The first stage of the Bentley’s Central Valley Classic was held today in and around the hills of Raymond California. The 100 plus women that toed the line raced 2 laps of a 33 mile circuit. The CVC is a stage race on time this year and with the first stage being a road race the winner would pull on the leader’s jersey. The Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light team was interested in getting its GC riders into a position where they could used their strength in the Time trail the next day to compete for the overall. The team had Mt. ace Andrea Dvorak push the pace every time the course tilted upward in order to fatigue the legs of the other riders. The high pace set by the Colavita Sutter Home Team prevented any breakaways of threat from occurring and had the group together at the base of the climb starting the second lap.  The team sent first Sarah Tillotson and then Dvorak to the front to try and launch its climbers. After the two had done their job Dotsie Bausch went to the front and the field and stretched it thin. Dotsie pulled away and a group of 15 containing Alison Powers, Alex Wrubleski and Tina Pic gave chase. Instead of spending the rest of the day out alone Dotsie sat up for her teammates. A group of 15 caught back on to form a leading pack of about 30. As the racers covered the remaining rolling terrain a break of 7 developed that contained, Feclia Gomez of Aaron’s, Stacey Marple of Tibco,  Kim Anderson of T-Mobile, Mara Abbott of Webcor, Chrissy Ruiter of Cheerwine, Kristen Lasasso of Lipton, and Colavita Sutter Homes Alison Powers.  With both the Webcor rider and the Lipton rider sitting on the break dangled off of the front by about 45 seconds until the Webcor Team starting chasing. The break started attacking each other and after 3 attacks by Alison Powers and a strong counter by T-Mobile’s Kim Anderson, Powers was dropped by the group and the Colavita/ Sutter Home switched gears and started a lead out for its sprinter Tina Pic. Alex Wrubleski hit the front for over a mile and brought the remaining breakaway riders into the peletons grasp and then her teammates formed a train that competed with the Lipton train. In the end it was Colavita Sutter Homes Tina Pic taking the win ahead of Tibco’s Brooke Miller, with Kelly Benjamin of Cheerwine third.

Tina’s win gave her the race leader’s jersey but also earned another $1000 for the Sutter Home for Hope, which will go to the city of Hope and their breast cancer research.