Askari (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) but it was Marek Rutkiewicz (Polish National Team) who passed the pair just before the finish.

“The last kilometer, it seemed to take forever,” Hamilton said.

On a day when blue skies and sun greeted the riders for the first time in days, the 71-mile (115 km) race climbed to a summit more than 12,500 feet above sea level – believed to be the highest point raced in any UCI-rated competition this season. But with the finish 34 miles away – all downhill – it was not decisive.

Hamilton and Iranian climbers Ghader Mizbani and Ahad Kazemi (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) separated themselves from the shattered peloton as it passed over the highest category climb. But the trio was eventually joined by Sevilla, Rutkiewicz and Rys Pollock (Marco Polo Team presented by Trek) on the long descent.

Although disappointed that he did not get the stage win, Hamilton said he is concentrating his efforts on supporting Sevilla.

“I don’t have my greatest climbing legs yet,” he said. “Had we stayed away, I could have taken the (yellow) jersey, but I think we have a better chance of winning the race with Oscar.”

Thursday’s seventh stage is a 133-mile (214 km) race from Xining to Minhe and back. The first 60 miles are downhill, while the final 60 miles (96 km) are all uphill.

Photos: Copyright Tour of Qinghai Lake/Mark Gunter (www.pbase.com/gunterphotograph)

Qinghai, China — Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla collided with a spectator who stepped into the road to take a photo of the finishing sprint Saturday at the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China.

The high-speed crash sent Sevilla sprawling to the pavement and destroyed his bicycle. But the Spaniard did not break any bones and plans to start Stage 3 on Sunday.

“I thought for sure that he had a broken hip, clavicle and wrists,” Rock Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick said. “He did not move for about five minutes.”

Sevilla was given the same time as the Stage 2 winner, Alex Rasmussen (Danish National Team), because the mishap occurred in the final three kilometers (1.8 miles) of the 90-mile (145 km) race.

Sevilla said he had not experienced a more painful crash in his 12 seasons as a professional.

“I’ve had many – in the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España and lots of other races, but I was always able to get up right away – even with broken bones,” Sevilla said. “But today, I’d have to say, is the worst crash ever. I had the air taken out of me and that was not a good feeling.”

Sevilla currently stands third overall, 28 seconds off the lead of Rasmussen, who won Stages 1 and 2. Sevilla finished third in the opening time trial of the race on Friday to score his 10th podium finish of the season. He has won three times this year: Stage 1 of the San Dimas Stage Race in California in March, Stage 9 of the Vuelta a Colombia in May and the Commerce Bank Reading Classic in June.

Two weeks ago, Sevilla finished second to Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) in the Spanish national championship race.