Five Podiums In Seven Days for Team Type 1

With the Amgen Tour of California just over the horizon, the Team Type 1 Pro Men headed to Mexico for the Vuelta Mexico Telmex brought home the team general classification victory, a stage win and three top five finishes.

Team director Vassili Davidenko was optimistic about the chances for Team Type 1 ahead of the Vuelta Mexico Telmex. “After three stages wins and podium places at the Tour of Morocco, I knew we were going to do well. I was confident in the guys. I think we have a great team and as a result, we have five UCI wins so far.”

In Stage One of the Vuelta Mexico, Aldo Ino Ilesic gave the team his trademark sprint in the final kilometers to take the win, the Overall jersey and Sprinter’s jersey. Stage Two brought further success for the team, as Valeriy Kobzarenko moved to fourth on the overall classification. The hilly Stage Four gave Davide Frattini a chance to show off strong early season legs and sprint his way to third place on the day while Kobzarenko pushed himself into third in the overall classification. Stage Five saw Javier Megias finish the day in fifth, while Stewart placed tenth. In Stage Six, Chris Jones moved himself up the overall classification with a seventh place finish which put him in tenth place in the overall classification. By Stage Eight, Ilesic finished third and placed Team Type 1 as the winner of the team classification.

As Team Type 1′s Pro Men were wrapping up the Vuelta Mexico, back in the U.S. the team was proving to be a presence at the USA Crits Speed Week, starting with Athens Twilight and the Roswell Criterium.

Saturday’s Terrapin Twilight Criterium in Athens, Georgia, got Speed Week started on a high note for Team Type 1 with fourth, seventh and tenth place victories. Nearly midway through the 80-kilometer race, Ken Hanson sensed that the strongest riders in the race were on the move, and Hanson accelerated to join a six-man breakaway that would end up deciding the race. Hanson and his five breakaway companions settled in for their forty-kilometer battle against the field. Hanson managed to sprint home to fourth out of the lead group.

Behind, Shmidt and Holt had the advantage of not having to contribute to the chasing efforts, and could sit in the field until the final sprint to the line. Thanks to their perfect teamwork, both were fresh for the charge to the line, and Shmidt, an ace on the track, charged out of the pack to win the field sprint, good enough for seventh place. Holt crossed the line shortly after to take home tenth place.

Sunday’s Historic Roswell Criterium saw Team Type 1 make sure Hanson was in position for victory. Managing the race with stealth, Team Type 1 set up Hanson in the final kilometer to push around the left of UnitedHealthcare’s Karl Menzies and Andrew Pinfold, and Fly V Australia’s Aaron Kemps in a mad dash to the finish.

Team Type 1 will now turn their attention squarely to the American stage-racing calendar. The SRAM Tour of the Gila kicks things off this weekend, followed by the Joe Martin Stage Race on May 6. After that, all eyes turn to the Amgen Tour of California, which will start on May 16. “We should be ready,” said Davidenko. “We are all looking forward to California, we should have an all around team and I believe we will be very competitive.”