Rapha Racing dominates top of PIR Tuesday race

Rapha Racing made the most of its efforts at PIR Tuesday night, taking the top spot and placing three rider in the top five of the Pro/1/2/3 race.

Rapha's plan for the night quickly became clear, with nearly every move that went up the road either initiated or followed by a rider in the nondescript black-and-white kit of the veteran squad. But it was one of the race's young guns, 19-year-old Marcel deLisser (Hammer/CMG Racing Team), who made the first attack of the night.

He was quickly joined by riders representing most of the top teams in the race. Although a breakaway group was off the front for almost the entire event, the composition changed dramatically over the course of the race.

Rapha's Chris Hamilton swallowed up enough hot spot sprints to win the overall evening without taking the final sprint. That prize was left for Land Rover/ORBEA's Mike Northey, who earned enough points to finish second overall. Bridgetown Velo's David Gates was third overall, followed by Hamilton's Rapha Racing teammates John Leonard and John Grochau in fourth and fifth, respectively.

A breakaway in the Cat 3 race found success, with Portland Bicycle Studio's Joshua Creem grabbing enough points for the overall win. Trevor Spahr (Ironclad Performance Wear) finished second, ahead of James Shingleton (Capitol Velo).

HUP United's Joe Staples won the Cat 4/5 race in front of Daniel Henderson (Hutch's/OIC) and Ivan Rosenhouse.



RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series
Portland International Raceway, July 14

Cat 4/5
1. Staples, Joe (HUP United) 18
2. Henderson, Daniel (Hutch's/OIC) 12
3. Rosenhouse, Ivan 10
4. Pugh, Lance (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 9
5. Wolf, Jeff 7
Cat 3
1. Creem, Joshua (Portland Bicycle Studio) 19
2. Spahr, Trevor (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
3. Shingleton, James (Capitol Velo) 12
4. Hunter, Steven (Portland Bicycle Studio) 12
5. Nachtrab, Eric (Portland Bicycle Studio) 9
Pro/1/2/3
1. Hamilton Chris (Rapha Racing) 16
2. Northey, Mike (Land Rover-ORBEA Benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation) 15
3. Gates, David (Bridgetown Velo) 10
4. Leonard, John (Rapha Racing)9
5. Grochau, John (Rapha Racing) 8