Zirbel, Powers set pace
WESTMINSTER - The spirit of Arthur Longsjo was alive and well as the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, the cycling race that bears the name and hometown of the former two-sport Olympian, got underway for the 50th time yesterday.
Tom Zirbel, an ex-collegiate distance runner, was a runaway winner in the men’s pro/1 division time trial, while fellow Colorado resident Alison Powers, a former World Cup skier, finished first in a competitive women’s pro 1/2 field.
Powers had the hottest set of wheels in unseasonably cool - but all too familiar - conditions that saw dense fog give way to light mist. The Team Type 1 rider covered the 8.89 miles of the out-and-back course in 19 minutes 54.89 seconds.
That was good for a lead of four seconds over up-and-coming Evelyn Stevens, the only other cyclist in the field of 113 to go under 20 minutes.
“The fog was awesome,’’ Powers said while rhythmically pedaling a stationary bike during a postrace cool-down. “I’ve never raced in conditions like that before.’’
Powers, 29, grew up in Winter Park, Colo., learning to ski at her hometown resort. She harbored legitimate Olympic aspirations before shattering her left kneecap in 2001. Powers returned to racing two years later, but quit for good midseason in ’04.
“I was scared,’’ she said. “And when you’re going 70 miles per hour downhill, being scared isn’t a good thing.’’
An avid mountain biker before the injury, Powers found that type of riding to be hard on her rehabbed knee. So she switched to the road, turned pro in 2006, and, remarkably, won the US national time trial championship last year in Irvine, Calif.
The Longsjo, as always, has a nice international flavor to it. Canadian Anne Samplonius of Team Lip Smacker was third (20:03.63), renowned Frenchwoman Jeannie Longo fourth (20:08.27), and defending champion Catherine Cheatley of New Zealand 15th.
They’ll all be back out there today for the circuit race, the second test of this four-day stage race.
On the men’s side, Zirbel was 10th out of the chute, but none of the 161 riders to follow came close to touching the Bissell Pro Cycling rider’s time of 17:15.16. Scott Zwizanski was nearly 23 seconds back with Kelly Benefits Strategies teammates David Veilleux and Zach Bell grabbing third and fourth, respectively.
“I’ve worked on my time trial position a little bit - it’s all about how aero you can get, and our equipment is second to none,’’ Zirbel said. “Those two things contribute to a good time trial and I have those things in my favor right now.’’
Zirbel is aware there’s a lot of racing to go. He also made it known he isn’t here in search of a single stage win.
“I assume we’re going to play our cards and try to stick with the goal of a general classification win,’’ Zirbel said. “I’m fortunate, I feel, to have the best team here and they’ll do their best to protect me.’’
Zirbel, a former runner, and Powers, an ex-skier, produced the best efforts on Day 1, efforts Longsjo, a star bicyclist and speed skater, would be proud of.
