Easton Crit: Arreola and Oliver Win
Spoils to the bold: breakaway riders take the wins in the women’s and men’s races.
In its fifth year, the Easton Crit pb LVHN, part of Jefferson Health, saw one of the most decorated fields yet for both the Pro Women and Pro Men’s fields. Boasting international pedigree in both races, with multiple Olympians and National Champions, the paces in both races were high with multiple attacks throughout. In the women’s race, an injection of primes led to a late race break that saw Sofia Arreola (Team Twenty 28) take the win. In the men’s race, a series of attacks saw multiple breaks form and be reabsorbed by the field until halfway through, the right combination of riders got off the front and despite an earnest attempt to bring them back, held onto the end with Ben Oliver (Mito-Q NZ Cycling project) taking the win.
Women’s Race
Automatic | ABUS started off the race with something to prove, sending the entire team to the front to keep the pace extremely high. This pace made the race attritional with several riders falling off the pace in the first few laps. Early primes were contested by Tekkerz, Twenty28, and Automatic | ABUS. Despite several attempts by Kim Stoveld to nip off the front of the race, an attentive Twenty28 kept the field together for their sprinter Marlies Mejias. With 11 laps to go Kim Stoveld once again went off the front, which set her teammate Grace Arlandson to counter with a perfectly timed move. The only team able to respond was Twenty28, with Sofia Arreola latching on and then taking the four primes that were called in the 8 remaining laps, including two $500 primes. Despite Arreola taking every prime, Arlandson continued to work, committing to the break and a chance to win a two-up sprint. Back in the field, Tekkerz and Fearless Femme each took turns going to the front in an attempt to bring back the two riders, but both Automatic and Twenty28 had riders near the front, discouraging any real cohesion. With two laps to go, the field seemed to resign themselves to third. A tactical sprinter, Arreola used her sprint savvy to beat Arlendson to the line with Odette Lynch of Fearless Femme taking the last step on the podium in a hotly contested field sprint.
Results: https://my.raceresult.com/340397/results#6_2DD4FF
- Sofia Arreola (Team Twenty28)
- Grace Arlandson (Automatic-ABUS)
- Odetta Lynch (Fearless Femme)
Men’s Race
A brief rain shower at the start quickly gave way to aggressive attacks from multiple teams, progressively reducing the field size. Primes and probing attacks from various teams, including DCC, Tekkerz, MITO-Q-NZ Cycling Project, and Automatic | ABUS, kept the race strung out. Halfway through, a promising break formed but was reabsorbed by Cadence Cyclery.
A counter-move then went off the front with 11 riders, including National Champion Lucas Bourgouyne. However, an attack from within this break by Ben Oliver (MITOQ-NZ Cycling Project), soon joined by teammate James Garder and German National Crit Champion Dario Rapps (DCC), gained significant traction. With 17 laps to go, Rapps fell off the pace, while Juan Arango (Bikers Cycling Team) bridged from the field to join Oliver and Garder.
The trio committed to the break with 15 laps remaining, steadily increasing their lead. A chase group formed, but Jordan Parra (Bikers Cycling) strategically discouraged their efforts to protect his teammate Arango. In the final stretch, Gardner led out Oliver for the win, with Arango finishing a close second and Gardner securing third.
Results: https://my.raceresult.com/340397/results#7_9C7CB5
- Ben Oliver (MITOQ-NZ Cycling Project)
- Juan Arango (BIKERS CYCLING TEAM)
- James Gardner (MITOQ-NZ Cycling Project)