Sparks, NV – Megan Guarnier and Devon Haskell of Team TIBCO/To the Top opened the three-day Tour de Nez by taking the top two spots in the race’s opening prologue, a 1.5-mile suffer-fest in Sparks.

The race against the clock was run on what Guarnier described as a highly technical course. “It had 15 corners on it,” she said. “It was not a course for time trial bikes.”

In fact, a number of riders – both in the men’s and women’s fields – who took to the course on TT bikes found themselves in trouble, with several crashes occurring in the women’s race. Guarnier attributed at least part of her winning ride to the fact that she pre-rode the course eight or nine times before the start to familiarize herself with every turn.

“The pre-ride definitely helped me figure out which corners I needed to brake for and which I could carry speed and pedal through,” she said. “The course was challenging because not only were you riding yourself cross-eyed, you had to really maintain concentration to handle all the turns.”

She and Haskell handled it quite well, as Kristen LaSasso, who took 6th. Samantha Schneider finished mid-pack, and will be looking to tomorrow’s criterium in Reno for a strong result.