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2008 Merco Credit Union Downtown Grand Prix, 50 laps
2008 Travis Credit Union Foothills Road Race, 120 miles
Merced, CA
March 1-2, 2008
Race Reports by Kirsten Robbins
Argentinean sprinter Alejandro Borrajo of the Colavita/Sutter Home Men’s Cycling Team presented by Cooking Light lapped the American peloton in a season-opening victory at the Merco Credit Union Downtown Grand Prix. The squad, which included Alejandro’s brother Anibal Borrajo, along with Kyle Wamsley, Luca Damiani, Andy Guptill, Tyler Wren, Sebastian Haedo, Davide Frattini, and Anthony Colby, kicked off the 50-lap criterium in a breakaway and never looked back. A group of six riders that included Tyler and Alejandro broke away from the field during the midway point of the race. The chasing field held the split at a consistent 30-second margin until Astana’s Chris Horner and Bissell’s Ben Jacques-Maynes went on the attack. Alejandro Borrajo followed the two powerhouse riders and the trio worked together to lap the field within the final two laps of the race. Alejandro’s Colavita/Sutter Home teammates waited patiently for him to reconnect with the back of a chaotic peloton and brought their sprinter safely back to the front to contest a three-man battle for the victory. Behind Alejandro’s victory, Sebastian Haedo and Davide Frattini placed 4th and 6th, respectively.
Anibal Borrajo extended Colavita/Sutter Home’s early season success with a 3rd place finish in the Travis Credit Union Foothills 120-mile road race. Colavita/Sutter Home’s Anibal and Alejandro Borrajo, Davide Frattini and Tyler Wren represented their team throughout the multitude of separations in the last half of the race, which included five 25-mile circuits. With one rider solo off the front and 10 miles remaining, Anibal’s five-rider chasing break was swallowed by the peloton and a second break containing his brother Alejandro set sail. However, the gap between the two groups decreased drastically with two miles to the line and was diminished at the 500-meter mark where Anibal sprinted in to take third place.
