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Tough win for Blackgrove in Texas |
 Sep 18th, 09. Kiwi Heath Blackgrove won the Texas Tough Grand Prix today. He defended his 2008 title against strong competition including the US National Crit Champion.
Heath Blackgrove's previous win in the series (c)Brandon Andrews Photography
It is the second to last race in the six race US Criterium Series. (It used to be a seven race series, but one of the events was cancelled at the last minute when a sponsor couldn't be found.) This isn't Blackgrove's first win in the series, he also won the opening race, the Athens Twilight Criterium, back in May. Today's pace was too much for all but 44 of the 129 riders in the evening criterium where Blackgrove and five others broke free during the ten lap finale. At 5 laps to go the quintet had 15 seconds on the field and the focus moved to which of these riders would win the title and the considerable prize money. Not even breakaway companion US National Criterium Champion John Murphy (Ouch presented by Maxxis), who was racing in the Stars and Stripes kit, could stop Blackgrove in the final 600m, slightly downhill, run to the line. Blackgrove won with a wheel length back to Murphy. Blackgrove was racing for his team, Team Hotel San Jose.
Thumbnail Photo: Heath Blackgrove wins the Athens Twilight Criterium (c)Brandon Andrews Photography |