August19, 2002

Monahan, Mayolo-Pic take road crit national titles, Vogels wins race

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. - After a huge late race crash left 40 riders really glad they were wearing helmets, the abbreviated field at the USPRO Criterium Championships came down to
a pair of Bell Ghisallo-clad warriors-Canadian Henk Vogels of the Mercury team and American Kevin Monahan of the 7-Up/Nutra Fig team. With a furious kick on the last lap, Vogels gapped the field for the race win, but left the US national championship to the first American who could cross the line behind him. In a photo finish that took judges nearly 15 minutes to call, Monahan was given the stars-and-stripes jersey over a late charging Robbie Ventura of US Postal who finished third.

In the women's race, criterium specialist Tina Mayolo-Pic (Team Diet Rite) kicked it into high gear with two turns to go and held off a late surge from Becky Conzelman in the closing meters to win both the race and national title. A huge smile was the most distinguishable feature underneath Mayolo-Pic's white Ghisallo on her victory lap.