A gutsy solo move in the final three laps of Saturday’s fourth stage of the Tour of the Gila propelled Tecos’s Florencio Ramos Torres to a win, robbing the field’s prominent sprinters from an opportunity to strut their stuff… and earn their paychecks. Of course the day’s biggest and most unexpected development came during the women's race when Rona’s Genevieve Jeanson did not win. We repeat: Jeanson did not win.

At least that’s how the news should probably sound with Jeanson so dominant in U.S. women’s cycling these days, but that story line would take due credit from the strength and determination displayed by Saturn's power rider Ina Teutenberg on the 1.1 mile, 35 city block downtown Silver City Criterium.

Saturday was almost a rest day for pro racers who could the luxury of mid-afternoon start times. The drawback, of course, was that by the time the crit's did get started the sun had time to build temperatures to almost 80. Add to that the wind the dry desert winds picked up to smack riders in the face along two sides of the square curse, frustrating riders' efforts to maintain a high pace up an over the 75-foot elevation gain peaking in front of Silver City’s downtown library.

Women’s race
Jeanson probably could have run away with Saturday’s stage just as she has every other in the race so far. But Ina Teutenberg seemed to have something to prove from the very beginning. Establishing a break after only three of 25 laps, Teutenberg pulled Melissa Holt (Rona Esker) and Sue Haywood (T-Mobile) to a quick 20-second lead. At that point, Jeanson seemed to sense that it was the move, quickly paced over the gap by herself over the course of a mile and settled in to make it a break of four.

After 18 laps, the four riders, working together, had built an advantage of 1:17 over the field and settled in to contest the finish. Manon Jutras (Saturn) and Katrina Grove (T-Mobile), second and third in GC, sat in the main pack. Besides some futile attacks by a frustrated Lynn Gaggiolli (VeloBella) and Kelli Emmett (Hillenbrand Racing), T-Mobile and Saturn were content to hold their respective places in the bunch and leave their riders in the break with a chance at Saturday’s victory.

With a more than two-minute lead into the final straight, Teutenberg kicked to win it. Jeanson, who really didn’t have any reason to contest for the sprint, came across 14 seconds later, secure in the fact that she had put safely tacked another two minutes onto an already huge GC lead.Men’s race
The men’s race played out differently. The teams of top GC riders seemed much more intent on controlling their 40-lap race than the women’s teams. Sayers tried several times to get away in a break but none would hold. HealthNet constantly sent riders forward, keeping the pressure high on Trek/VW All Stars to defend. But the story of the day came from Team Tecos.

An eight-man break formed with three laps to go. Since none was a GC threat, the field hesitated, so Florencio Torres pushed off the front and slipped clear. His tongue lolled as he bore down to stay out, knowing the chase group was asking everything of their bodies to shut him down. Spurred on by the large crowd of locals and cycling fans, Torres had an 8-second lead into the final straight. He tucked in his yellow-orange jersey and raised his hands in triumph as he crossed the line Saturday’s stage winner.

Bring on the Gila Monster
Sunday the Gila Monster bites. GC placings are the same as after Saturday’s stage. Jeanson, Jutras, and Grove sit atop the women’s field, comfortable cushions between each other and from them to the rest of the field. Unless something miraculous and unpredictable happens (hey, it’s a distinct possibility, this is bike racing right?), the 69 mile version of the Gila Monster will go to Jeanson. The only unknown is how much more time will she add to her overall lead. In 2002, Jeanson had an 11:42 advantage over Kim Bruckner after the Gila Monster. This Sunday, she rolls off the start line already with a margin of 11:12. She could probably stop for coffee on Sunday and still take the overall win with a few minutes to spare.

In the men’s event, Miller still sits in first, ahead of Sayers and Estepa. But only 1:19 separates the top-three, which means the Tour of the Gila is still up for grabs. In fact, the top 20 men are all within 5:19 of Miller. The 103-mile version of the Gila Monster adds a brutal ascent out to New Mexico’s most famous tourist attraction, the Gila Cliff Dwellings. If only that distance and that climb were enough, the stage may be the toughest single day of racing in American cycling. Racers will, in fact, climb three peaks of about 1500 feet each. This elevation, in each case, is gained over the course of about seven miles.

As the sun set Saturday night, temperatures dropped sooner than previous nights. The sky had taken on an iron color with low clouds moving in from the west. The science of weather prediction says that the Silver City area could expect high winds and possibly scattered thunderstorms. Who says you have to go to Europe to see a classic bike race?

RACE NOTESWhat’s my name?
We’ve seen a lot from Genevieve Jeanson in the last few years. She is such a dominant force in women’s cycling so far this year. I can’t think of another sport with an athlete who is so far above the level of her competition. You may think of her as Genevieve Jeanson (Jenn-a-veeve Jen-son). Since it appears that her name will be on the lips of anyone engaged in any serious discussion of women’s cycling, you may find it useful as a way to set yourself apart by learning the true pronunciation of her name.

The building blocks of the name are actually simple to understand. Imagine yourself sitting down to a meal Jean Luc Picard, the intelligent elder statesman caption of Star Trek’s Next Generation series. Imagine that the dish being served is Chicken Kiev. The ‘Gene’ in Genevieve is pronounced like Picard’s first name. The e disappears. The final syllable is pronounced as the city Kiev. Imagine dropping the e, leaving the final v harder than if it were softened by the e and you have it. So you get Jean-viev. The last name starts with another Jean and end in that French way of saying son which sounds like saying song while leaving the g off the end. Go on, impress your friends. Genevieve Jeanson (Jean-viev Jean-son(g)).

The Ang Sheldrake Update
And, just to keep you in the loop on whether the stage 2 sacrifices of his father have paid off, our young Denver-based 5280-Subaru racer, Ang Sheldrake, still retains his 2:22 GC lead.