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Driscoll wins stage 3 of the Tour of Pennsylvania

By VeloNews.com
Published: Jun. 26, 2008
The day's podium at the Tour of Pennsylvania.
The day's podium at the Tour of Pennsylvania.

Fiordifrutta’s Jamie Driscoll took a slim victory in the longest stage of the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania on Thursday.

The 168-kilometer stage was made even more difficult when strong winds and rain threatened the international field at the starting line in Camp Hill. While the sun broke through as riders lined up, but the strong winds continued to disrupt the day.

Starting in Camp Hill at presenting sponsor Highmark’s campus, Stage 3 featured a 165-kilometer road race with a classic European road race sequence, and it all began on the rolling country roads that Pennsylvania is known for.

A truly valiant effort on behalf of the breakaway rider from America Peter Stetina (VMG-Felt), who gained nearly four minutes on a 40-rider chase group, came to a disappointing finish on the streets of Bedford when the lone escapee was caught just 100 meters to the finish line.

“It was very tough out there on my own, but I felt really, really good,” said Stetina whose lengthy breakaway efforts earned him both the Forbes Trail Most Aggressive rider and the VisitPA.com KOM winners jerseys. “It was a pure headwind and a false flat and without this, I think I could have taken the win. All losing did was make me mad, and I’m going to come back tomorrow and win. It’s on, this is my race now.”

The dwindled field, a result of strong head winds and tough terrain, came barreling onto the finishing straight away with the stage win in sight. With the pared down peloton contesting the finish, Driscoll took a narrow win ahead of Sheldon Deeny (Sakonnet Technology/USA) and David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast).

“I was dying hanging onto the chase group while Kelly Benefits and Johan Bruyneel teams were doing all the work to catch Stetina,” said stage winner Driscoll. “I don’t know where my sprint came from, but I am really surprised to win here today.”

Despite the difficult conditions, Belgian Steven Van Vooren (Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy) managed to hold on to the leader’s jersey for the third consecutive stage.

“I’m very happy to be leading this event,” said Van Vooren who landed the leading role at the Stage 1 prologue and expected to have to give it up on the climbing stages. “My team worked really hard today to hold onto it but I’m not sure we can do it again tomorrow where the climbs are more difficult.”

The field steadily increased its tempo as it passed through the first 60 kilometers. The sprinters were given their chance to play in the stage’s intermediate sprint competitions located in Carlisle and Chambersburg, before beginning the arduous ascent at the foothills of the Allegheny mountain range. Canadian Keven LaCombe (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) continued to lead the Best Sprinter competition.

Mid-race, the peloton veered onto HWY 30, a historically significant route that the event was designed to follow along the Forbes Trail, forged in 1758 by British General John Forbes and the young Colonel George Washington.

With a host of the sport’s strongest U-25 climbers in the peloton, the course took riders past the first KOM mark at kilometer 105, a steep 5.6km grade to the top of Tuscarora Summit.

Stetina, from Boulder, Colorado, proved true to his natural ascending ability when he stormed ahead of the peloton over the first mountain pass and became the virtual race leader, gaining more than a three-minute lead over his nearest competitors.

Stetina continued to increase his lead over 40 chasers, riding into the second KOM, at 82km, featuring a 4.8km climb to the top of Sideling Hill, with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet.

The peloton descended at speeds of 80 kph in a successful chase led by the yellow jersey Van Vooren and his Johan Brunyeel Cycling Academy along with help from Canadian Keven LaCombe’s team Kelley Benefit Strategies-Medifast (second place overall after Stage 2) and third place South African Christoff Van Heerden’s Konica Minolta trying to gain back valuable time while negotiating some very technical turns before racing for Bedford’s finish line.

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