The USA Crits Series wrapped up Thursday night with the final event contested on a treacherous course set up on the back parking lot at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The 11-race series criss-crossed North America at the following events:
Athens Twilight, Athens, GA (April 26)
Tulsa Tough, Tulsa, OK (May 31)
Harlem Skyscraper Classic, New York, NY (June 15)
AT&T Downtown Austin Criterium, Austin, TX (June 21)
Iron Hill Twilight Criterium, West Chester, PA (July 5)
BC Cancer Foundation's Tour de Gastown, Vancouver, BC (July 16)
Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium, Boise, ID (July 19)
Presbyterian Invitational Criterium, Charlotte, NC (August 2)
Chris Thater Memorial Criterium, Binghamton, NY (August 24)
San Francisco Twilight Criterium, San Francisco, CA (September 13)
USA Crits Finals, Las Vegas, NV (September 25)
Local heroes Tom Soladay (Time Pro Cycling) and Craig Dodson (Richmond Pro Cycling) both logged some major frequent flier miles en route to Top 10 finishes within the series. Soladay finished the series 6th overall, with Dodson hot on his heels at 8th. Virginia Beach's Mike Stoop (Time Pro Cycling) was the 3rd highest U25 finisher, 12th overall.
Dodson's consistency propelled Richmond Pro Cycling to an impressive 4th place among the teams competition, ahead of powerhouses Colavita Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light, Rock Racing, HealthNet p/b Maxxis, Kelly Benefits Strategies / Medifast and others.
Points are scored in the USA Crits series based not just on finishing placement, but also on laps led. So that strategy some have of hiding in the pack and unleashing a furious sprint with 200M to go doesn't fly so well here. These guys earned their points through consistently aggressive racing.
Full men's individual results are here. Team results are here.
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