BEDFORD, Pa. — The longest stage of the American Eagle Outfitters® Tour of Pennsylvania presented by Highmark Healthy High 5® was made even more epic when strong winds and rain threatened the international field at the starting line in Camp Hill. While the sun broke through the clouds, neither the remaining gusting winds nor the many kilometers ahead could hold back cycling’s U-25 world-class up-and-comers from their visions of a Stage 3 victory.

Starting in Camp Hill at presenting sponsor Highmark’s campus, Stage 3 featured a 165-kilometer road race with a classic European road race sequence, and it all began on the rolling country roads that Pennsylvania is known for.

A truly valiant effort on behalf of the breakaway rider from America Peter Stetina (VMG-Felt), who gained nearly four minutes on a 40 rider chase group, came to a dramatic closing on the streets of Bedford when the soloist was caught just 100 meters to the finish line.

“It was very tough out there on my own, but I felt really, really good,” said Stetina whose lengthy breakaway efforts earned him both the Forbes Trail Most Aggressive rider and the VisitPA.com KOM winners jerseys. “It was a pure headwind and a false flat and without this, I think I could have taken the win. All losing did was make me mad, and I’m going to come back tomorrow and win. It’s on, this is my race now.”
The dwindled field, a result of strong head winds and tough terrain, came barreling onto the finishing straight away with the triumph in sight. American Jamie Driscoll (Fiordifrutta) took a slim victory ahead of Sheldon Deeny (Sakonnet Technology/USA) and David Veilleux (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast/CAN).
“I was dying hanging onto the chase group while Kelly Benefits and Johan Bruyneel teams were doing all the work to catch Stetina,” said stage winner Driscoll. “I don’t know where my sprint came from, but I am really surprised to win here today.”

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – Steven Van Vooren (Johan Brunyeel Cycling Academy) conquered the inaugural American Eagle Outfitters® Tour of Pennsylvania presented by Highmark Healthy High 5® opening time trial held in Philadelphia with a searing time of 4:18 ahead of Keven LaCombe (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) and Christoff Van Heerden (KON-Konica Minolta Continental).

Some 120 cyclists, ages 18 to 25, from eight nations including USA, Argentina, Canada, Belgium, Australia, Ireland, Netherlands and South Africa were showcased one by one as they rolled off of the prologue starting ramp outside Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

The three-kilometer jaunt took the riders along the Memorial Hall’s concourse before looping back around to Martin Luther King Dr toward the finish line. “It was a tail wind going out in to the descent and then there were some fast turns,” said prologue winner Steven Van Vooren regarding the predominantly flat route that offered competitors an almost natural momentum.

“A headwind down along the river was where I felt like I was going strong, pushing a big gear,” continued Van Vooren. “I conserved a little bit of energy for that last climb toward the finish and I hoped that that was enough for the win.”

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – It’s among the most basic tenets of the athletic arena: You can’t beat the competition if you don’t know who they are. Yet come the opening day of the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania Presented By Highmark Healthy High 5®, no one will know exactly who are the riders to watch among this talented field of 108.

But that’s the nature of the game when you bring together teams from all corners of the globe (five continents in this case). Unfamiliarity is inevitable, meaning there will be extra pressure on riders and team directors to make quick assessments and seat-of-the-pants decisions.

“Normally when you are directing a team in the U.S. you know all the guys you’re racing against,” explained Frankie Andreu, a former European-based pro who will be calling the strategic shots for the California-based ZteaM. “But here we are going to have all these guys coming over from Europe and elsewhere that you don’t know anything about. So if we have a breakaway go up the road, it’s going to be hard to know exactly how to handle it. You’re constantly going to have to ask yourself, ‘Is this guy strong or can he climb or can he sprint?’ There are going to be question marks everywhere and that will make it a lot harder to direct.”

The good news is that the 420-mile race kicks off with a prologue time trial. And while the 2.5-mile stage won’t necessarily decide who will be crowned overall winner six days later in Pittsburgh, it will at least provide an idea of who are the riders to watch among the 18 six-man teams.

“For us, it’s going to be like going to Europe and doing an international stage race,” added Jonas Carney, director of the Minnesota-based Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast team. “I think that kind of racing is more exciting because there is not as much control. A lot can happen and you have to be on your toes and think fast. It will be pretty cool to do a race when it’s game on every day. They’ll shoot the gun and it will be racing. You won’t be able to sit back and say, ‘We don’t have to worry about that breakaway because Toyota-United or Health Net will bring it back.’ Everyone will have to pay attention all the time.”

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – Frankie Andreu can only chuckle when asked about his own transition out of cycling’s junior racing ranks and up to the senior level. The one-time Lance Armstrong lieutenant who started the Tour de France nine times says that back in his day the law of the jungle ruled.

“It was survival of the fittest. We didn’t have anything like [the Tour of Pennsylvania],” recalled Andreu, who will direct the California-based ZteaM at the 420-mile, under-25 stage race that starts June 24 in Philadelphia and finishes six days later on June 29 in Pittsburgh. “After I graduated from juniors, I was always going up against the big boys. I got my tail handed to me every single race because once you turned 18 and became a category 1 racer, you were competing against adults with way more experience than you. That’s why this race has really set itself apart. I think it has a lot of importance for these young riders. It can open a lot of doors. If you do well here, you can get noticed and make that next step.”

Indeed, from a development standpoint, you can’t overstate the importance of the American Eagle Outfitters ® Tour of Pennsylvania Presented By Highmark Healthy High 5®. Similar to Division I collegiate athletics or minor league baseball, the under-25 stage race gives promising riders a chance to compete against their peers – and not dive immediately into the deep end.

“I think if you’re the most talented guy coming out of the junior ranks, then you are going to be able to make the transition okay,” explained Jonas Carney, a former pro who now directs the Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast team, one of 18 six-man squads slated to start the Tour of Pennsylvania. “But some guys don’t develop as quickly. They need some races where they can be competitive and learn how to win, as opposed to just learning how to survive. I think you really develop some bad habits if you are always in way over your head. That’s why this race is such a great opportunity for these kids. They can come out and race and not be expected to go up against eight Toyota-United pros or a bunch of ProTour guys like you had at the Philly week races.”

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