June 17th: Thiensville Extreme Ski & Bike Cycling Classic

Both the Men's and Women's Pro Races were exhibitions of team work on Friday during the Thiensville Extreme Ski and Bike Cycling Classic, Stage 2 of the Tour of America's Dairyland presented by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Kristen Lasasso (Mellow Mushroom) started the day in the Becker Law pink and white cowprint Leader's Jersey, and it was teammate Laura Van Gilder who took over that dry cleaning bill in Thiensville.

Midway through the race, it was a break of four.Vanessa Drigo (Vanderkitten-Focus), Courteney Lowe (FCS Cycling), Van Gilder and Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter & Co.).clinging together for six or seven dances 'round the just-shy-of-a-mile course. As the field regrouped with riders at the back struggling to hang on, the jockeying for position began. Two laps to go found Lasasso sitting on the front with all eyes on her last night's prize.

Riders spread all over the road with Kacey Manderfield (Pure Energy/Pro Air) sitting 4th wheel up front, Mellow Mushroom showed some bite and took over the show with one lap to go. In the words of announcer Brad Sohner, Van Gilder and Lasasso were "stuck to each other like white on rice". Coming around the corner fast into the short finishing stretch, Van Gilder turned on the jets to earn the day's top spot on the podium, with Drigo and Manderfield standing at second and third.

Mellow Mushroom stays atop the leaderboard for the 5-Hour Energy Team Competition.

For the Pro Men, grimaces of pain started to surface with 24 laps to go as the day's sharp, fast course visibly tapped some energy reserves. Kenda 5-hour Energy p/b Geargrinder worked strategically throughout the race to position teammate Isaac Howe for another win but after 90 minutes, it was teammate Chad Hartley, 2009 Overall Tour of America's Dairyland Champion, who reigned supreme.

With roughly 16 to go, the story centered around the three riders up the road - Hartley, Juan Pablo Dotti (Aerocat Cycling) and Rudy Napolitano (Monster Media) - who sped away like a runaway train. Even a $300 field prime with nine to go couldn't bridge the ultimate gap of 35 seconds. Solo riders Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Australia) and Andy Crater (Seranet p/b Yoga 1) launched a Herculean effort to drive the pace and bring back the breakaway to no avail. Kenda 5-hour Energy p/b Geargrinder riders Rob White and Pat Lemieux were joined on the front of the field by their teammate and last night's winner, Isaac Howe for quite a stretch. But giving up on the chase, riders were now falling off the back of the field like spores on a dandelion gone to seed.

Three dynamic sprinters...one hefty tailwind coming out of final turn. It could have been anyone's race but the headlines will read: Hartley, Dotti, and Napolitano...1,2,3.

Cantwell, pimped at the line last night by Howe, narrowly edged out Rahsaan Bahati (SKIL p/b Pista Palace) in the field sprint, which was enough to land him in the Overall yellow and white jersey.

Kenda 5-hour Energy presented by Geargrinder remains the team to chase in the 5-hour Energy Team Competition.

The Tour of America's Dairyland presented by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board travels to Grafton tomorrow for the spectator packed Giro d' Grafton, a USA CRITS Series race, which will feature elevated rider stakes, jaw-dropping speeds, and deafening crowd support.

View previous race reports in the archive.