Jamis/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team presented by Colavita Sweeps Roadrunner Classic

In its inaugural year, the Roadrunner Classic in Albuquerque, NM is making a bid to become one of the premier races in the US.  The race’s location at altitude and timing is expected to draw top teams as preparation for upcoming competitions.  The format of the race is an omnium:  riders score points in the individual time trial in the morning and the circuit race in the afternoon.  The rider with the most combined points wins. Taking part in the event for the Jamis/Sutter Home Men’s Team presented by Colavita were Tyler Wren, Ignacio Pereyra, Luis Amaran, Andy Guptill, and Nick Frey.

Beginning at 10 am, the time trial took place on a 10km/6.6-mile loop that contained several challenging climbs.  The biggest challenge for the riders was the wind.  With gusts of 30+ mph and a wide-open, exposed course, the winner would have to be strong, an excellent bike-handler, and highly aerodynamic. Jamis/Sutter Home was one of the few teams to show up with a full arsenal of time trial equipment and planned to put it to good use.  Taking the line on their Jamis TT2 bikes equipped with Zipp wheels and Profile aerobars, the Jamis/Sutter Home squad had an immediate advantage over the entire field.  Each Jamis/Sutter Home rider hit the course hard and gave it their all.  Their efforts paid off:  Luis, Nick, Tyler, Ignacio, and Andy finished 1st through 5th, respectively.  Luis was also rewarded with the yellow race leader jersey heading into the afternoon circuit race.

After a few hours of downtime, the Jamis/Sutter Home squad was back on the start line to complete 10 laps of the same hilly, wind-swept course they had covered in the time trail.  Right from the gun, Nick jumped away solo, allowing his teammates to sit back and wait for other teams to make the next move.  When Nick was caught a lap and half later, attacks were launched left and right, and small groups were forming off the front while many riders were being dropped.  When the dust finally settled, Luis, the race leader, and Ignacio were alone off the front and increasing their gap.  On lap three, Tyler attacked the peloton and went away with another rider.  Two laps after that, Andy slipped away with another rider as well.  The difficult course and wind took its toll on everyone, but the breaks that had formed all stuck, and Ignacio and Luis crossed the line with a comfortable advantage for 1st and 2nd, respectively.  Tyler finished a short time later in 4th.  Andy followed in 5th and Nick in 9th.  These results, combined with the excellent time trial earlier in the day, gave Jamis/Sutter Home a sweep of the top five positions in overall classification: Luis Amaran took the win, Ignacio was 2nd, Tyler took 3rd, Nick was 4th, and Andy followed in 5th.  All in all, a fantastic day of racing and great preparation for the upcoming Tour of the Gila.