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| DBMSR, DAY 2: TEAM KAOS WINS SEVEN STATE TITLES |
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| Written by Sean Weide | |
| Monday, 06 June 2005 | |
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Omaha, Neb. --Brian Jensen of Lawrence, Kan., made it a clean sweep at the Dave Babcook Memorial Stage Race while Team Kaos dominated the final day's Old Market Criterium, which doubled as the Nebraska State Criterium Championship.
Jensen won the Pro I-II criterium to go along with his victories in Saturday’s prologue time trial and Elmwood Park circuit race. His HRRC/Bike Source team also swept the top four places in the overall standings.
Tilford and Stolte, both of Topeka, Kan., finished second and third overall, respectively. Tilford was 2:34 behind Jensen, while Stolte was another 36 seconds back. Mills, the race's defending champion, finished fourth overall, four minutes behind Jensen. By virtue of being the best-placed Nebraska finisher in the criterium, Team Kaos’ Jarred Berger earned Pro-I-II state champion honors. Berger, of Lincoln, finished seventh in the criterium and seventh overall.  Team Kaos' Morgan Chaffin (third from left) remained vigilant on the front of the women's open race. Team Kaos riders Morgan Chaffin (Women’s IV), Marie Neville (Women’s I-II-III), Tim Farnham (Category III), Steven Muhle (Masters 35-over), Gary Schmidt (Masters 55-over) and Ian Danielson (Juniors) also won state criterium titles. Muhle had more success than any of the other 127 riders in the event, winning four individual races to finish first overall in the Cat. III and Masters 35+ divisions. Jensen and teammates Bill Stolte and Steve Tilford escaped the field early in the Pro-I-II 90-minute criterium and had lapped the pack by the halfway point. Jensen later helped teammate Adam Mills jump from the pack, allowing him to pick up enough bonus time to knock All9Yards.com/Ralph Henderson Racing's Terry Beenken from third to sixth in the overall standings. Berger, who finished fourth in Saturday's prologue time trial, got a big assist from his Team Kaos teammates when he sparked a five-man break to go after the four leaders. Joe McWilliams, Ian Robertson and Chris Spence all took turns covering moves to ensure that Berger's group stayed up the road.
Original Plan Was To Protect Lead  Jensen spent a lot of time on the winner's podium over the two-day race. Jensen said the team's strategy for the final stage of the two-day event was simply to protect his overall lead, not extend it. "I was just going to play the role of team player but once we got racing, we figured out that I had the best legs today," Jensen said. "So it was my job to get Adam away from the pack." Jensen said the difficulty of the 1.2-mile figure-eight course, which featured a nasty crosswind while making the long climb up the 10th street viaduct, actually played into his team's favor. "The harder the course, the better for us," he said. "I really like this course. Overall, this race has the potential to be a great event in the years to come." Farnham will be the first to tell you that his victory in the Cat. III race was not a one-man show. With five laps to go, Farnham put the hammer down, soloing the rest of the way in the 60-minute event. He enthusiastically pumped his fist as he crossed the finish line, climbing from ninth to second overall with the 23-second stage win over the pack. "We had an incredible team effort," Farnham said. "Everyone did a great job of working together to make this happen." Textbook Tactics Key Farnham's Win Farnham will be the first to tell you that his victory in the Cat. III race was not a one-man show. With five laps to go, Farnham put the hammer down, soloing the rest of the way in the 60-minute event. He enthusiastically pumped his fist as he crossed the finish line, climbing from ninth to second overall with the 23-second stage win over the pack. 
There was no stopping the HRRC/Bike Source train in the final stage through the streets of Downtown Omaha. There was no stopping the HRRC/Bike Source train in the final stage through the streets of Downtown Omaha. In addition to Farnham and Muhle, Team Kaos had six other riders in the Cat. III field: Mark Brackenbury, Jordan Brasch, Stephen Griffin, Chad Headlee, Robert Helton and Jason Kingsbury. After Farhnam, Headlee was the next best-placed overall finisher in eighth. Kaos Women Experience Success Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, Chaffin, Neville and Theresa Blume had terrific showings in Sunday's 30-minute women's race. Although Chaffin was slow to respond to the late-race attack by eventually criterium winner Megan Hottman of Highgear/LBC Racing, she did motor away from the field to secure her first place overall in the women's Cat. IV division. Teammate Theresa Blume, who did not compete Saturday, was the Cat. IV criterium runner-up, while Marie Neville's fourth-place finish in the Women's I-II-III division allowed her to successfully defend her Nebraska State Criterium Champion title. COMPLETE RESULTS |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 June 2005 ) |
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