Team VRC: NOW-MS Society has ridden strongly through 4 of 6 stages at the American Eagle Tour of Pennsylvania and is living up to the "No Opportunity Wasted" lifestyle approach advocated by its title sponsor (NOW). The team has had at least one rider in the lead group on every stage so far, two top-10 stage finishes, earned the Most Aggressive Rider jersey on stage 4, and held a top-10 spot on GC since stage 2. The team is also pleased to note that alumnus rider Eric Barlevav, now a pro with Time Pro, has sprinted to two top 10 finishes (Stage 1B and stage 2).
Adrian Gerrits set the tone for the team when he made the breakaway on stage 2, finished top-10 on the stage and moved into the top-10 on GC. Unfortunately for the team, it lost Chris Steffanoni due to illness and Eric Losak who had an off day and did not make the time cut.
On stage 3, Peter Rennie covered an early move that established a small lead before the first hot spot sprint, where he finished second. After the break was caught, Peter went to work for Adrian and Alex Welch, the two designated GC riders, by setting tempo to the first major climb of the Tour. Adrian and Alex both rode strongly to make the lead group. Alex gave a go at winning the stage but was swarmed before the line. Steven Van Vooren (Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy) continued his hold on the leader's jersey, which he held since the stage 1A time trial.
With only 3 riders, but two well placed on GC (Adrian now in 6th and Alex in 16th), Stage 4 would be decisive for the team. We decided to let Alex go with any moves knowing that he could sit on because of Adrian's GC position, and then go for the stage win, and possibly move up significantly on GC. That's right, the team is absolutely committed to "insuring" it is invited back in 2009. The first 17.5 miles were almost all uphill, including a 6.6 mile tough climb. KOM Peter Stetina (VMG Felt) again went on the attack and put all but 13 riders in jeopardy. Alex covered the move. Adrian was in the main field, about a 1:30 behind after the first KOM. The sky opened up with a hard rain to add further drama to the moment. The lead group maintained a lead of about 2-2.5 mins over the final leg busting climb. The final 20-mile run in was mostly downhill but had a few short, stinger climbs. Alex was focused on continuing his NOW moment and put in a decisive attack with about a mile to go. He was absolutely flying and gave it his all! Unfortunately, he was caught less than 100 meters from the line and finished 9th on the stage. His bold move earned him the Most Aggressive Rider jersey, giving NOW-MS Society its first podium appearance of the race. Christoff Van Heerden (Konica Minolta) took over the leaders jersey from Van Vooren. Adrian's group finished 2:00 minutes behind, so he slipped slightly to 9th on GC, while Alex moved up to 13th. We came very close to a stage win and had Alex's group been a bit smaller, we would have achieved our objective of also getting him in the top-10, but the podium appearance was a nice benefit. Peter rode impressively and finished ahead of many noted climbers. We expect him to have an opportunity to shine over the next two days.
The stage 5 profile looks like a leg sapping profile of a saw and reportedly has some very steep pitches. It should be another exciting day and we plan to again leave our NOW mark on the stage.
