See Jamie’s first feature documentary Cult Classic THE HARD ROAD for FREE here:
The much anticipated sequel to Jamie Paolinetti’s cult classic THE HARD ROAD played to sold out audiences all over the world. The film tells the story of the best bike racers in America in 2004 on their quest to be US Pro National Champion and wear the Stars and Stripes jersey for an entire year. The real star of the film is the ICONIC One Day Classic in Philly and the world famous Manayunk Wall.
Philly was the greatest single day race in American History with the legends of the sport like Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Fred Rodriguez, Chris Horner and Bobby Julich all stating the race was one of the most important of their careers.
The film’s creator, Jamie Paolinetti finished in the top 10 a number of times, twice won the Bronze Medal and had numerous teammates win the Stars and Stripes jersey, so capturing the race was a dream come true for him.
wa it’s Philly Philly is not just a one day race it’s a happening it’s a classic you know I mean when you’re sitting on that start line at 9:00 a.m. in the morning and the flags are out the people are out the big screen’s on you’ve got the commentators going nuts you know you got 256 km with your you know 10 or 15,000 people up on the wall this is it this is the event you you can just feel it you just feel the vibe it’s biggest one day race in America everyone wants to be national champion in the world of cycling there’s one Championship that matters and that’s the road racing Championship if you don’t get excited about being at a race like that it’s time to quit or you should never start it all the best guys are trying to be in their best form for the race this is the show this is The Big Show this is Big Time this is where everybody really wants to perform you get superhuman efforts somebody might want it work than the rest of them to take the win itself that’s huge if you have the chance to put on the the red white and blue jersey you don’t even feel tired after Racing for 6 hours this year is the 20th year of the event and they’ve probably never had two identical finishes it’s not just the rice it’s a happening it’s lock Paris re Bay you know it’s the helicopters in the mud in Paris re Bay here it’s the wall and the beer and the shower and people screaming at you and you got the form and you’re dropping guys behind you every year they come to be part of it the US Pro championships a Sunday in June that can transform a Rider’s career while Philly Waits the week opens with races on Tuesday and Thursday Lancaster and Trenton Classics in their own right HealthNet will be a major player all week hey John do you want to come stay in my house for a little bit for any reason um I think we live far when we moved to health mat or when Mercury kind of crumbled I said listen I can’t win a lot of races but if you give me gourd I we as a pair he can win and I can help him win we have the best deepest team I mean we’re pretty good at assessing Riders and and maybe their potential is Jason McCartney he’s obviously proven tour of Georgia 200 some odd K off the front on the hardest day of the race P’s got the raw natural Talent John le one Chris weary and that’s one thing that we we definitely built this team on we wanted to have as many good character guys as we could a few hours before Lancaster SAR and gourd get the guys together is a great place to get away when you get out there man don’t open the throttle and run it wide ass open I mean get out there and just do the minimum if you get out there and you make a mistake and you get dropped you put us behind the eightball and then you got to come back to the van and deal with me so don’t do it just have confidence in the fact that you can go all the way to the Finish as long as you don’t W out there just freaking firing off bullets all over the freaking place like a cowboy please just holster that [ __ ] and wait till the end out the bars out the gels tonight will be the first real test with Lancaster you know 90 mies on Hills we’ll really see who’s going good this is a hard race it’s a you always get a really good view of what the rest of the field has for the week you know you you’re going to know if some guy just storms away tonight and wins Solo or something like that he’s kind to watch for Philly so these races are very important to find who’s got form and who doesn’t Lancaster this race historically gives the teams a lot to consider and of course a good performance here is always a nice way to start the week for the first time in years Bobby jick’s here the field will keep keep him on a very short leash and if Bobby’s reputation wasn’t enough his CSC team is stacked with Talent including two-time Lancaster winner yakup Peele but Bobby and yakup will have plenty of company around the front welcome Brad Rodriguez Chris Warner our US national champion here’s the guy in Philadelphia who pulled it all down and he has worn this jersey for the last year here he is Mark mccor the rest of our field here [Applause] [Music] in [Music] [Applause] [Music] with the pleas [Music] consolidate [Music] Lancaster is a brute of a race Relentless ups and downs will take their toll and just finishing demands top form but still two of the strong guys attack David McKenzie and Ivan Dominguez go off the front but holding off this field on this course will be tough for any small group still horer and Lewin are the next two to give it a go no way give these two 30 seconds and it’s over the field will bring them back before the start finish it’s only two laps to go the fans watch and wait to see who might take a shot at this race next looks like one of the CSC Heavy Hitters that’s Bobby julick Bobby julick all what a homecoming for CSC Superstar Bobby jul for me to come up here in the middle of the season and train at altitude I spoke with viar and all the directors of our team CSC and they agreed that this would be a great time to use as was a buildup for national championships in Philadelphia and then uh the tour to France when I think back to 1998 it all happened so fast and there was so many things going on during that tour all of a sudden I was catapulted to being on the podium and then being the second American at the time to be on the podium and then being the next Greg lemond and that 3-we period was amazing it felt like everything that happened was supposed to happen one day that probably not many people know about was the day that was cancelled the day we just basically rode the whole stage Tempo I thought when I woke up that morning I said getting a Podium on the tour is not going to be possible for me but then they canceled the stage and I was able to have that one more day of recovery and then that was all I needed my poster of motivation it’s a Podium of guys that uh have had their difficult times um ending with Marco’s passing this last year Yan with his weight me with my head and it just was uh you know I thought it was going to be the start of us being on the podium quite a bit and unfortunately it was the last time that we’re that I was on the podium with those guys that was pretty special day and uh never forget that one I wasted a lot of energy in ’99 2000 and 2001 now this year I think I finally found again um the mindset and the way of dealing with stress and the way of dealing with things the guidance that I found with BNA this year you know I can only imagine if I would have met him four or five years ago I know I would have been back where I was in 1998 and a lot of guys in my position would have just said you know you were third in the tour in ’98 you you know you haven’t you were seven you know the best you’ve gotten since then at 17th and basically you’ve not been a non-factor in the race since then a lot of guys would have just said hey it’s over you know I had my you know Peak and it’s over but there was something in my body that was telling me God it’s here that that energy that that drive is here just I can’t couldn’t get it out and that was so frustrating on one hand it was frustrating but on the second hand it was the reason why I kept going and why I’m still here [Applause] today they are going to have when we see them one lap to go one remaining lap to go One racer looks like he is away one not [Applause] [Music] she Bobby’s effort is huge he’s been away for a lap and a half but one glance at the front of the field tells the story the horsepower chasing him is overwhelming Health Net postal Navigator and Chris Herer himself no one Rider could hold off this kind of Firepower and Bobby will be inside the last kilometers Lancaster will belong to somebody else this [Music] yeary his over his hand a massive field Sprint wall the wall coming to the line who’s going to do it too close to go fast gra Tru [Applause] like Wednesday this could be any one of a thousand hotel lobbies anywhere in the country but during Philly week it becomes race headquarters the day between Lancaster and Trenton the team take a break it’s a chance for former teammates to catch up talk about yesterday’s race and discuss who’s going well Freddy’s used to winning field Sprints but yesterday got away from him Francisco ventoso from the Spanish team prier nipped him at the line for second but not all pro deer’s writers are from Spain Tim Johnson is an American and part of the next generation of US cycling Talent he’s here to help guide his Spanish team through the week here your team is obvious well aware of Fred yeah actually on Tuesday in Lancaster we’re getting towards the finale I was like heyo you know how are you he like yeah like all right you know and I I showed him Charles Dion from web I showed him Mark and he was already on Freddy’s wheel I’m like all right well I guess he’s all he knows where he wants to be so at the end of the race he’s like yeah number 21 Freddy I was with him y hey good job man you had it all set 22-year-old kid just sticking on Freddy’s wheel and beating in the end for him on Sunday I don’t know if everybody races the race aggressively there won’t be 50 guys at the end’ll be a group of five group of five and 20 right but if everybody races defensively then yeah there could be 50 guys and it will be a sprinter and that’s when vosa will win while Tim and his Pro dear team have reason to be happy about Lancaster so does postals Michael Creed it was his teammate max van haywick that crossed the line first like Tim Johnson Creed is part of the future of American cycling last December while waiting to see if he would even have a job for 2004 he got the dream call I got a a lot of offers from D3 teams for you know like basically no money and it was to the point where I’ve been racing D3 since I was 17 so it was like I’ve done it I know what it’s like you know I’m I’m 23 but this was my seventh Time Racing Redlands yeah I mean I’ve red it every year since I was 16 it was like I don’t need to do it again and it was if I wasn’t going to make the step I was just going to do a division 3 team a disservice by riding for them cuz maybe they would put in some kind of hopes on me and I was I knew I wouldn’t do it and man it was just like I finally just kind of told myself to go down to go down to the Mexico Silver City New Mexico there’s no cell phone coverage there’s I’m the only Pro bike rider in town and I’m just going to go there and I gave myself a deadline which was like December 20th and I rented a house there and it’s like I’m going to train till December 20th because December 22nd is the deadlines to enter for enroll into the local College on my way down to Silver City I uh I get this phone call from Pat mccard is on the team and I already been making like kind of like throwing stuff at postal but I didn’t even think they were picking it up at all and he calls and he’s like oh dude uh Lance said he was going to sign you I like what he’s like Lance he said he was going to sign you and if [ __ ] you not right then my cell phone goes out I go over the mountains there’s no cell phone coverage for it’s like 10:00 at night so for like the next couple days I’m just I was completely crack myself call Pat back and she yeah that’s what he said but nobody contacted me forever and finally finally um I got a call from Johan around December 10th December 12th saying that he was going to think about it and he needed a week so a week to the day on December 18th I got a phone call and it was yeah there’s no contract negotiations nothing at that point you’re just set to go Thursday Trenton 90 m in 3 hours it’s a race where the pure sprinters can have their day if they’re on form it’s also only 3 days to Philly and if any Sprinter smokes the field here everyone will know his team will be riding for a bunch finish on Sunday what’s going on we having a top out yes sir Trenton couldn’t be more perfect for Jonas Carney he’ll lead his Jelly Belly team today but Sunday will be a different story you know I just feel like it’s always important to to for your team to ride like a team and um anybody who’s ever ridden on a team that that uh where there’s a lot of guys sacrificing for each other they know that that’s how you win races anybody can win a race here or there but the teams that Dominate and the teams that win a lot are the ones that really sell out for each other and um you know Prime Alliance was like that K light was like that the LA sheriffs were like that um you know Saturn was like that at times um you know and and you even look at the smaller teams like a team shackley or Jelly Belly when when they do win a race they win it because um the team rides like a team and it doesn’t matter if you have a million dollars or if you’ve got you know a third of that the team that wins is usually usually the team that that sacrifices so um the guys sacrificed for me all the time in the criteriums they’re always up there trying to help me they’re taking me the front they’re chasing stuff down they’re leading me out I can’t contest Philly it’s over my distance and um I I asked every year I ask the manager to let me ride it uh put me on the roster so that I can give everything I can for the guys to show you show them that I want to repay them for all the hard work they give me and the criteria and we spend a whole year traveling around in a van with guys and getting to know them and living in hotel rooms when you do sacrifice and you see eight guys sacrifice for one guy and you pull it out and you pull the big upset against the big team it’s it’s there’s no feeling better than that and I’d say that at least half of my favorite memories of cycling or more are races that I didn’t win it was just races that I I helped someone else win and uh where we pulled off the big upset and and uh you know Philadelphia if we could pull off the jersey in Philadelphia and if one of the guys walked away with it you know probably be one of the highlights of my career before Philly there’s still today’s race and The Navigators would love to head into Sunday with a win here at Trenton if anyone can spoil it for the pure Sprinter today it would be Hank Vogal yeah I want to go through that small Corner through there you know you know what I’m talking about though you know the two left hand turns we’re all together there and there’s [ __ ] no two left handers left and left left and a left and the right going to the final St I want to go left and then it’s like 500 m it’s a good way cuz it’s narrow you oh [ __ ] and it’s if anything out and then jump slightly downhill you know what I mean like it’s fast that you can that’s that’s what I want to do and if we’re all there together I want to jump into that corner once you guys to Fan out and then jump on whoever comes past the if Hank does attack at the end of day his ex Mercury teammate Chris Herer will probably go right along with him it’s uh you guys get nervous or something like running around getting dressed just sitting here having a hamburger Fri you guys are like the way you guys got a little hurry to you too I’m getting nervous they’re they’re getting nervous cuz John and I were the coffee shop is they know yeah it’s all like it’s all about getting to this corner one to go so we got you know we got we got to L up and do that give me your address and all [Music] that you’re legendary you’re legendary hard man isn’t there a trick where of that was the time to go if you wanted to go yeah it was a bummer I was like okay there’s got to be at least two guys to come up you know but I knew everyone was right there and I just went anyway I mean I was stuffed at that moment too but I said now it’s the time to go but then uh with half a lot to go I just knew it was over hang out in the midst of all of it and the Trenton course is basically a long straight road with a big loop on each end after they’ve left the start line the Riders Loop through this park where the feed zone is The Descent out of the park is at full speed and in later laps gaps can be very difficult to close here once they’re out of the park they’ll head back down the straightway passing the start finish area if today’s race ends in a field Sprint this is where the battle for control of the front will take place after another series of turns at the opposite end of the course the Riders complete their first 7 m c by crossing the Finish Line a six-man Breakaway leads through the feed Zone Mike sers is here but with gourd in such good form chances are Health Net will be one of the teams riding for a field Sprint today the s’s group has almost a minute but with more than two hours to go the attack has not yet sparked the full-blown reaction from the field but on the next lap Everything Changes Chris her has dragged a group of riders up to the break now the move is suddenly very serious CSC and postal immediately put their big guns on the front to shut Herer down during a chase like this all the other Riders can do is sit in line and hold on [Music] there couldn’t be a worse time for a flat even with a quick wheel change catching back on when the field is going at this speed on this course will be nearly impossible and the Kavita Rider will pay for his bad luck [Music] St out [Music] I can’t see him he’s get farther up so gustavo’s not the only one who had bad luck while CSC and postal drill it up front apo’s team leader Eric Saunders is also forced to chase after he flats and the bad timing of his mechanical will mean the end of Trenton for Eric soon after Jason bsh punctures as well did you flat too yeah yeah I flatted who all flatted everybody flatted I had flat and a bad wheel change if you flat like through the turny part with the hills you can’t use a car at all and all the cars stop at the top of the hill so all the cars are instantly a minute behind the pelaton and if you’re in the cars over here you’re a minute down zoner says oh just forget it and I just was kind of didn’t want to forget it cuz I was feeling good I wanted a ride and then he comes to me and says no really forget it you’re gone you’re not going to get back and so then I then I kind of believed them you don’t want to believe it first but you can’t the talent in America is more dispersed among the teams than ever before Eric long ago established himself as a serious threat in the Pro pellaton and he could likely find a job on almost any big team but instead Eric’s chosen to lead ooto when we talk about the race Sunday he he sounds he has a lot of confidence right now and he’s riding really well right now he’s strong he’s been training really hard um we did a lot a lot of couple local races back home and and he he has it together and um I think personally I think he could finish top five if if he’s in that right mood if he’s in a good situation I think he could definitely Podium as well you know cycling is basically proving to yourself who you are proving to yourself what you can be um proving to yourself that you can mold and shape um your body your form you know your your your your morale you know it’s really like a constructive kind of like artistic process you know that’s a lot like you know sculpture you know you are your final outcome you are your product when I first met him I I would ask him like well why aren’t you winning how come you’re not winning what’s the problem or you know I was like what are you doing in this career what you won One race the whole year what the hell why did you get another career he was like no it’s not how it works it’s not about the winning and I thought well what’s the point if you’re not winning what’s the point there’s a lot of guys that never win so if I win two or three races in the year like I consider myself lucky obviously I’d like to win more but it’s hard to win if the ideal is you win 15 or 20 races a year anyone else that doesn’t win 15 or 20 races a year just isn’t good I’m still grounded enough to know that I’m doing well almost as well as I can do if you don’t win all the time then it’s hard to you know walk around like you’re a super Champion so that’s why I say I’m not not any good because I mean I know how good I’m not and I think being an experienced rider has a lot to do with knowing how good you’re not more to do than with knowing how good you are you go through a period of time where you’re you’re gaining some experience and then you start to realize well hey it’s a lot about digging deep when you see the opportunity arise the best Riders know who can beat them and a big part of their success has to do with white out the chances of the guys behind them so there’s guys who could say okay if I’m not careful sers can win but I know him well enough to know that if I do any one of these three things I chop his chances of winning by 60% and the really good Riders know that they can size things up and and they understand how not to make the mistake to open the door for another guy the entire game plan in cycling is closing everyone else’s doors that’s pretty much what you’re trying to do you can explain tactics is you know drafting leading out blocking blah blah blah but it doesn’t really speak to the main issue which is closing everyone else’s doors some guys doors you can just close it you can’t put a lock on it some guys doors you can close and put like five bolt locks on and you never have to worry about them some guys doors it’s a fight to close it in some guys doors you can close it don’t have to put a lock on it but they won’t have the sense to open it back up again and I think that I’m the the type of Rider when I have a lot of form that I’ll like try to open the door again always trying to keep the door open and I think that when I’m really good is when I can close some people’s doors too or like sneak around when they’re not looking I think I’m a guy that people know that if they give me half the chance I’ll take it from them you’re going Eric won’t get that chance today but Philly could be a different story for him and his team back in the feed Zone postals Tony Cruz finishes off the Horner Breakaway and the stage is set for Trenton’s almost traditional field Sprint now Tony Cruz is absolutely killing it and that’s what we’re talking about pack together ladies and gentlemen there is one remaining left to go 6 and2 miles in as the Riders move away from the park for the last time there’s a half a lap to go from this point on it’s a chaotic non-stop battle to the Finish they are Service Blue on the service on the FR with Navigators also trying to go on the front the two teams battling for that first right hand corner you have eight six seven guys on your team you are going to have every single one of them sacrificing themselves going as hard as they can on the front Postal Service CSC all of these teams trying to set up their fastest Riders and here they come into view way down with the Riders starting to head toward the finish and the Sprint has started as they head towards the line a move out look this work Freddy Rodriguez on the front large Michael on the front G we coming to the line Rodriguez man we are calling that one unofficially because B Fraser was right there Rodriguez Frasier we don’t know all the Riders we talked about Freddy Rodriguez Gordon Frasier flying towards the line large Michaelson from CSC all of them given in everything to try to get to that line and let’s give these guys a big round of applause cuz these are the guys that made the race happen we are going to make it official red Rodriguez wins here again just like he did back in [Music] 2000 Charles got stuck on the right and I was on the left so I went in there came out a good spot just behind The Navigators they were doing a pretty good train when we came out with two corners to go it kind of you have you have one corner and with well it’s almost like two and a half cuz it kind of sweeps so just before the last Corner though you’re in the sweeper there Navigators had two guys and power sat up and opened the Gap up on Hank bogles and then took me to the curb the left side curb and was bumping with me as I was trying to get through him and I knew I was the only nons Sprinter there so I figured I’d go ahead close it cuz I ain’t going to win anyways and I was just hoping Charles was you know somewhere behind I don’t know where but somewhere you know I was hoping he was you know somewhere top 10 so I just closed up on Hank and then Hank looked back and saw me coming and so I kind of stayed like a bike length and a half behind him hoping that he keep keep going like he keep going and I’m getting you know not much of a draft but something at least to keep going and then he sat up so I used what little punch I had but I never even got around him before all the sprinters started coming around me yeah I’m not a sprinter I’m just trying to you know save it for Sunday wow I’m trying to help my Sprinter out and stuff and and just you know get in there if we didn’t have a sprinter at all I just I wouldn’t even bother the clothes in the Gap I just sat on the other sprinters and got you know tried for top 10 top five or something like that but I was hoping Charles was somewhere back there welcome up to the top block from the Computer Sciences Corporation team CSC here’s LS [Music] Michels help team here he is an angry event for the very finish and he finishes [Applause] [Music] one and [Music] [Applause] Rodriguez if you look at when I grew up I mean I think the talent we had in in LA in California was huge I mean I didn’t win wasn’t easy for me to win it was harder for me to win back then it is now so the talp was great uh it was just who stuck with it who who put in a hard time because I had hard years I had hard days I had times when I I want I’ve wanted to quit I still do I mean I’m hard on myself I’ll have I’ll put I’ll put limits on myself I’ll say if I don’t if I don’t achieve a certain level maybe it’s time to think about something else and I think but at the same time I still want it so it’s not like I’m giving up I’m basically saying I really want it so I better show that I really I’m capable of doing that or you you only know what your environment is so I’ve always wanted to be a top of my environment if that was winning the zigurat then I wanted to win the zigurat if that was you know all I saw the US championships or the US National Junior Championships I wanted to win the junior national championships because that’s what I knew and then every you know it’s baby steps next thing you know I was invited to go to the worlds I want to win the worlds and and I went to you know my my world just kept growing you know my life just evolved and I kept stepping into it cuz sometimes even when I and I’ll notice that myself I I’ll be I won’t be I’ll I’ll hesitate taking taking uh to leadership and that’s cuz I’m scared and I’m scared of failing but I’ll know it’s like I have to take that leadership because sometimes just by allowing yourself to to get into that position you have to uprise to that occasion and uh and some you know somewhere deep inside you you you you’ve done it so many times and that’s what you’re driven to do so it comes out even when you don’t have the legs that day after I win a big event like when I won the last the stage in thej Italia I always get this this this tranquil SEC you time where thing just stops everything just there’s no happiness and there’s no sadness to me it’s just just this plain level of where Harmony basically and that’s what that’s what I that’s what I find when I win I get yeah of course I get that peak of I just won but then I get that just sometimes right after the event and I’ll get that just Harmony feeling where I’m like content I’m not happy I’m not sad the Stars and Stripes today is Mark McCormack’s last day to wear it he finished fourth at Philly last year but he was the first American and that made him national champion and gave him the jersey for the past 12 months tomorrow’s race is the only National Championship in the world that allows foreign Riders to compete and every team has some obviously a foreign r can’t be America’s national champion so for a non-american the only goal here is to win the race and the $40,000 it goes with it you know like you look at um US Postal and they’re probably here to win the race more than they are to win the Jersey so they they probably if max van hack’s in a break he’s not going to sit on to say well I got Antonio in the in the bunch you know our team might play that tactic we might have a foreigner in the break and he might not want to contol tribute knowing that he has an American that could win the Jersey so every team has their own agenda and that’s something that we have to try to figure out what that is for me it was it was uh I was playing the Finish back in my head a lot because I finished fourth and in only a bike length from winning the race overall I was ecstatic about winning the Jersey but I was how could I have won the race you know how what could I have done differently to cross the line first and not just first American so there’s almost that little guilt like I didn’t I didn’t win the race but at the same time you have that Jersey in your bag driving home it’s really hard to uh it was hard for me to get down on myself but at the same time I felt like there was still a little bit more that I could have taken from it I don’t want to say it haunts me but it’s it it keeps me wanting to come back for more I mean yeah I’ve the reigning National Champion but I didn’t win Philadelphia so to speak I was the first American which is a huge honor but there’s still three more notches I could have improved on so it’s why I’m back this year this team’s kind of neat this team last year was young Pros who really didn’t have much of an idea what was going on they they may have had the talent but there’s a big difference between having good legs and having brains to back it up then this year what with the demise of all the trade teams last year a lot of really topnotch Talent came on online and we scored big time we picked up Chris Herer herner’s been the top cyclist in North America for the last two years and I don’t have any doubts it will continue this year he pretty much uh he raised us to another level and he pretty much did that solo he’s such an easy guy to work with you don’t get the feeling that he’s miles above you you get the feeling that he’s one of you you can’t overemphasize that he’s like the the old gray beard Master on top of the mountain who has come down and told the peons here’s what you have to do to be great and the beauty of it is there’s no egotism on this team they literally do every single thing he tells them to do you just can’t beat Horner for the teaching aspect of it never mind he’s got a motor the size of a you know 427 Corvette never mind he’s going to hurt you day in day out never mind he breaks legs he’s our leg breaker and we’re going to support him in any fashion we possibly can when I joined with webcore everyone was telling me Oh you made a big mistake you should have come joined our team and this and that you’re not going to be able to win any big races and honestly I didn’t know but all I know is that was the same situation that I was in with primal alliance with prime Alliance we had Danny pay that was proven and we had Jonas Cony that was proven as a sprinter and then with webcore Builders we had Charles Dion and we had myself but there was no Danny Pig now I didn’t know that the web core Riders I didn’t know that they would actually step up but I was hoping they would and I was a little uncertain at first but once we went once we did the road race at Pomona I was soon as we finish thats like go we’re win in Redlands there’s definitely a good old boy Network out there you know there’s favors that are made and returned during racist no one’s going to pass up a win no one’s giving up a win someone’s can win they’re going to win but if they can’t win cuz they’re just not having a good day that day they’re going to make room for you cuz they know you can win I know most people by name and I can in the race just be like hey just give me a little room H I need a little help here and they open up a spot for you and they’re not going to do that for you when you’re first coming up to the ranks they don’t let anyone in they don’t trust they see a guy next to them they don’t recognize a jersey or know who they are you’re not getting in there’s no doubt about it if I’m going to lose the race anyways I’d rather lose it to someone that I know and that’s a friend of mine and help him win and then later when I have for I know he’s going to be there to open up room for me that I can possibly win versus if you just got some young amateur kid what’s he going to do for you at the next race nothing honestly he wouldn’t even know you open the gap for him he think he made the Gap you got to give a little bit and then it gets returned later it does it it really does but the amateur guys would never understand it even a neopro wouldn’t realize that that guy helped you out maybe just a little bit maybe you would have won anyways but the fact is they just made it a little bit easier for you but those kind of favors get return all the time and that’s good old boy Network right there that doesn’t get any more good old boy yeah there’s no doubt about it you know at us Pro championships you got to use the energy wisely that’s the main important thing is just to use the team wisely don’t have them chasing stuff that’s not important as long as the European team is to move then it’s going to come back with all the different European teams there there’s more teams to do the work it’s $40,000 to win that race so the European teams they’re going to be there to win that race too CSC comes to Philly hoping for nothing less than a victory Saturday afternoon finds the boys in a banquet room at race headquarters they SP is so committed to the riders that it moved the company’s annual meeting to the first week in June so that the employees can root for their team in person tomorrow for Bobby and his CSC teammates this is a chance to meet some of their most dedicated supporters and the guys would love to pay them back with a win tomorrow thank you but every other team will have its own plan Saturday is nearly gone before the Riders know it team events and short rides are done the only thing left to do is meet one last time Kavita will help Mark defend the Jersey HealthNet may have more cards to play than any other team and of course they always have gourd for the Finish Jonas has done this race a dozen times his experience will help him guide the numerous serious contenders on the jellybelly team Sierra Nevada’s manager Kurt Stockton won the Stars and Stripes Jersey here in 1990 he’ll have Trent clasna and Eric Walberg to read the race for his young team this race really can bring out the the best it brings out the best in a lot of riders especially us riders for the for the early guys it’s it’s important that you all be really diligent stay at the front the minute you’re you cover an attack don’t think oh I just covered an attack I’m going to go back 60 I mean the wall is steep it’s hard to attack from behind so you’re going to get about halfway up that thing if you guys get to the halfway point which is about where the showers are you know what I’m talking about the water shower when you get to that point if the break hasn’t gone away and you guys want to start it that’s where you can go if it’s a group of 20 or something and it splits in half yeah please make sure you keep in the front part of the split if it happens because but we want to have somebody in the early Breakaway and I think that we should have a handful of guys going for going to get in the early breakway Doug for sure you know if I see Freddy at the front and staying at the front then I’ll stay at the front but if I see Freddy sag climbing then I’m going to Sag climb same thing with julick or Horner and I don’t say follow like one wheel I’m saying just follow go with the flow cuz it’s just kind of a constant rotation of 30 and 40 people going here and 30 going here let’s see we have come off the wall and we are riding for lap eight lap nine lap 10 that’s when it hits the fan and you’re going to see when it’s going to hit the fan because you’re going to see all the CSC guys and all the postal guys drilling it to the bottom of the wall I should have a pretty good idea of how I’m feeling so you guys will probably know from two or three walls out 200k Mark is the key for me so laps 8 n and 10 are much more intense coming to the wall I if we can get slaughtered onto the CSC train or the Health Net train or something like that you know cuz it’s going to come down to 8 n and 10 laps is what it’s going to come down to that’s where it’s going to split every lap up the hill somebody’s going to have to go to the front at 8 9 10 and and set these guys get them into the wall in the top 20 I mean if it blows up on the wall the last time and if we are scatter com from behind typically I mean who’s to say I mean we could be totally mispred of cards out there be very very patient shape doing that than you will be if you try to position yourself you get swarmed here we go we have very good thanks a lot after Thursday you better leave rece it’s yeah yeah know yeah that’s our 11th man on Friday get him Mark for you sign in what’s going on J do it again Max okay I think everybody just showed their cards in Lancaster Jack appe peal showed it he’s strong Bobby showed it he’s very strong man heck’s there leechman shows he’s strong Horner there with web you go onto the race and you know these guys are going to look after you from the start of the race almost to the Finish where you have to go to work to ride down Benjamin Franklin Parkway with 10 seconds on the guys behind you is an incredible feeling and you always want to recreate that you get the Europeans Racing for the win and you get the Americans racing against each other for the Jersey but every mon tomor the Americans take it to the Europeans and win both I don’t care what anybody says I’m tired of people talking about other guys out there who know how to sprint we have the fastest guy on our team last year I was there in the last lap I move only a little bit like 10 or 15 position back that’s a gone I was like oh man so this year I’m ready for that but if it’s been hard fought and there’s 10 guys that get there together and it’s very competitive and it’s just toe-to-toe slugfest taking one in the head giving one in the head that to me is as good as win if I can make the front group and be in a position to help these guys the best thing our team can do is have as many strong guys left at the end as possible I mean Max is shown that he can win any race but we want the jersey and obviously we want the win and Hope hopefully I’ll be feeling awesome today and I’m going to go for [Music] it [Music] [Music] oh Philly a race that has become Legend over the last 20 years 156 mies 6 hours 10 big laps three short finishing circuits 200 Riders as the Riders head away from the feed zone for the first time every teen knows that an early Breakaway is bound to go like it does every year the question is when out on Kelly Drive the guys who have the job of covering the early break ride the fr front in case the move rolls away Manny yunk the run into the wall is a Battleground every team wants to lead through here but at 45 mph it’s not easy this time only the r is assigned to cover the early move need good position but as the later laps approach this is where the allout brawl will take place every team leader will want to be on the front so they can have a clean shot at this right turn the road goes from four lane to two to one to the [Applause] wall the Manny young wall it’s the most infamous section of the course the measuring stick The Proving Ground if you’re not one of the first few guys to hit the base you’ll be in no position to match the attacks there’s no break yet so so HealthNet decides to play their first card Danny Pate opens a throttle to see who will go with [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] him [Music] again Danny has drawn out a small group of riders with his attack and as they go around the right turn at the top of the wall the next few minutes will determine how many guys try to follow any team without good representation will either have to gamble and hope someone else will bring it back or do the chasing [Music] themselves after the fall from the wall a group of riders comes together along Kelly Drive a look around shows that the break is huge 29 Riders have made this split it’s the largest early move in the history of [Music] Philly the first time over Lemon Hill and the break is beginning to settle in 15 teams are here but some will be happy with their odds and some won’t 5 hours from now lemon Hill will offer one of the last places to attack coming back onto the parkway the start finish line is just to the Rider’s right as the break goes under the Big Mo television heading toward the fountain at Logan Circle many of the Riders are rolling through and the time is starting to go up the field is nowhere in sight as the Gap grows teams will have to decide whether they should keep working or [Music] not coming out of the circle the brake will have about 500 m to the line there’s still nine big laps to go but at the end this is where making the right Split Second decision will mean winning or losing the race the brake passes the start Finish Line and still there’s no sign of the [Music] pack finally the field comes onto the Parkway and rolls toward Logan Circle the race favorites are all here but none of the big teams are chasing [Music] yet as the field rides under the big mode television heading toward the start finish a glance back at the screen would show the massive Breakaway already out on Kelly Drive heading for manun nearly 3 minutes [Music] ahead out of all the teams represented here HealthNet is in the best position by far they have five riders in this move sers Pate Greg Henderson Scott moner and Mike Jones nearly every other team has only one or two with s and the boys dictating the race up front gourd can sit back in the field with his four other teammates and never hit the wind it sucks when you try to play a little poker and try to pan off a little bit of of work on other team and try to call their Bluff and you know if you lose that way you’ll second guess yourself for you know nights on end afterwards so we always been at the philosophy that you know um we’d like to earn whatever we get even if we have to do it the hard way there’s a lot of teams out there that on paper should have should have and should take more responsibility than us but I think Gordon I agree it’s always better to take the responsibility and come up short than to sit back and not take the responsibility and and come upsh back in the feed Zone the field is 4 and 1/2 minutes down none of the teams with race favorites back here are happy with this break building time but each one hopes that if they hold out long enough one of the others will panic and start chasing first 140 M to go pate sers and Henderson Drive the brake leaving moner and Jones protected here in case this move makes it to the Finish as Pate takes mon up to Jones Health Net has now dictated the shape of things to come passing the boat houses the field moves out along Kelly Drive the biggest teams have the most to lose so major players like CSC postal and Freddy’s aqua saoni team all have a rider or two stay near the front to at least keep the group moving up ahead in the break one of the teams willing to help the Health Net boys is Sierra Nevada they’re the only team here with three Riders Glenn Mitchell Ben jacqu Ms and Trent clausner a few years ago Trent was a number one Rider in America and he’s had great performances at Philly but today he’ll give up his own chances to help his two teammates you know 15 years ago I said if I’m not making actually a salary after 5 years of you know racing on my own living in my pickup and traveling around all the races then I’m going to quit the sport and one of my long-term goals was 2004 to retire from cycling and um this year it’s my last year you know I wanted to come back to kind of a Grassroots kind of a smaller team which you know had potential to grow and help help the team and help younger Riders you know expire Inspire them to you know reach their true potential or whatever and um this year I cracked about four weeks ago I mean I actually fell apart to where I was done I mean I couldn’t even ride my bike I didn’t want to look at my bike and um self-discipline is such a such a huge thing in cyclan the work ethic and and you know you don’t have anybody telling you you know you have to check in at this time or anything else you have to have the motivation and then and the will and the power to to get out there and do it I’m just so stoked to be on this team with the younger guys and Kurt Stockton you have teammates like Eric Walberg and Glenn Mitchell and you know the young guys like Ben jock Mains that you know these kids are some of these kids on this team they have true potential to make it in a sport and you know it’s a hard long fought struggle that if they if they put forth the effort they will make it after leading most of the way up the wall this slap Trent is forced to chase on The [Music] [Applause] Descent but as they get down to Kelly Drive Trent catches back on where he will move right back to the front to go to [Music] work Health Net is relentless with the help they got from Trent their Gap has continued to climb they’ll head out on the fourth lap with more than a 5-minute lead after the break comes through Frank Andreu checks a monitor to see where the field might be Frankie’s done this race so many times he knows that this move is starting to pose a threat so right now the race is a big group in the front and this actually can be quite dangerous a few years remember actually the race the year that Shawn yat won this race the very first lap a huge group of almost 20 Riders went away every team had representation up there and that created chaos because no one in the back wanted to Chase and that front group just rode away for all 150 Mi and Shawn Yates was the eventual winner Shawn was one of the most respected riders in the Pro pelaton and that respect earned him a job as director of CSC our biggest fear is that we you know we we um we screw up you know and and make ourselves do too much of the work we hope someone else will chase cuz ideally you want to have four or five guys to do the lead out in the last 2 3 km where you start chasing with three or four laps to go you like to be pretty tired and not be able to do that if you got 10 Riders yeah then you can you just sacrifice four you still got six left but you when you’ve only got seven you want to hold two back for the Sprint you know only leaves you five so me so you don’t want to be riding around in the front you got to stay low otherwise you show yourself at the front people are going to think okay they’re going to chase in a minute we’ll just let them do it if you stay low then they’re going to be like [ __ ] they’re going to start getting nervous you know hopefully and they take that to chase themselves you know he just got a bluff coming off the wall one of the teams that isn’t bluffing in the break is The Navigators they have only two riders in this move but one of them is vasile deeno and he’s easily the fastest finisher in this group that means back in the pack Hank bogles and the rest of his Navigator team have a free pass not to Chase [Music] swinging into the feed Zone to start lap five the break now has more than a 6-minute lead on the field and health Nets not done [Music] yet [Music] while HealthNet finishes off lap five up front kavita’s Mark McCormack is back in the field he knows the move is still gaining time but he’s experienced enough to gamble that the bigger teams will eventually have to chase and he’s saving his strongman for the later laps two of the guys Mark will count on most in the end are Ivon Dominguez and Aon Olsen cyclists know about sacrifice but Ivan’s path to Kavita was unusually tough you went to the in CUA the dream is to come to us from everybody oh us us there no future there so like I said when I came here in 97 I I came here to do some track race race and uh for like maybe a week I went back and when I get back I saw my best friend he was like what are you doing here I said why you went to United States you didn’t stay there I said no you know I don’t want to stay for now we talk sometimes about maybe I’m going to do this maybe I’m going to stay in United States or in Canada or you know I was living there for 22 years I have all my friends there uh my mom my brother and sister everybody’s here so it my H was like little bit full you know in equal I was like if I stay I’m going to have future even if if I’m not going to ride a bike you know I’m going to start working or do something but I’m going to have something in my life for the future but in this thing I have my family my brother my you know my friends you know my everything if I stay there yeah okay Ivan Dominguez is the best in CUA n in five more years because in Q in the Q national team is like that when you turn 28 29 hey if you don’t have any uh good results hey you’re getting all and I was like I’m 22 in five more years six more years maybe I’m not going to do like right now now and they send you to your home and you start doing something bad you know like because you want to make some money and you’re going to have the police behind you and I was like I don’t want that for my life I want to go to sleep with my head clean you know my I was like I stay here I want a future for my life and that’s better for my family too I spoke with my mom and I said hey you don’t worry about me here I I got everything you know if I work hard I have whatever I whatever I want and uh if I work hard you can have whatever you want to because I’m going to send you money and maybe I’m not going to go there maybe in five more years or something but you know you’re going to still have whatever you want whatever you need you call you asking so so when I came here I said yeah well I’m not going back I think uh right now we have Mark he won last year the the Jersey so I think we’re going to try to keep Mark safe for the you know to see if he can have the jersey for the second year just with my age and Mark is has a much faster finish I have good form but I’m 100% happy to work for Mark and Yvonne for the finish my time will come in in in more years when I’m you know faster and stronger but um I I see myself in the in the finishing in the front group and being a you know a strong a strong teammate for the lead out or for to chase anything that happens towards the end Aaron and Ivonne will be looking after Mark for the rest of the race when the field finally finishes lap five they may be shocked to hear that the break’s lead is risen to nearly 7 Minutes the Health Net boys have been going all out for more than 3 hours now on the run into the wall this lap Mike Sarah Flats but up ahead in the break his teammates will slow down just enough for Mike to get back on and as soon as he does it’s back to business for HealthNet and the Gap will continue to [Music] grow far behind just coming out on Kelly Drive the field will start looking for a reaction from the teens with the true race favorite Freddy Rodriguez is certainly one of those Riders but he’s not going to put his whole team on the front just yet it’s it’s a gamble I mean there’s there’s there’s a there’s certain risk involved the way I I race the event at the same time that’s the only way that I I could assure myself of winning where else I’m I’m more playing for just a result I’ll follow a plan but uh basically for me to win here like I’ve done every year I have to sacrifice a lose it all it’s a race of attrition and I just let I let the attrition take part of the race first and I always play my cards at the end and the day that that doesn’t happen there the day I’ll lose and I it might happen this time you know like an early Breakaway a breakway that goes halfway or an attack that I didn’t cover I’ve always had the comfort that when my team comes here it’s only for one reason for me it’s cuz I want to be here all the teams I brought here and every time I sign with these teams is like I okay I’m I’m going with you but I have one request I need to race in America and Philadelphia for sure and uh and they always accept and so they’re coming here for me so all the pressure is just is it’s just me the team has no no no expectations other than it’d be great for for win and everything and carry the jersey and it’s it’s a very nice image in in Europe but the stress is all on me I have one game plan and I make the game plan and I stick to it Freddy will wait to commit his team until much later in the race but when postal puts a couple of its guys on the front to ride Tempo Freddy sends up two as well to try to keep this break under control and the Gap is no longer growing the break has reached a massive 8-minute lead but the time is now back down to under 7 still thanks to Health Net the damage is done with the lead this large the rider sent to cover this break now realized that there is a chance it could make it to the finish and if it does their teams will be counting on them to deliver the [Music] win under the bridge and HealthNet is going to play this move to the end they’ll make it as hard as they can for the chasing field postal has had Pat mccardy and Michael Creed covering this break all day they’ve both done this race many times but but neither one has been in a leadership role for postal before so this will be my fifth time um I finished once uh I’m not so good with the distance I’m getting better just surely because of my age I believe um seems like right about at the 100 mile mark it doesn’t matter what kind of form I’m in or how I’m feeling just right about the 100 mile Mark the lights usually when but it seems like as I get older and older it gets a little bit longer and longer um but this year you know I don’t think that matters so much is just doing my job and getting Max Tony Barry in really good spots while Creed is done everything he can for his team up to this point the tension in the pack is rising as the field comes under the bridge the time is still falling Hank Vogal will be the first to the base of the wall but Creed’s teammate Michael Barry goes down [Music] Michael is up and gone before the end of the pack is even through but it could have been much worse Hank boggles had a good reason for wanting to lead through here I can remember little bits about my crash last year I know that I attacked out of a breakaway up a hill very Steep Hill went across to the Breakaway and was in front of the Breakaway you know pretty much a new death experienced last year with that crash and crashing at 100K now I head first into a guard ril with all those injuries and was lucky to be riding little Al walking and uh I mean they said they said I wouldn’t ride again or run again but you know I’m racing again and crash three to four times a year touch down 50 60k an hour into a barrier into on the ground on the concrete lost a lot of skin on my elbows and hips and I’ve only broken my skate for when I was 19 and um this crash I broke my C7 vertebra and smashed my left tailor ankle into about 30 pieces so the doctors were uh they had to operate straight away um I could have waited to see a specialist for my ankle but uh they thought I was going to lose the blood flow to my foot which means I would have had a club foot fused ankle which never worked properly ever again had you know would have had a limp and uh I well I was sort of conscious I don’t really remember any that for about I still don’t but they put 6 3 and 1 half in screws in my ankle and um you know I lost all the skin down the right hand side of my body 18 stitches over my head nine over my eye massive concussion and total pretty much amnesia for the time I was in hospital for 10 days in the in the emergency ward of ums Memorial in Boston but that was horrific crash I mean if I added up 50 crashes it probably would have only equaled that one so I don’t remember much of it and uh put me straight into full depression too after about two months you know just from the post-traumatic stress injury so which I’m still struggling with a little bit but it’s better every day so but my life definitely definitely makes you look at the small things I mean I’ve got two children now and when it happened my wife was pregnant so I had another one the way so maybe it wasn’t my time to go then but uh looking now you know everything every little cool thing is a little bit cooler um makes me appreciate life a lot more I can tell you Lance asked me that in T geord he said Is You life changed after your crash and I said yeah it has you know I still moan and [ __ ] but um definitely appreciate things a lot more here I’m tell you that’s for sure Sarah and Pate refus to give in lap eight and they’ve lost Henderson now the two of them will tap deep into their reserves so that moniker and Jones can have as much Advantage as possible when the attacks out of this break inevitably come only last week kenderson became the world champion in the points race today he buried himself for more than 100 miles I was 100% a for I me I wasn’t too sure what sort of range I had um obviously coming straight off the track but um p and I were just you know full gas from lap two basically and uh yeah we got a big game got up got a call 8 minutes one stage and then uh I just drove and drove and drove and then sth time up the hill I got popped and couldn’t get back on Mon’s in there looks like he’s breathing through his nose um with you Sayers now as well and uh looks like Mike Jones is starting to coming now because the hammer looks like it’s going down on the bunch we might be in a good position CC had been a lot of matches now um supposed to have been on the front for a while so who knows fingers crossed eh less than 5 minutes behind the field comes in to start lap eight and the big teams are down to Serious Business postal CSC and prer have agreed to dedicate a few Riders to chase all out and while 5 minutes is not a small Gap this is the kind of Alliance that could bring the break back [Music] screaming through the feed Zone the field is taking huge chunks of time out of the break [Music] JX Kelly Drive Danny Pate has to get out of the saddle to keep the pace up now 5 hours ago on this road he was smoothly driving this move along at over 30 mph for minutes suddenly there are 10 Riders from different teams in the rotation on the front the field can sense that the race is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] changing the battle for Manny Young laps 8 9 and 10 Health Net’s boys have been in charge all day and now one of the protected leaders in the field about to start this battle is John Lewin basically because the the wall itself is not long but you’ve got five minutes of psychological and physical pressure which is just almost unrivaled in in any other race in America so you’re on a flat road but it’s wide and there’s 175 Riders battl to try to be in the top 10 going through those tricky Corners to the base of the wall so a lot of riders really are consumed by this fight every Rider is just on the rivet as you go underneath this bridge your heart rate would be 175 starting the wall you can’t even hear yourself think much less talk on your radio or talk to a teammate near you every single Rider in that single file line is a bike length off the rider in front as you go over the top you see this Big Mo television screen that’s it’s two stories high motorcycle usually is covering the first few Riders and then it might be you and you know that that’s one of those laps where you’re at the front you’re making the race the 10 Riders around you could be the final break you know I’ve gone so hard at that point that I couldn’t feel my fingers and toes my heart was pumping everything it could into the major leg muscles tunnel vision even to where it starts getting black around you and that’s what it is to really really go hard the Breakaway heads up Lemon Hill Health Net Scott moner and Mike Jones know their time to go to work is not far off 3 minutes behind but for the first time in the race the field is on the same stretch of road as the break they’re chasing sers on the parkway now out of Logan Sur Circle Pate comes up and lets sers know he’s still [Music] here a glance to their right and they’ll get their first Glimpse at the field in 5 hours the field could almost reach across the road and touch the guys in the break the Gap 2 minutes as CSC puts all its Riders on the front to join postal it’s no longer a question of if they’ll close the gap but when [Music] the break heads toward Manny Young and the CSC lead field will be here any minute jonis carne has been in the main Bunch the entire race but his job for today is done it started out really slow today you know went hard on the first the first time up the wall and the Breakaway went right away and um the field just stopped pedaling I mean like what it was like 25 guys they went and man everybody just the F just we were riding around like 30k an hour just talking eating hanging out and they got 7 and A2 minutes like real fast and uh then po St and CSC went to the front and started riding Tempo and they were riding Tempo they weren’t messing around just spent my day bringing the guys to front trying to get bottles trying to take care of candelerio and Bergman and and uh Ben I got him to the wall you know I made it eight eight times and uh which is a lot for me so but I the sixth time up I got dropped and then I I told him I’m like you know that’s probably it you know and I and I I got back on and then I was like all right next time around I I chased chased hard got back on and then the next time around I got dropped again and I chased again and I caught back on again so coming around for the eighth time and then some guy through the feed Zone slams his brakes in front of me I had a bottle in my hand and I hit my brake and I was like my rear wheel was probably like 10 in off the ground so I threw my bottle at him you know one of those days but he opened this enormous Gap in the feed Zone and it was single file and I had a Chase for 5K through the Caravan I finally caught back on 2K before the wall they were getting to the base of the wall in the top 20 every lap and it’s just going to be a matter of like whether they had the legs or not for the finish so we’ll see on the Manny youngk runin for what will be his last time today SAR does a final turn on the front Mike Jones acknowledges the effort there’s sure to be a split on the wall this lap 130 mi into the race and Creed is the first out of the tunnel this time up every Rider will simply go as hard as he can Jones is the first to move to the front but Jones is only halfway up the wall and the field is already flying through manoch it’s CSC that wins this round and Bobby julick goes through the right turn second in perfect position if there was ever a time for a big move it’s [Applause] now up in The Brak heading toward the top of the wall Sierra Nevada’s Glenn Mitchell delivers and leads around the right turn down the fall and the selection’s been made the break once 29 Riders will now be down to 11 alesandro denani monr and Jones deeno Tim Johnson and his Pro deer teammate anhel Gomez Ernie luga postals Michael Creed and csc’s Jimmy Madson Sierra Nevada’s Glenn Mitchell and Ben jacqu Ms when Madson goes straight to the front it takes a massive pull the other Riders Must Be Wondering what he’s thinking madson’s a proven Pro but a Powerhouse like CSC couldn’t be happy with odds of only 1 in 11 a moment later his motives are clear Bobby julick has come across from the field alone and now one of the strongest teams in the race is in the best position none of the race favorites have made it up here with Bobby a solo Bridge like this confirms what everyone suspected Bobby is on great form and super motivated I’ve looked at joy shappy and Fred Rodriguez and these guys that have had the Jersey last couple years and I tell you I just salivate over it when I’m riding behind them I’m just like oh man that would be so great man I you know they have the jerseys made up they have the gloves the socks the hats you know who knows what else they have made up Stars and Stripes so you know I’ve always wanted that I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to to wear that Jersey if you win that even once you’ve had a successful career I mean you were national champion of America not many people can say that just to wear it once over in Europe I couldn’t think of anything better that Jersey does special things Bobby’s move has multiple effects if this group can make it to the wall the 10th time Bobby will be in a great position to launch an attack that could win in the race but this move has also shifted the burden off his CSC teammates back in the field and onto the other big teams chasing all the way to manun will seriously hurt any riter’s chance of making it up the wall the last time and being around for the three short finishing circuits Bobby and Madson drive this move out of Logan Circle and the field enters on the other side of the road chasing all [Music] out heading up for lap 10 it will be a race to the wall and it’s desperation time for the big teams in the field driving a breakaway for the better part of 5 hours is the ability of only a few sers and Pa have put their team in a great position moniker and Jones covering the break gourd sitting in the field with four fresh teammates and the Health Net boys are right where they wanted to be but by the time we were done I think most of those guys were done to it was we were in a tough spot because we definitely had good numbers up there and it was a good break but it was so far to go and but I think we did the professional thing we we put the team on the front and we drilled it and that’s the professional thing to do so I mean I’ve always been about riding professional and that was a professional thing and Danny was uh three guys today so you know mean he was torturing the old man today but it was good I feel good about our chances and just happened that I was one of the workers today cuz I wasn’t on the best of riding for him maybe but I had a good ride today and uh you know it doesn’t really matter what happens in the race as long as I can put the Herd on sers so if I can do that I’m happy Kelly Drive web corn postal know this is bad both teams are aware of the danger Bobby’s breakup ahead represents and a new temporary Alliance is [Music] formed webcore is laying it all on the line and Herer stresses to his team the seriousness of the situation everything we need that time back as much as possible everything and finally for the first time today Chris’s boys have the opportunity to do their part and give their leader a shot at the stars and stripes Jersey web corn postal put it in Bobby’s move and the brake hovers just in front about to be absorbed by the pack before the run into the wall Manny young lap 10 all the team leaders are here and the race is about to go to another level kid’s Ivan Dominguez shows why he’s known as one of the fastest guys in the sport and wins the most important fight so far today he and Mark McCormack go through the Right Turn 1 [Music] two ion hits the base of the wall in front and then Herer true to form turns the unthinkable into reality herner’s move on the wall will go down in Philly history for the first time ever one Rider is attacking lap 10 bottom to [Applause] [Music] [Music] top [Music] n only three Riders have survived the hor assault Fred Rodriguez Navigators Kirk OB and postals Michael [Music] [Music] Barry down on Kelly Drive OB Freddy Rodriguez and her are all willing to work [Music] work but they know postals Michael Barry will not Michael won’t like his chances against these three and with a finisher like max van hawick behind he has the right to sit on Alliance has shift and two teams that have been enemies all day get together to try to save any shot they have at the race csc’s yaka Peele and health Nets Jason McCartney set their sights on the hor Rodriguez [Music] [Music] group here closes the final Gap and the Horner attack is over once again the race is wide open the 10 big laps are behind them and 55 of the 200 starters remain including all the race favorites prier sits on the front the young Sprinter Francisco ventoso has survived and Tim Johnson Spanish team will try to keep this race together for a bunch finish some teams will want the same thing but others won’t want to take that chance going out on the short laps only now each of the three small laps will include a trip up Lemon Hill this is the last place for a late attack Pro deer and HealthNet protect the front for their [Music] sprinters [Music] but over the top and on The Descent the pack splits apart and a small group is forming off the front these are the riders that know if they want to avoid a bunch finish they’ll have to take their shot at the race now one of those Riders is Eric Saunders there’s the guys who can win in their head and there’s the guys who have the ability to win and then there’s the guys that will just win because they have the pedigree the team they’ve been doing it longer than anyone else has been doing it I think there’s less than 10 Eric knows beating those race favorites means he has to attack but this one is about to be caught and Eric will have to hope he gets another chance before the [Music] Sprint around Logan’s Circle aqua sapon and prier put it all in the line for their sprinters Freddy’s team knows he can deliver here proir has full confidence in voso just behind Pro deer Bobby julick does his part for Lars Michaelson pushing their way to the front Health Net moves up to keep gourd safe and the first small lap is done what’s left of the field comes through the feed Zone and hurls itself toward Lemon Hill the battle for position is heating up John Lewin and Bobby Julie Drive the front to keep the speed [Music] high just behind the Health Net train Mark McCormack and his trusted teammate Aaron olssen wait for the field Sprint and the right moment to start the lead out but up front heading into Lemon Hill is one Rider who doesn’t plan on waiting for the Sprint once again perer throws Down The Gauntlet in front of the entire field Chris has won nearly every major race in America most of them more than once but the Stars and Stripes Jersey has always eluded him an effort like this could put an end to that when I show up there I got a leash on me that’s attached to every Rider in that field and I got to cut every one of those leashes before I can get away versus a lot of riders don’t have a leash at all or some Riders have a very very long one even though Chris knows every rider in the field spends most of the day waiting for him to go that doesn’t keep him from attacking the race you got to want to go it’s in the [Music] blood four Riders have done their best to follow Herer arcadius voes from Poland Jelly Bellies Caleb Manion Health Nets Bryce Jones and Sierra Nevadas Eric wallberg but it’s at this point in the race Chris isn’t looking for help and the four Chasers are having trouble closing the [Music] [Applause] [Music] gap the four Chasers aren’t Chris’s only problem just behind them Freddy’s Aqua Aon team and CSC are sprinting all out to bring herner [Music] back Herer can see the four Chasers fin finally closing in and decides to [Music] wait five Riders together now head toward the start [Music] finish [Music] all five have given it their best effort but the chasing field will prove to be too strong and with one three mile lap remaining a bunch finish looks like it might be [Music] inevitable Horner still not ready to quit Health Nets John Lewin and Jason McCartney take control of the front but Freddy comes up with two teammates in the jostling begins McCartney fights his way back to first position and buries himself for gourd the Navigator’s challenge with five Riders lined up just to his right every team wants to keep their Sprinter out of the chaos in in the middle of the [Music] bunch Lemon [Music] [Music] Hill coming off The Descent and it’s strong strong out at more than 45 mph heading toward the parkway just over a mile to [Music] go Freddy is right where he wants to be and so is proar Francisco ventoso just to his right [Music] half a left to go and a seyo rider dangles off the front about to be swallowed up by the pack entering Logan Circle for the last time and now the race belongs to the field [Music] spraders [Music] 500 m to the line Kavita Aron Olson is first out of the circle Mark McCormack right on his [Music] wheel but the Navigator’s train takes over and the Sprint is on it’s prod Francisco ventoso gourd Frasier is just behind and Freddy Rodriguez is the first American for the third time in his career Fred Rodriguez is the first American across the line making him the only rider in history to be Pro road racing champion three times he’ll proudly wear the Stars and Stripes jersey for the next 12 [Music] months [Music] we go to Minnesota to go Hill money by some good guys so I’ll hang my hat and that hole closed up and I started to go over the right and that hole closed up I was like you know is there a split you know the last time up the wall I’m just like oh boy here we go and her puts an attack right at the bottom and I’m on his wheel and just like you know oh here we go just uh went up at my home pace and probably crested 10th or 12th and and I was like all right game on now let’s hope that this break comes back and uh we can we can uh play for a win and I got on Chris we’s wheel for a couple laps and he was he was kind of jerky for a while I said Chris you got to make those efforts really subtle so and he did he smoothing out and we just he just surf me for the for the two two small laps and uh that’s probably what saved me for a good Sprint so good teamwork you know I needed just a little bit of luck there and I was on Van hawick for a while and I think he uh he went to jump and his chain fell off or something and then I had to close he had Fred’s wheel and then I had to close to Fred’s wheel and then kind of got surrounded and you can play this one over and over 100 times it’s hard to have the ideal scenario we’re pretty happy with what happened you know and I had Fred Fred was driving hard and Kirk OB was coming through Michael Barry wasn’t working cuz he he wanted to bring it back but go up the road hit them three against one take a chance and then if you’re if it’s if it’s me and Barry going to the line I’ll take those chances or me and then OB I’d even take those chances and he’s fast for me but no one’s going to go none of us have plans of going line with red so let’s just get the Gap and then hit him but you had to have Bobby J too for a split second I thought I could like I thought I could win the Jersey coming around the roundabout and I started to pass guys and I could see the hole and I thought to myself I can win the Jersey I can win the Jersey because a strong man Sprint like this after a long race is is what I’m good at and there’s not too many Sprints like that in the United state so you never get a chance to show that talent but maybe two or three times out of the year and finally I have the form to show that you know so I’m happy with my race because I’ve never felt so good in such a big race yeah it felt really good you know just kind of got boxed in on left side over there war kind of he looked like he went and then he just kind of died and the barriers kind of come out you know and we just kind of got boxed in and guys just going backwards you know just had knowwhere to go yeah I had a punch in mid race and couldn’t get the 11 and I knew I was going to need a big gear for the Sprint so I uh I had a I had a mavic spare which was only a 12 and I changed it and then the gears went right and I had troubles with that and I ended up getting a spare bike change and then that was didn’t work I had to get a seat changed and then went back to my normal race bike but that wasn’t the reason I wasn’t the winner today Kirk was our main man today he went with a he went with the first group over the last climb and obviously one of the strongest riders in the race and uh I mean the selection is always last time up the hill and he was there so we decided he was our man today and we had the big strong boys of rinsky power myself to lead him out but unfortunately headwind Sprint maybe not not enough horsepower there at the finish and uh I mean he was still leading with 20 30 m to go well I just kind of saved all of my my last gas at last time and look after the top look back and believe it was only the four of us so I didn’t think it’d be that selective but maybe was a little too selective because it was just wasn’t the right combination three Americans and just one you know Michael Barry he wasn’t going to work so oh it was good I mean that’s that’s the way the race goes it usually works out like that but came down to field Sprint and boys led me out I just didn’t have it the last 100 met I jumped a little too early and just especially for that length of a race but I got to give it a go so well maybe next year it wasn’t a good break because it was only two and I suppose there’s about 25 in there um with about three to go people started dropping and uh Julet came up on the second to last and he was just flying he was just I I knew I had to just stick on him and every time he hit out like I had to react immediately otherwise it took me 300 me to close the gap to his wheel never hit the finishing circuit with the lead group so I really want to do that but I never finished a race either before so steps coming to the last climb I was behind Mark and Mark he was behind will but uh I saw the will he was a little bit losing his speed maybe he was trying to save a little bit and I start hearing like like the people like they to come you know before the climb you know going to the climb and take yeah yeah so I was like w I don’t want to get stuck here Mar he was there if the people passing the right we’re going to go like far behind you know I said well I’m going to go straight to the climb to see what happens so I went to the front and he came behind me and we turn in first and second and I think eron he was there too as soon I came to the bottom of the hill to start going uh I mean to put some B there opponent attack and I was like well he he attacked so hard and I was like well I look bad and I look M he look behind no nobody went with him I think two more rers in say and I was like well from there to the to the end of The Climb I was finish you know but that was good legs good you know I tried okay good what I appreciate now is to realize what I do for a living is an amazing thing I want to have a perfect day a perfect race every single race and until I get to that point I’m just going to keep going until my body can’t do it anymore if everyone does their part and we don’t win if we just get beat I mean hey we just got beat I’ve met thousands of peoplehood who love the sport who aren’t Champions they’re just people who like to ride on a Sunday and they look up to me as somebody who can ride the tour to France who can ride Paris to B who can win Philadelphia maybe I’m an inspiration to them to see me riding so fast and uh that’s a good feeling if I thought at this point that I would never be a contender then I would quit that’s what I get out of it as I see Improvement and with that you see yourself in the star and [Music] Stripes [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] yeah [Music] [Applause] [Music] nah [Music] n [Music] I know you’re faking I know you’re a to tell I know the way to make you spill your hope is thinning if you always been the same speed it seems like you’re just standing [Music] still stop for head into who you are a small spe just out space becomes a shooting star and I want to be be there when you set yourself a [Music] go I want to see you [Music] hi I really need you [Music] hi I can believe you [Music] I’ll take you through it if you’re going to do it by yourself you either go find or you [Music] go all you with me if you’re getting di bigger fall Harder [Music] They nothing like The Bu make the noise all fade away you know keep it all you already feel that way I want to be there when you let your feeling [Applause] [Music] show I want to see you hi I really need [Music] you I can believe you I want to see you I can believe [Music] you I want to be [Music] you [Music] oh
27 Comments
Very cool video!! The closest I got to this was getting pounded weekly by both Frank and Mark McCormack at Tues night Wompatuck!!😂😂
Alot of familiar faces.
Thanks for the great memories
Awesome, I had both this and The Hard Road back on DVD long ago and they've both gone missing. This was real documentary film making back when it was about 100 times more difficult.
EPO handed out in the feed zones. I was there, juiced 100x. I miss those days.
Webcor and CSC. Man those teams bring back memories
Had this DVD and wasn't able to find it in Storage, glad to see it's been uploaded here!
Thanks for putting this up Jamie.
Great film bringing back the memories! I would watch this and the Hard Road in high school riding the trainer dreaming of being a pro. Wasn't quite to the same level as it was in '04 but I raced Philly a few times and it was always one of the best races of the year. The times have certainly changed over the years.
Aw man, I had PRO and The Hard Road on DVD back in the day. Golden era.
cool documentary
I loved racing Philly. Strawberry Hill, Lemon Hill, and the Manayunk Wall (my fav) w/all the people drinking beer and hollering!😄
I too had both DVD's, this and The Hard Road. Loved both, great indoor trainer entertainment.
Fantastic era of cycling. Thanks for sharing.
America had ONE huge classic race, the Pro Champs in Philly… it was legendary. They threw that away. Moving was the biggest mistake.
That was great. I miss this race! it was as close as the US ever got to having a classic!
U can tell this movie was made by a bike racer 4 bike racers. I’m more inspired by this than any GT or classics footage and commentary.
Back when the bikes were light, stiff and easy to work on/get parts for.
This is great stuff, the way riders talk about racing and being a rider is so good. My question however, is it possible for captions with people's names to be added or edited in? I may need to pay better attention but thought I'd ask! Thanks again for the upload.
Jamie, I have to thank you for all the hard work, both in making these great documentaries many years ago and for sharing them with us wannabe bike racers. You did an excellent job of capturing the action and the sheer difficulty of this crazy sport we love. You have a real talent as a documentarian…keep up the good work! 👍
48:18 Schuler?
Such great doping memories!! Glorifying thr cheaters….
😎 promo sm
Bobby Julich: THE standard-bearer of class in American cycling
Arguably Horner was the strongest rider that day. But, no-one will agreee that he wasn't the smartest.
Very cool to see. Especially in the era of "Netflix Flashy" sports docus. Amazing to see how riders' bodies have changed and sad to realize that the early 2000's must have been the heyday of cycling in the US. Where in the US do you see distance cycle races these days?
Great film thanks for posting, amazing how much the rider physique has changed they look so much heavier than todays elite , and the bikes look very old even though it don’t seem that long ago! But maybe that’s because I’m getting on myself 😂
Crazy to see how the area of the wall changed compared to those times. The race made that entire neighbourhood vibrant and the people proud. Now so much has changed, starting with the road maintainance. To me that is a big sign of how the development in the area has been forgotten, shame for the residents.