Welcome to the National Championships of the USA, there’s a flat course today which means sprinters should be favoured for the win, with Farrar, Keough and Young close favourites should it come to a sprint.
After the peloton rejects a few breakaway attempts they are finally and confusingly content with an incredibly strong group going as Squire attacks and is accompanied by America’s two best climbers, Dombrowski and Phinney as well as CT cobbles star Bush.
After chasing so much early it’s surprising to see the peloton content to let this break go as they have a 6 minute lead with 10km left. Phinney and Bush are the best sprinters of the quartet so it’s up to the other riders to mix it up.
However it’s Phinney who lights the race up, not wanting to take his chances in a sprint he attacks with 5km left and he pries open a gap!
His attack only lasts until 3km left though as Bush catches up and settles into his slipstream. Dombrowski has a little trouble but makes it as well, while Squire struggles more and is distanced.
Not to be deterred, Phinney sees the flamme rouge and goes again with 1.7km left, Bush hesitates, he’s been pulling Dombrowski along in his slipstream and he doesn’t want to ruin his sprint!
Bush goes ahead and opens up his sprint pulling back and dumping Phinney in a few swift strokes of his pedals, now only Dombrowski can make a difference!
Dombrowski is easily the weaker sprinter of the two but he finds the speed to pull up alongside Bush now with 400 metres left!
And Dombrowski claims the national champion’s title! The great climber played his cards perfectly to secure the win despite being the worst sprinter in the group! The strongest today, Bush takes 2nd while the most aggressive rider Phinney is a while back in 3rd.
Next up is the time trial, big chance for Phinney to avenge himself from the road race as the outstanding favourite. While previous champion Bookwalter will provide a little bit of a challenge for him.
Bookwalter sets the best time at the first two checkpoints by a pretty convincing margin, but before he approaches the finish…
… Phinney steams past him, the former champion could offer no resistance, allowing Phinney to win the National Time Trial Championships to make up for his RR loss!
