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center city criterium
Abercrombie tough to beat
Team members have won several Tour of Ohio stages; rider Hekman was overall leader through 4 races.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
If there are any professional cyclists to keep your eye on at the Springfield Center City Criterium today, it's the riders in the white and black jerseys that say Abercrombie and Fitch.
The A&F team has dominated this week's Tour of Ohio pro cycling series, the last stage of which is today's Criterium, beginning downtown at 7 p.m. The Tour of Ohio takes place on open roads and city streets throughout central and southeast Ohio. Two of the top three riders in the six-day event are from the A&F team.
Bicyclists race along West High Street during the 2006 Center City Criterium in Springfield. The 2007 race — the sixth stage in the
Tour of Ohio race — starts at 7 p.m. today"We've had some good luck," said Team A&F member and Worthington native Marco Aledia.
They've also been pretty good.
Aledia won the first stage, a 40-mile criterium-style race in Wapakoneta. The second stage was won by another member of the A&F team, Josh England, who took home the victory in a 50-mile circuit race in Gambier. Mark Hekman won the fourth stage, a 40-mile road race in Worthington.
Hekman was the overall leader after Thursday's race, and England was in third. Today's stage is the final of six.
"(Springfield) is one of the races we've been looking forward to," Aledia said. "It's one we've had marked on our calendars."
But before they get to Springfield, they needed to survive the fifth stage held in Yellow Springs on Friday. The course is a road race full of steep hills, something the A&F team struggles with.
Following that, Aledia expects plenty of fast racing in downtown Springfield today.
"We'll try to control the pace of the race," Aledia said. "If it comes down to a sprint, we'll be tough to beat."
C
ontact this reporter at 328-0365
or by e-mail mcooper@coxohio.com.
