Apr 25th, 10. Patrick Bevin is leading the GC of the Cherry Blossom Classic in the US after an impressive Stage 1 solo win and a great defence of the pink leader's jersey on the tough Stage 2.

Solo salute ©Pat Malach, Oregon Cycling Action

26th April: Quick update - Bevin holds the lead after finishing 4th in today's TT. 1m12 buffer for the final - a crit, to be held this afternoon (NZ Time).

Yesterday's solo win was a first for 19 year old Bevin.

The Taupo rider's long list of victories have all come from sprint finishes where he outsprinted his companions for line glory.  

That's not to say they were all from bunch sprint finishes though.

Bevin's also been out in front in many breakaways where he's stolen victory from a group of select companions, but until Stage 1 of the Cherry Blossom Classic he'd never won a race solo.

"I can tick something off my list of 'things to do in bike racing'.  Win a race solo – Check," he wrote on his blog after the race.

The win came at the end of a 128km road race which the organisers described as, "Neither favouring the true sprinter nor climber, this course is for those who ride on brute strength."

Of the 100 odd riders competing, Bevin proved he had the most brute strength.  

Early on in the race he broke free with one companion. Over the next two laps of the four lap course the two stayed away and when Bevin felt his companion backing off the pace, he put the pedal down.

His victory margin was 1m52s ahead of the peloton where fellow Kiwi and Rubicon Orbea teammate Mike Northey was pipped on the line for 2nd place, but secured 3rd.

Northey watches Bevin put on the pink leader's jersey after Stage 1 ©Pat Malach, Oregon Cycling Action

The two breakaway companions were more than 4min ahead of the next rider, with almost half of the shattered field 20min behind.  

With two stages down and two to go, Bevin is leading the General Classification by 1m50s ahead of today's companion, Sam Johnson of Hagens Berman.

While Bevin had a second great day, Northey, on the other hand, didn't.  After a good start where he was in the lead group of four, he crashed just before the final lap while in a chase group behind Bevin.  

He left quite a lot of skin on the road, but fortunately the only thing broken was his Orbea bike.

"It was probably the hardest stage I have done in a tour! Just never ending!" Northey told RoadCycling.co.nz

Tomorrow's Stage 3 is a 13km individual time trial before the final day's criterium race - which Kiwi teammate Roman Van Uden won last year.  Unfortunately, Van Uden isn't racing this year due to a fracture in his arm incurred at the Dana Point GP earlier this month.

Bevin predicts everyone will find tomorrow's time trial hard after today's efforts.

"My legs feel good, a couple of hard days though! No one got through today feeling great because the course was that hard - it will leave a fairly even ledger for everyone tomorrow," he said.

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