Team GEARGRINDER’s Chad Hartley Takes Tour of America’s Dairyland Stage 3 Top Spot

After one massive party thrown by Trek Bicycle at the Trek Waterloo Classic on Friday, the Tour of America’s Dairyland stormed into Grafton, Wis, Saturday under sunny skies for the Giro d Grafton Twilight Criterium.

From a starting field of 95, Chad Hartley (Team GEARGRINDER) celebrated his 28th birthday with a trip atop the podium, edging out Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) and Ben King (Trek-LIVESTRONG U23).  Hartley’s top spot lands him 5th overall in the Omnium with Frank Pipp (Bissell), Steve Tilford (Trade Wind Energy/Trek Stores), owner of the Best Young Rider jersey from Nature Valley Matthew Busche (IS Corp) and Cheyne Hoag (Kelly Benefit Strategies) snagging first through fourth, respectively.  Trek-LIVESTRONG’s King also took home the Giro d Grafton  $1,000 cash prime.

It was Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Verducci/Breakaway Racing) who took the top spot in the Women’s Pro Race with Kristin Wentworth (Team Kenda) and Samantha Schneider (Team Type 1) landing spots two and three.  Overall, Devon Haskell (BH USA) keeps her yellow and white cow print leader’s jersey with Jessie Maclean and Wentworth in her shadow, tied for second.

Chris Arndt (Team Wheel & Sprocket) took home top honors in Cat, and it was a trifecta for Nova Cycle Sports Foundation with Chazz Martin, Chris Halverson and Aaron Goldberg standing tall for Cat 4-5, Masters 1-2-3 and Masters 4-5, respectively.

The inaugural Tour of America’s Dairyland continues Sunday at the Maritime Bay Classic in Manitowoc, before taking a rest day on Monday and resuming with a one-two road race-crit punch in Fond du Lac, Wis., on June 23 and 24.

Also included in the Tour are the Wisconsin cities of Sheboygan, Greenbush, Waukesha and Milwaukee.  The Downer Classic on Milwaukee’s Eastside will feature the Ben’s Cycle “Ultra Prime Party”.  In addition to high energy cycling, the cities will also feature a variety of live entertainment, family activities, food, and a sports expo produced by Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC).

Schedule Overview:
Stage 1 completed:   Blue Mounds Race of the Future (Blue Mounds, WI)
Stage 2 completed:   Trek Waterloo Classic (Waterloo, WI)
Stage 3 completed:   Giro d’ Grafton (Grafton, WI)
Stage 4:  June 21, Noon-7:30p:   Maritime Bay Classic (Manitowoc, WI)
June 22: Rest Day
Stage 5:  June 23, 9:00a-4:30p:   Attitude Sports Fond du Lac Road Race (Fond du Lac, WI)
Stage 6:  June 24, noon-7:30p:   Fond du Lac Bicycling Grand Prix (Fond du Lac, WI)
Stage 7:  June 25, noon-7:30p:   Harbor Centre Family Day & Bike Race (Sheboygan, WI)
Stage 8:  June 26, 9:00a-4:30p:  Greenbush Road Race (Greenbush, WI)
Stage 9:  June 27, 1:00p-8:30p:  The Downer Classic (Milwaukee, WI)
Stage 10:  June 28, 11:00a-7:30p: Carl Zach Cycling Classic (Waukesha, WI)

Other Tour of America’s Dairyland sponsors include Wheel & Sprocket, Sommer’s Automotive, Time Warner Cable, Time Warner Cable Sports 32, Pactimo, and DeWitt, Ross & Stevens, and Stone Creek Coffee.

Endorsed and supported by the Wisconsin Cycling Association and United States Cycling Federation, Tour of America’s Dairyland updates will be posted on www.TourofAmericasDairyland.com

Tags: America, bike, Kelly Benefit Strategies, Milwaukee, stage 3, Tour of America's Dairyland, twilight criterium, united states, Wisconsin