Amaran, Cheatley officially wrap up overall NRC titles following Chris Thater; Fly V Australia and Colavita-Baci-Cooking Light take team honors

Binghampton, N.Y. — The 27th Annual Chris Thater Memorial criterium marked the final 2010 event of the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC). With both overall individual titles nearly in the bag, the focus in downtown Binghampton over the weekend turned to the NRC team titles.

The absence of overall NRC leader Luis Amaran (CUB/Jamis Sutter Home-Colavita) helped open the door for the Fly V Australia duo of Jonathan Cantwell (AUS) and Bernard Sulzberger (St. Paul, Minn.) to finish one-two in the 80.5-kilometer criterium and solidify the overall NRC team title for Aussie squad. Hilton Clarke (AUS) finished third for his UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis squad on the 1.2-mile, six corner course.

Despite his absence at the NRC finale, Amaran officially solidified the men’s individual overall title as expected after holding a commanding lead heading into the final. Amaran took control of the NRC in the early-going and never looked back, locking up the title by nearly 300 points. With his Chris Thater victory, Cantwell jumped from fourth in the individual standings, leapfrogging Rory Sutherland (AUS/UnitedHealthcare p-b Maxxis) and David Veilleux (CAN/Kelly Benefit Strategies), into second.

After holding only a 63-point advantage heading into Chris Thater, Fly V Australia’s strong showing in the finale pushed the squad to a comfortable 200+ point victory over UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis who edged the Jamis Sutter Home-Colavita squads for second place.

With an NRC team title on her mind, Cath Cheatley (NZL/ Colavita/Baci p-b Cooking Light) did not opt out of Saturday’s finale at Chris Thater, despite a more than 200 point lead in the individual standings. Although she was denied the Chris Thater win as phenom Samantha Schneider (West Allis, Wis./TIBCO) outsprinted her from a lead break, Cheatley finished second and accomplished her goal of helping her squad earn the overall 2010 NRC team title.

Cheatley took over the NRC lead from 2009 champion Allison Powers (Pinecliffe, Colo./Team Vera Bradley Foundation) after a solid performance at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic mid-way through the season and held a steady pace thereafter. Powers finished the 2010 NRC season second overall, ahead of stage race specialist Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12) in third.

As on the men’s side, Cheatley’s Colavita/Baci p-b Cooking Light squad used a strong final-race performance to secure the overall NRC title ahead of TIBCO to the Top and the Team Vera Bradley Foundation.

View complete results from the Chris Thater Memorial

Final 2010 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar standings:

Men’s Individual Standings
1. Luis Amaran (CUB/Jamis Sutter Home-Colavita) 1139
2. Jonathan Cantwell (AUS/Fly V Australia) 855
3. Rory Sutherland (AUS/UnitedHealthcare p-b Maxxis) 805
4. David Veilleux (CAN/Kelly Benefit Strategies) 743
5. Ben Jacques-Maynes (Watsonville, Calif./BISSELL Pro Cycling) 632

Women’s Individual Standings
1. Cath Cheatley (NZL/ Colavita/Baci p-b Cooking Light) 1133
2. Allison Powers (Pinecliffe, Colo./Team Vera Bradley Foundation) 827
3. Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12) 732
4. Laura Van Gilder (Pocono Pines, Pa./Mellow Mushroom) 651
5. Shelley Evans (Scotts Valley, Calif./Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty 12) 529

Men’s Team Standings
1. Fly V Australia 2562
2. UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis 2315
3. Jamis Sutter Home-Colavita 2305
4. BISSELL Pro Cycling 1897
5. Kelly Benefit Strategies 1660

Women’s Team Standings
1. Colavita/Baci p-b Cooking Light 2346
2. TIBCO to the Top 2088
3. Team Vera Bradley Foundation 1981
4. Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty 12 1743
5. Webcor 1430