Matt Cooke (Team Exergy) and Joe Dombrowski (Trek-Livestrong) honored their MABRA roots in style with impressive results at the Tour of the Gila, which wrapped up yesterday with the queen Gila Monster stage. Dombrowski rode to his second podium of the event, finishing third in the punishing 106 mile stage. Cooke touched off the decisive fireworks at the base of the stage's toughest climb - a Category 1 ascent 30 miles from the finish. He was quickly joined by 2006 winner Chris Baldwin (Bissell), George Bennet (Trek-Livestrong) and eventual winner Francisco Mancebo (Realcyclist.com). Cooke went on to finish 6th on the stage, locking up his 5th on GC, just 9 seconds ahead of Dombrowski in 6th.
Matt Cooke is from Washington, DC and won the Men's Elite National Championship Road Race as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo / Kelly Benefit Strategies in 2006. Joe Dombrowski began 2010 by beating up on local Cat 3s as part of the Haymarket Bicycles squad, and ended the season with a professional contract with Trek-Livestrong. Both have written for GamJams, though the fact is largely regarded as coincidental to their professional success, not causal.
Complete results from The Tour of the Gila are on the internets over here.
Mike, Finally I am mentioned on gamjams! Thanks for the kind words.
Matt
Posted by: matt cooke | May 02, 2011 at 08:51 PM