Haskell, Guarnier take 2nd and 3rd at University Road Race

August 22, 2010

Santa Cruz, CA – Devon Haskell and Megan Guarnier of Team TIBCO/To the Top took 2nd and 3rd respectively today in the University Road Race in Santa Cruz. The 13-lap race on a challenging three-mile course that sent the field uphill for 1.5 miles and back down for the other 1.5 miles, served to help create the winning move.

On lap three, Shelly Evans (Peanut Butter & Co.) put in an attack on the climb that Guarnier covered. When that move came back, two laps later, she attacked again with Haskell covering. The duo worked together to distance themselves from the main pack.

“I was in a group of six riders that formed as kind of the first chase group,” Guarnier said. “I was in there with Olivia Dillon (Peanut Butter & Co.), and we weren’t too interested in chasing with our teammates up the road. But the other riders in the group kept looking at us to do the work.”

The stalemate in the chase served to ensure that Evans and Haskell would take it to the line for the win. Evans, one of the top sprinters in the world, used her superior sprint to take the win.

“I started attacking once it became clear the break wasn’t coming back,” Guarnier said. “I attacked with five to go and then four to go and Olivia shut both of those down. With three to go, Dillon attacked and Guarnier covered, with Lindsay Myers (Webcor) coming across. The trio stayed together for a couple laps until an acceleration by Myers with one lap to go unhinged Dillon. With a kilometer to go, Myers attacked again, but Guarnier stuck to her wheel, and with 300 meters to go, Guarnier came around for the final podium spot.