Cheatley and Buchanan take 1st and 3rd

Jul 22nd, 10.  Cath Cheatley powered home to a fantastic victory on Stage 1 of the Cascade Classic while her Kiwi teammate Rushlee Buchanan attacked for 3rd place and Best Young Rider.

Cheatley in action earlier this month ©Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us

After her 4th in yesterday's prologue and win today, Cheatley now leads this six day NRC event.  

"I'm really stoked with the win today and the form/results over the last few months, just not quite sure about the full yellow skinsuit I will have to wear tomorrow!" Cheatley told RoadCycling.co.nz

Her win adds to the phenomenal season the Wanganui rider is having.

This month alone Cheatley placed 2nd at Michigan's Grand Cycling Classic and won two stages and the overall title at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, another NRC event.

Today's 120km stage had 2164m of climbing, including a Cat 1 climb in the middle and the finish line at the top of a 10km climb.

Cheatley's team Colavita Baci were in control of the race from the start.  An early break formed which included two riders from the team, a perfect scenario, according to Kiwi teammate Rushlee Buchanan.

After a long downhill from the start point and at the point the road started heading upward, "Cath was right where she needed to be and shot up the road with Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter) and Kathryn Curi (Webcor)," Buchanan told RoadCycling.co.nz

Cheatley and Buchanan (middle, right) ©Veronica Lenzi

Cheatley explained what happened next. 

"It was a tough day in the saddle that's for sure. I basically had a 70km 2up/1up TT!!  The final climb was the same as last year where I got 2nd in the stage, but this year we started in a different place and it had a 32km climb after 40km of racing."

"Mara sat on me up the final 8km climb to the finish after we had dropped Kathryn.  I was waiting for her to attack but it didn't come so I just gave it everything to get as much time as possible leading into the TT."

Cheatley won with 2sec time gap to Abbott.

The chase bunch

Back in the first chase group, Buchanan and three other Colavita Baci riders remained alert for counter attacks from the team of the yellow jersey leader, Alison Powers (Team Vera Bradley Foundation) and others.   

Powers and Cheatley are battling for top honours in the overall 23 event NRC competition - Cheatley is currently in the lead with six events, including this one, left to race.

Helping Powers today was Kiwi teammate Toni Bradshaw. When Powers didn't make the day's decisive break, Bradshaw's role was to drive the pace on the front of the chase group.  She and two other teammates brought the gap down to 1min by the base of the final climb. With her job done, Bradshaw rolled through to the finish.

Buchanan explains the chase group's final climb, "We began the last ascent following the yellow jersey, until we caught Kathryn and then I followed a Webcor counter attack, and put myself up the road with her."

"It was then about seeing how far 'in the box' we could go. Coming into the finish I attacked and came across the line for 3rd. Cath had already smashed it up the climb and powered over the finish line winning the stage."

Tomorrow

Stage 2 is a 25km time trial which Cheatley starts with a 26sec lead over Abbott in the General Classification. Buchanan is 3rd, +2m25s.

"Tomorrow is a tough course but I will just go out there and give it everything, that's all I can do!" said Cheatley.

Cascade results

• Full results from the women's races
• Full results from the men's races

Commentary from the men's race later (No Kiwi boys on the podium today). The Cascade Cycing Classic continues through to July 25.