World Wide Cycling
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The Marco Polo Cycling Club participates in some races of the spring series in California.
The two main goals are the Redlands Classic (March 13-18) and the Sea Otter Classic (March 22-25). These UCI category 2.4 races will have incredible starting lists, since Mapei, Lotto, US Postal Services and Mercury are expected.
The following riders form the teams that will do several races with the Marco Polo Cycling Club:
Wong, Kam Po, Hong Kong: The current Asian Champion. Champion, Tour of Okiniwa 2000, 11th, Points Race, Sdyney Olympic Games 2000, 82nd Individual Road Race, Plouay World Road Championships, World Ranking: 354 Won stages in Tour de Langkawi and Tour Down Under.
Leung, Chi Hang, Hong Kong: Silver medal, Criterium Race, China National Road Championships 2000
Wong, Ngai Ching, Hong Kong: Silver Medal, Individual Road Race, China National Race, 2000 Bronze Medal, Criterium, China National Race, 2000
Dahlberg, Nathan, New Zealand: Participated twice in Tour de France, 1st stage Tour de Suisse,1st stage Tour de Mexico, 1st stage Tour of England, 1st Tour of Cascades. In 2000 Nathan won 10 races, one of them was a stage in the Pahang Cycling Challenge in Malaysia.
Reid, Robin, New Zealand: 1999
- 2nd Oceania road race, Sydney, 5th Ind. time trial.; Commonwealth Bank
Classic; Tour de Hokkaido, Japan; 10th g.c. Tour of Wellington UCI 2.5
Reid, Andy, New Zealand: 1st stage 4 tour of Tahiti 98, 3rd stage 10 tour of southland 98, 3rd stage 7 tour of wellington 99, 8th rank mtb New Zealand
Thomson, Craig, New Zealand: 2000 - 2nd in a stage of Tour of Pahang. 1999 - 1st Overall in Tour of Pakistan , 1st in stage 2. 2nd , under-23 New Zealand Road Race Championchips , 180km. 1998 - Bordeaux, France - 1st Tour De Medoc, 1st Aerchon Criterium, 1st Sigalens road race, 1st Saint Andre De Cubzac Criterium
Perras, Dominique, Canada
Lange, Cory, Canada: Canadian National TT Champ(jr),4th, 4 bridges of Elgin,(uci u-23)2000
Glen Mitchell, New Zealand: National Champion 98 and 99 Road Race, Olympic Games Team 96 and 2000, Oceania Road Champion 98,99, Stage Win 2000 Tour de Langkawi, Winner Tour Southland 2000, 2nd Killington Tour 2000
Sequioa Classic, Visalia The first race the team did was the two day Sequoia Classic in and around Visalia. On Saturday March 10 there was the "Exeter Road Race", a 100 mile race on a hard hilly course. Most riders of the Marco Polo Cycling Club had a very hard time. They just arrived in the USA and suffered on the hard course. Only Cory Lange managed to place and finished as 30th. Sunday March 11 was the Visalia Criterium, a superfast race with over 200 starters in the Pro/1 Category. The Marco Polo Cycling Club riders caught some premes. But none of them managed to place.
Redlands Bicycle Classic, Redlands The next race is the Redlands Bicycle Classic, March 13 to 18. 197 starters in this high level stage race.
Stage
1: United Airlines Mt. Rubidoux Time Trial
On the very hilly course of this short time trial the time differences were big. The winner was Roland Green from US Postal Services. Our best rider was Glen Mitchell who finished 47th, he lost 43 seconds.
Chi Hang Lueng climbing during the prologue Time Trial.
Stage
2: The Hershey Highland Road Race
Two riders Aron Ojeda and Alex Lavallee went for a break and almost made it to the finish. Our Canadian Cory Lange went for a solo behind the two leaders, he was away for 60 kilometers. He caught points for the sprint and mountain classifications. He is now 3rd in the King of the Mountain and 3rd in the Sprinter Classification. The stage was won by Gordon Frasier, Jeroen Blijlevens was second and Baden Cooke 3rd.
Stage
3: The Sun Time Trial
The time trial was won by the tour leader Roland Green from US Postal Services. All Marco Polo Cycling Club riders finished all-right. There are no more possibilies in the GC. So the riders will go for some good results in the following stages.
Stage
4: The Saturn Road Race
Stage
5: Beaver Medical Group Criterium
Stage 6: Arrowhead Sunset Road Race
Finally Kam Po had some form, he finished 19th in the first group. Because the circuit was so hard the field was shattered and only 82 riders finished the Redlands Bicycle Classic from the 197 that started..... Too bad Glen Mitchell didn't finish. Cory Lange lost over 1 hour but finished and was 4th in the King of the Mountain and 6th in the sprint classification overall. Nathan Dahlberg finished 10th in the sprint classification.
Sea Otter Classic, Monterey
STAGE ONE: LAGUNA SECA TIME TRIAL - Thursday, March 22, 2001 Now 17 miles, comprising one-lap through Fort Ord, start and finish on Laguna Seca Raceway. Riders start at 30-second intervals. The course runs in the opposite direction of the road race course using some, but not all, roads used for the road race.
Results of stage 1, the Time Trial over 27,2 Kilometer
1 Levy Leipheimer (USA) U.S. Postal Service 38.49 (42.51 km/h) 2 Chris Horner (USA) Mercury-Viatel 0.10 3 Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije 0.56 4 Scott Moninger (USA) Mercury-Viatel 0.58 5 Eddy Gragus (USA) Jelly Belly 1.00
45 Dominique Perras (Can) 3.35 57 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Marco Polo 4.12 69 Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Marco Polo 4.42 73 Kam Po Wong (HKg) Marco Polo 83 Corey Lange (USA) Marco Polo 5.17 139 Ching Ngai Wong (HKg) Marco Polo 8.52 143 Chi Hang Leung (HKg) Marco Polo 9.18 144 Craig Thomson (NZl) Marco Polo 9.25
STAGE TWO: CANNERY ROW CIRCUIT RACE - Thursday, March 22, 2001 Elite Men: 25 miles/40 km A shortened version of the 2000 Cannery Row course is used, reducing it to 0.6 miles (1km) in length. The lap is almost flat, and is 30-40 feet (9-10 m) wide. The real delight for riders and spectators alike is that the course is located on the waterfront, in the historic Cannery Row section of Monterey!
Results of stage 2, the Criterium of 80 Kilometer
1 Vassiliy Davidenko (Rus) Navigators Cycling Team 1.49.16 (42.61 km/h) 2 Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 3 Baden Cooke (Aus) Mercury-Viatel 4 Jamie Drew (Aus) Mercury-Viatel 5 Wesley Vanspeybroeck (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
19 Kam Po Wong (HKg) Marco Polo 50 Dominique Perras (Can) Marco Polo 67 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Marco Polo 0.24 106 Corey Lange (USA) Marco Polo 3.12 110 Ching Ngai Wong (HKg) Marco Polo 4.45 129 Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Marco Polo 7.48 139 Chi Hang Leung (HKg) Marco Polo TC Craig Thomson (NZl) Marco Polo
General classification after stage 2
1 Levy Leipheimer (USA) U.S. Postal Service 2.28.05 2 Chris Horner (USA) Mercury-Viatel 0.10 3 Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije 0.56 4 Scott Moninger (USA) Mercury-Viatel 0.58 5 Eddy Gragus (USA) Jelly Belly
37 Dominique Perras (Can) Marco Polo 3.35 49 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Marco Polo 4.36 52 Kam Po Wong (HKg) Marco Polo 4.52 98 Corey Lange (USA) Marco Polo 8.29 125 Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Marco Polo 12.30 131 Ching Ngai Wong (HKg) Marco Polo 13.37 140 Chi Hang Leung (HKg) Marco Polo 17.05
STAGE THREE: FORT ORD ROAD RACE - Friday, March 23, 2001 Elite Men: 6 laps, 126 miles/203 km A gut-busting road race that starts and finishes on Laguna Seca Raceway. This course is the same as last year, involving laps of approximately 21 miles (34 km) on the paved roads of Fort Ord. Several climbs make a total of 2,000 feet (610 m) per lap. Both men's and women's events are one lap longer than in 2000.
Results of stage 3:
1 Harm Jansen (Ned) Saturn 4.29.47 2 Trent Klasna (USA) Saturn 3 Soren Petersen (Den) Saturn 1.50 4 Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) KRKA-Telekom Sloven 1.57 5 Gian Paolo Cheula (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
19 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Marco Polo 4.49 30 Corey Lange (Can) Marco Polo 12.54 43 Dominique Perras (Can) Marco Polo 73 Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Marco Polo DNF Leung Hang Chi (HKg) Marco Polo DNF Craig Thomson (NZl) Marco Polo DNF Ching Ngai Wong (HKg) Marco Polo DNF Kam Po Wong (HKg) Marco Polo
Only 82 riders finished on time. Still 4 riders of Marco Polo Cycling Club in the race.
STAGE FOUR: LAGUNA SECA CIRCUIT RACE - Saturday, March 24, 2001 Elite Men: 45 miles/73km (20 laps) Held on Laguna Seca Raceway, the distances seem easily doable. Yet this course is deceptive with its steep 300-foot (90 m) climb every 6 minutes, causing lactate angst in even the most fit racers.
Dominique Perras took an early 4 men break and only got caught with two laps to go. He went for the sprintpoints and ended as second in the general sprint classification!
Results of stage 4 Laguna Seca circuit race 72,4 Kilometer
1 Baden Cooke (Aus) Mercury-Viatel 1.45.19 2 Jamie Drew (Aus) Mercury-Viatel 3 Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Lotto-Adecco 4 Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned) Lotto-Adecco 5 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators
53 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Marco Polo 62 Dominique Perras (Can) Marco Polo 64 Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Marco Polo 1.01 70 Corey Lange (Can) Marco Polo
Men's Final General Classification
1 Trent Klasna (USA) Saturn 8.44.19 2 Eddy Gragus (USA) Jelly Belly 1.44 3 Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) KRKA-Telekom Slovenije 1.45 4 Soren Petersen (Den) Saturn 2.13 5 Scott Moninger (USA) Mercury-Viatel 2.17
21 Glen Mitchell (NZl) Marco Polo 8.41 41 Dominique Perras (Can) Marco Polo 15.48 68 Corey Lange (Can) Marco Polo 22.51 75 Nathan Dahlberg (NZl) Marco Polo 25.17
Men's Final Sprint Classification
1 Vassili Davidenko (Rus) Navigators 22 pts 2 Dominique Perras (Can) Marco Polo 17 3 Kirk O'Bee (USA) Navigators 14 4 John Lieswyn (USA) 7Up-Colorado Cyclist 9 5 Harm Jansen (Ned) Saturn 8
Men's Final Teams Classification
1 Saturn Cycling Team 24.14.56 2 Mercury-Viatel 10.29 3 KRKA-Telekom Slovenije 20.54 4 Jelly Belly 21.08 5 Mapei-Quick Step 21.42 6 Navigators Cycling Team 22.44 7 Lotto-Adecco 24.00 8 U.S. Postal Service 26.56 9 Wüstenrot-ZVVZ 35.01 10 Team Nürnberger 37.42 11 Marco Polo Cycling Team 40.02 12 DeFeet Lemond 42.16
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