Plews, Akeroyd Roll To Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race Wins

Fresh off his victory at the 24 Hours In The Old Pueblo, Evan Plews (Capitol Subaru Cycling) rolled to a comfortable win Saturday at the Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race.

Plews, from nearby Salem, rolled off the front of the Men's Pro 1,2 field halfway through the second of five laps as the group tackled the incessant rollers on the low side of the course.

"It stuck," Plews said of the early move. "Then after another lap, it was like, alright maybe I'll ride harder. Then when I came around the last time, it was like, shoot, let's do it."

A group of 9 chasers finished about one minute behind. Chris Swan (Team Oregon) won the sprint for second with Joshua Liberles (Ten Speed Drive Racing Team) in third.


WOMEN'S 1/2/3

Not satisfied with last weekend's second-place at the Cherry Pie, Team Group Health's Jen Akeroyd kicked it up a notch to take the win in Sublimity.

Collapsing after the brutal final uphill sprint, Akeroyd finished just ahead of breakaway companions Libby Evans (Sorella Forte) in second, and third-place finisher Rebecka Hartkop (Veloforma). The trio escaped early in the race with Susan Peithman (Veloforma) and built a considerable lead, trimming the group to three along the way. Hartkop led over the big climb on the last lap, but Akeroyd and Evans regained contact on the descent. The trio approached the finish together, with Akeroyd having the best legs at the end of the day. (Check out OregonVelo for some great pics of the Women's finish).

Sunny skies and reasonable temps greeted riders on the circuit, which covered 12 miles through agricultural areas east of the fast-growing community of Sublimity.

Headwinds, unrelenting rollers on the low side of the course and an extra 1.5 miles on the last lap -- which led to a special "summit" finish on one of the local buttes -- made for a surprisingly difficult race.

Men Pro 1,2
1. Evan Plews (Capitol Subaru Cycling)
2. Chris Swan (Team Oregon)
3. Joshua Liberles (Ten Speed Drive Racing Team)

Women 1,2,3
1. Jen Akeroyd (Team Group Health)
2. Libby Evans (Sorella Forte)
3. Rebecka Hartkop (Veloforma)

Check here for complete results.

Slideshow:

2009 Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race