Aleksandr Serebryakov takes 28th Philadelphia Championship

Aleksandr Serebryakov (Team Type 1-Sanofi) sprinted to victory in the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship, taking the 28th edition of the popular American one-day race ahead of team-mate Aldo Ino Ilesic. Fred Rodriguez (Exergy) was third.

Serebryakov won the bunch sprint after a breakaway group was reeled in on the final of the 5.4km laps that concluded the race on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

It was the Russian’s second win on the season, after he took stage 5 of the Tour of Korea. Serebrykov was also fifth in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne earlier in the season.

“This was my third race in America, and it was a victory on a great American team in a great American city,” Serebryakov marveled at the finish. “I can't thank my team-mates and the staff enough, everything worked today like clockwork.”

Team manager Vassili Davidenko said that, once the team achieved its first goal of Kiel Reijnen taking the King of the Mountains title, Type 1-Sanofi decided to go for everything else.

“On Saturday we talked at the team meeting about the KOM competition, how it was just up there, open, waiting to be claimed,” Davidenko explained. “Kiel had great form at the US Nationals last week [where he placed third – ed.], and so from the start in Philly today he made sure to write his name on Manayunk Wall every time we came through. When we saw that he had the KOM jersey today all sewn up in the middle of the race, it gave us the confidence to go to the front and chase down a breakaway as a team.

“Joe Eldridge, Aleksandr Efimkin, Joey Rosskopf and Martijn Verschoor all worked all day to keep those three sprinters fresh for the finish, and the result is a victory in America's biggest one-day race.”

Formerly 250 kilometers in length, the Philly race was shortened to 199 for this year, as the course covered three fewer circuits of the 23 kilometers normally slated. But the circuit did still cover “The Wall” in Manayunk, an 800-meter long, 17 percent gradient hill a leg-sapping seven times.

Won last year by Alex Rasmussen, then of HTC-Highroad, this year’s edition of the Philadelphia Championship would not be raced by any ProTour teams, leaving the American Pro Continental and Continental teams to shine.

To start the day, the peloton completed several short circuits of the Ben Franklin Parkway around Logan Circle in parade fashion, before heading out for the first of seven times around the main 23km course. The pace really began to pick up on the second of the seven laps as Reijnen took the first two KOMs.

As Reijnen was taking his third set of mountain points, a large group of 20 riders was moving off the front of the peloton, trying to spark the first real breakaway of the day, and the group did achieve 30 seconds. Containing a whopping six Team Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies riders, the group continued to gain time as Champion Systems and UnitedHealthcare chased on the front of the main bunch.

The pace remained high as the big laps ticked off. Eventually, the leading group was whittled down to four riders, including Scott Zwizanski (Team Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies), Clint Avery (Champion Systems), Thomas Rabou (Competitive Cyclist), and Andrès Miguel Diaz (Exergy).

With the big laps complete, and five small, 5km laps containing Lemon Hill to go, Zwizanski couldn’t take the pressure on the front any longer. He drifted off the back, eventually losing 1’35” to the three leaders. The peloton continued driving with Spidertech-C10 on the front, two minutes back.

As Reijnen was locking up the King of the Mountains title, the trio off the front continued to push, and they held a minute and 30 seconds as the pressure increased in the bunch behind. With 10 kilometers to race, Rabou, Diaz and Avery held a minute over an elite group of 30 riders that had split off the front of the chase, the rest of which had fallen two minutes behind the leaders on the road, and out of the race. Team Type 1-Sanofi assisted in the chase and helped bring the gap down to 30 seconds heading in to the final lap.

Sensing the urgency, Diaz tried to go away solo but he was reeled in as the bunch swung onto the Ben Franklin Parkway for the final time. The American Pro Continental Team Type 1-Sanofi, perhaps still stinging from its Tour of California snub, dominated the sprint. Serebryakov won ahead of team-mate Ino Ilesic. Rodriguez won the bike throw ahead of a third Type 1-Sanofi rider.

Earlier, Ina Teutenberg won the women’s race, the Liberty Classic. The Specialized-lululemon rider clocked up her fifth career victory in the race, winning a bunch sprint ahead of Rochelle Gilmore (Faren Honda) and the world champion Giorgia Bronzini (Diadora-Pasta Zara), who triumphed last year.

Knowing she was likely the fastest rider in the bunch, her team controlled the race in order to ensure she’d have a shot at going for the win. Bronzini tried to get the better of her but she was badly placed prior to the sprint and had to kick early to get into position, using vital energy.

Teutenberg showed her form last week when she scooped a stage of the women’s Exergy Tour in Idaho. Team-mates Evelyn Stephens, Amber Neben and Clara Hughes were the three best riders in the final overall standings.

TD Bank Philadelphia Invitational:

1, Alexander Serebryakov (Team Type 1-Sanofi) 199 km in 4 hours 32 mins 6 secs
2, Aldo Ino Ilesic (Team Type 1-Sanofi)
3, Fred Rodriguez (Exergy)
4, Daniele Colli (Team Type 1-Sanofi)
5, John Murphy (Kenda-5-Hour Energy)
6, Alexander Candelario (Optum)
7, Jose Fernando Antogna (Jamis-Sutter Home)
8, Robert Förster (Unitedhealthcare)
9, Aaron Kemps (CSS)
10, Luca Damiani (Kenda-5-Hour Energy)
11, Frank Kevin Pipp (Bissell)
12, Andy Jacques-Maynes (Kenda-5-Hour Energy)
13, Eric Young (Bissell)
14, Matthias Friedemann (CSS)
15, Muhamad Adiq Husainie Othman (CSS) all same time

Liberty Classic:

1, Ina Teutenberg (Team Specialized - Lululemon) 98 km in 2 hours 29 mins 8 secs
2, Rochelle Gilmore (Faren Honda Team)
3, Giorgia Bronzini (Diadora - Pasta Zara)
4, Leah Kirchmann (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
5, Joelle Numainville (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
6, Joanne Kiesanowski (Tibco - To The Top)
7, Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy Twenty12
8, Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom)
9, Lenore Pipes (Pure Energy Cycling ProAri-HFA)
10, Alessandra D'ettorre (Diadora - Pasta Zara)
11, Emily Collins (Vanderkitten-Focus)
12, Jessie Maclean (Greenedge - Ais)
13, Trixi Worrack (Team Specialized - Lululemon)
14, Debbie Milne (Mellow Mushroom)
15, Kate Chilcott (Vanderkitten-Focus)
16, Jennifer Purcell (Tibco - To The Top)
17, Lauren Stephens (FCS|Rouse p/b Mr. Restore)
18, Veronique Labonte (Real Deal Racing/Labicicletta)
19, Carmen Mcnellis Small (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
20, Shara Gillow (Greenedge - Ais)
21, Loren Rowney (Team Specialized - Lululemon)
22, Inga Cilvinaite (Diadora - Pasta Zara)
23, Jacquelyn Crowell (Exergy Twenty12
24, Amber Neben (Team Specialized - Lululemon)
25, Lindsay Myers (Tibco - To The Top)
26, Lauren Hall (Tibco - To The Top)
27, Kathleen Billington (Vanderkitten-Focus) at 21 secs
28, Janel Holcomb (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
29, Denise Ramsden (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
30, Kristen Lasasso (Mellow Mushroom)
31, Lindsay Bayer (Mellow Mushroom) at 32 secs
32, Anna Sanders (FCS|Rouse p/b Mr. Restore)
33, Nik Vogler (Pro-Team Specialized-Mazda-SGC)
34, Martha Buckley (FCS|Rouse p/b Mr. Restore)
35, Jessica Chong (Pure Energy Cycling ProAri-HFA)
36, Myriam Gaudreault (Real Deal Racing/Labicicletta)
37, Evelyn Stevens (Team Specialized - Lululemon)
38, Laura Medley (MVP Health Care Cycling)
39, Mary Zider (Colavita-ESPNw)
40, Tiffany Cromwell (Greenedge - Ais)
41, Andrea Dvorak (Exergy Twenty12
42, Mindy Simmons (Mellow Mushroom)
43, Jade Wilcoxson (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
44, Alexis Rhodes (Greenedge - Ais) at 49 secs
45, Jasmin Hurikino (Vanderkitten-Focus)
46, Amanda Miller (Tibco - To The Top)
47, Kristin Mcgrath (Exergy Twenty12
48, Leah Guloien (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies)
49, Amy Mcguire (FCS|Rouse p/b Mr. Restore) at 1 min 15 secs
50, Ally Stacher (Team Specialized - Lululemon)
51, Tayler Wiles (Exergy Twenty12
52, Polona Batagelj (Diadora - Pasta Zara)
53, Liza Rachetto (Forno d'Asolo Colavita)
54, Erin Silliman (MVP Health Care Cycling)
55, Kathleen Lysakowski (Farm Team Elite Women's Racing)
56, Carolyn Cartmill (Stevens Racing p/b the Cyclery)
57, Samantha Schneider (Tibco - To The Top)
58, Amanda Watson (Tradewinds Racing)
59, Jenny Ives (Farm Team Elite Women's Racing) at 2 mins 10 secs
60, Jamie Dinkins (Colavita-ESPNw)
61, Melissa Ross (Team Kenda p/b Geargrider)
62, Elizabeth Bonilla (Peanut Butter & Co Human Zoom)
63, Ainhoa Perez (Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team) at 2 mins 28 secs
64, Cheri Fager (Pure Energy Cycling ProAri-HFA)
65, Jennifer Triplett (CAWES/iFRACTAL p/b Specialized) at 4 mins 39 secs
66, Anne-Marie B. Morin (Pro-Team Specialized-Mazda-SGC)
67, Dana Walton (Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team)
68, Julie Lafrenière (Stevens Racing p/b the Cyclery)
69, Kate Veronneau (Pure Energy Cycling ProAri-HFA)
70, Sue Mcquiston (Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team)
71, Bridie O'Donnell (Vanderkitten-Focus)
72, Stephanie Swan (Tradewinds Racing)
73, Chiara Nadalutti (Faren Honda Team)
74, Amber Pierce (Diadora - Pasta Zara)
75, Kelly Benjamin (Farm Team Elite Women's Racing)
76, Rachel Warner (FCS|Rouse p/b Mr. Restore)
77, Audrey Friedrichsen (Farm Team Elite Women's Racing) at 5 mins 12 secs
78, Myfanwy Galloway (Faren Honda Team)
79, Véronique Drapeau-Zgoralski (Pro-Team Specialized-Mazda-SGC) at 6 mins 32 secs
80, Amity Elliot (Team Kenda p/b Geargrider)
81, Allison Beveridge (Pro-Team Specialized-Mazda-SGC)
82, Florence Laplante-Lamarche (Stevens Racing p/b the Cyclery)
83, Kristine Wander (Farm Team Elite Women's Racing)
84, Anne Racioppi (CAWES/iFRACTAL p/b Specialized)
85, Arley Kemmerer (MVP Health Care Cycling)
86, Emily Thurston (Tradewinds Racing)
87, Virginie Gauthier (Pro-Team Specialized-Mazda-SGC)
88, Nicole Raspa (CAWES/iFRACTAL p/b Specialized)
89, Victoria Hanks (Peanut Butter & Co Human Zoom)
90, Heather Shearer (Infinit Nutrition/Cyclepower)
91, Alizée Brien (Stevens Racing p/b the Cyclery)
92, Nicole Thiemann (Tradewinds Racing)
93, Kristine Church (Peanut Butter & Co Human Zoom) at 8 mins 11 secs
94, Sara Clafferty (Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team)
95, Mary Costelloe (Real Deal Racing/Labicicletta