Controversial Move Nabs 1st Place for Alzate

With nearly 1,000 professional and amateur cyclists competing in eight races, roughly 7,500 spectators descended upon Manhattan Beach Sunday for the 50th Annual Manhattan Beach Chevron Grand Prix, which provided many thrills and spills.

In the feature event, the Men’s Pro Cat 1 race with about 99 riders, Carlos Alzate of Colombia and Team Exergy sprinted past Australian National Champion Jonathan Cantwell and Massachusetts native Jake Keough in the final 100 yards to win the nation’s second oldest bike race.

The 28-year-old Alzate, who was competing in the race for the first time, lives in Ventura and is a former team champion for Colombia in the Pan Am Games and a 2008 Olympian in Beijing, used a move at the end of the race that was described by his competitors as risky and dangerous.

“I felt that coming around the final turn that I was in great position to get the win,” second place finisher Cantwell said. “But the guy who won did a crazy kamikaze move, which works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t. Today it worked, but it was a really dangerous move that put others at risk.”

Alzate, who took home $3,140 for capturing his first criterium title, was ecstatic about the victory.

“Muy feliz,” Alzate said. “I’m very happy.”

Several crashes during the race kept some riders from finishing.

Cantwell said that in his opinion some of the crashes could have been prevented if the entire field was composed of riders who belonged in a professional race. 

"Unfortunately, there are so many guys in the Pro 1 field that really shouldn't be here and they're the ones who make it a little dangerous," said Cantwell. "There were three or four crashes in the last two or three laps just from guys doing silly stuff.”

For much of the 75-minute race it looked like two riders were going to run away with it, as 20-year-old Devan Dunn [finished at No. 76] and Andy Jacques-Maynes [finished at No. 60] worked in tandem by drafting off of one another, leading in 21 of the 28 laps. With about 20 minutes left in the race, the pair held a 37-second advantage before finally being swallowed up by the pack with three laps to go, setting the stage for a wild finish.

“I felt like that I went out maybe a little too early,” Dunn said of his move to break away from the pack. “If I would have waited a couple of laps, I think I could have held off the pack. I think that I misjudged the toll the incline would have on me, but you live and learn.”

Paul Che of South Bay Wheelmen placed 15th. 

The race course consists of a 1.4-mile loop that starts and finishes on the street near Live Oak Park and includes two hairpin turns along a route that follows Valley Drive and Ardmore Avenue. It includes two long straightaway sections and 50 feet of climbing per lap. The final hairpin turn that deposits the racers back onto Valley Drive makes team tactics paramount in order to position the top riders for the sprint to the line. 

In the Women’s Cat 1-3 race, 16-year-old phenomenon Jennifer Valente beat the field to win the coveted yellow jersey [most major bicycling events award the winner a yellow jersey, including the Tour de France]. Valente, who just completed her sophomore year of high school at Cathedral Catholic of San Diego, has been racing minus the support of a team.

“It’s definitely an advantage to have a team to race with,” Valente, who won her sixth road race of the year, said. “But I also think that sometimes people don’t notice you until it’s too late. You kind of fly under the radar."

The track cycling prodigy got it done on the pavement, outsprinting the peloton and besting the competition.

Valente now heads back to her more familiar track, competing next week at the U.S Junior Nationals in Texas, where she won four national titles on the indoor velodrome track last year.

“This [Chevron Grand Prix] was one of the biggest wins of my career,” Valente said. “This was definitely one of my goals at the beginning of the year and I’m extremely excited that I was able to accomplish that goal.”

The Chevron Grand Prix featured eight races divided by category; seven men’s races and one women’s race.

Founded in 1962 by local bike racing legend Ted Ernst, who owns Ted’s Manhattan Beach Cycles on Sepulveda Boulevard, the event is the nation’s second-oldest bicycle race.

“I wanted a race in Manhattan Beach so that the people of my community could appreciate the sport I love so much,” said Ernst, who is a member of the USA Bicycling Hall of Fame. “It’s wonderful that the city still embraces us so much. It takes full community cooperation because our competitors are literally riding through our neighbor’s front porch.

“The city of Manhattan Beach and its residents are the reason this event has been so successful and has turned from a little community race to an international event.”

On Sunday, past winners were brought on stage throughout the day to share their memories of competing in the prestigious race, including 1975 champ Ralph “Crazyhorse” Therrio from Torrance.

“I have nothing but the greatest memories from my races in Manhattan Beach,” Therrio, who competed for the United States in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, said. “Winning in Manhattan Beach was really special to me because I was raised in the South Bay and I did it in front of all my friends and family.”

Therrio and 1973 champion Rudy Mirander were amazed at how big the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix has become and shocked at the reception they received.

“It’s great to see so many familiar faces,” said Therrio, surrounded by fans from his era. “I’m glad that people still remember me and what it was like to race here 35 years ago. But this race is so much faster and bigger than when I competed. I’m extremely proud to have my name as one of the 50 winners of this illustrious event.”

“What a beautiful day for a race,” said Manhattan Beach Mayor Richard Montgomery. “This is a perfect showcase for our beautiful city. I consider the Grand Prix the premiere bike racing event in the country, but it is also a community event that draws hundreds of residents as well.

“And today, like 49 years before, the event has been a tremendous success for our community.”