Van Gilder, Solo by Kristy Scrymgeour

May28, 2005

Baltimore, MD, On a day that started and ended as a sunny spring day, but had a momentary lapse of reason in the middle, Bike Jam of Baltimore hosted the Kelly Cup criterium in Patterson Park. In the women's race, Laura Van Gilder made an early move and rode to a solo victory for Quark Cycling Team after which the men's race was taken into the hands of Colavita Sutter Homes, who not only took the win with Aaron Olson, but also took, second, fourth fifth and eighth place.

The women started the pro events with a 20mile (32km) race on a one-mile course through the park. Starting at the top of a long uphill drag, the course twisted around top of the park before dipping down to and around the football fields, around a giant American flag and back around to the uphill drag to the finish after the final right hand turn. The winds were quite strong and the dark clouds were threatening, but the women raced most of their race in dry conditions.

The action started early in the women's race with Team Lipton leading the way. Every early attack saw a Lipton rider go with it, but it wasn't until a strong attack by Van Gilder mid way through the race that anything stuck. Using a breakaway move by Zoe Owers from Lipton, Van Gilder countered taking Lara Kroepsh (T-Mobile) with her. The pair worked well together for a few laps, but it was as Van Gilder picked up the pace for a mid race prime that Kroepsh started to fall off the wheel leaving Van Gilder out there alone.

"[Lara] was working really well out there," said Van Gilder, "but it seems she just didn't think she could make it."

Van Gilder powered on and gradually increased her lead to the chasing field. A few other riders tried to attack out of the bunch but the strong headwind on the back straight made it hard for anyone to stay out there. The last few lapsaw drastically changing conditions as the gusts picked up and the rain began to fall. By the time Van Gilder crossed the line for the win the rain was torrential. Behind in the field, a crash in the penultimate lap saw a split in the field. At the finish Shannon Hutchison (Aaron's Corporate Furnishings) took the bunch sprint for second place with Lara Kroepsch recovering from her breakaway effort to take the final podium position.

Van Gilder was happy with her win only a week before the Liberty Classics next Sunday. "Its great to have a few wins before Philly and today I felt good," she said. "I didn't expect to be off the front of the race but I knew that if the break didn't stay away we had Sarah Uhl for the sprint, so we had a couple of cards to play."

Although it didn't look like happening from the sidelines, Van Gilder said that at one stage she thought she might get caught. "The last lap was so windy and the headwind was really tough on the back straight, that I thought the bunch might actually close in on me," she said.

As for Philly, Van Gilder is nervous but looking forward to it. "I'm always nervous for that race. It's a big race," she said. "People have been telling me I can win because Petra is not here this year, but its not that easy. There are some very strong teams out there and a lot of girls who can win. Tina Pic, Oenone Wood, Judith Arndt, Gina Grain and of course Ina Teutenberg. She is riding so well at the moment and in the past she has always been working for other people. She also had a strong climbing team. It's going to be exiting. I love that type of racing."