Flavia Oliveira and Alison Powers prevail in 2014 Superior Morgul Classic

Flavia Oliveira wins the 2014 Superior Morgul Classic road race which concluded on the Morgul-Bismark finish  (photo courtesy of Dejan Smaic)

They didn’t show up for a Sunday walk in the park.

Most of the women who started the third and last day of the Superior Morgul Classic barely remained upright on their bikes when they crested “the wall” for the final time, weaving across the road as they relied on whatever momentum remained after the final push to the line to carry them forward.

“If we don’t challenge ourselves in races like this, when we go race a big race then we are not equipped to race a big race,” said the day’s winner, Flavia Oliveira (Firefighters Cycling / Upsala CK).

The women stuck together off the start line. In the second lap the field separated into several groups on the road. The lead set included six riders.

Early in lap one of the road race the women’s pro-1-2 and Masters 35+ groups rode as one pack

Leaders mid-way into the Superior Morgul Classic road race (l-r): Amy Charity, Flavia Oliveira, Abby Mickey, Alison Powers, Heather Fischer, and Megan Carrington

Then in the turn around the last of four 12-mile out-and-back laps Oliveira and the holder of the omnium lead, Alison Powers (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team), struck out as a pair.

“We were in a breakaway of four or five and I just wanted to see who still had anything left and that was Ali [Powers],” Oliveira said after the podium ceremonies. “With one lap to go I just pushed the pace. I attacked and she was the only one who responded so we worked together into the finish.”

Flavia Oliveira leads Alison Powers into the final descent off the wall

Given the uphill finale, to net the win and a nice check Powers had to try to get there alone.

“I knew Flavia would be a hard challenger on an uphill finish and I tried to get rid of her like five miles from the finish,” Powers stated, “but I couldn’t do it. She was still there.

“I got to the wall and we went going really slowly because you don’t want to go too early on an uphill finish. I went a little too early, but I did my best and she was just stronger right there at the end. It was really fun to have that competition.”

Oliveira won just two seconds in advance of Powers. “It was just a matter of patience, Oliveira said. “It’s a hard finish because it is uphill and those 200 meters are much longer than we think they are, so you have to wait until it’s basically the last 25 yards.

“It was a challenging course. Everybody’s so fit right now, getting ready for nationals and so Ali was phenomenal today; she is so strong.”

Originally from Brazil, Oliveira has lived in the US since her late teens and previously raced in Europe on the Italian Michela Fanini team. She moved from California to Littleton, Colorado about a month ago. Powers and the other top five women all reside in Colorado.

Abby Mickey (Twenty16) followed a minute later for third. Amy Charity (Vanderkitten) finished fourth and DNA’s Heather Fischer fifth.

2014 Superior Morgul Classic road race women’s pro-1-2 podium (l-r): Amy Charity 4th, Abby Mickey 3rd, Flavia Oliveira 1st, Alison Powers 2nd, Heather Fischer 5th

Powers’ second place in the road race meant she kept the omnium leader’s jersey, which she won for the first time. “It is really exciting,” she said. “This is a big local race on roads that I train on a lot and it’s just great training.

“We have good competition here in Colorado and I’m happy to represent.”

For full result see the Without Limits website.

Women’s pro-1-2 final omnium podium in the 2014 Superior Morgul Classic (l-r): Abby Mickey 3rd, Alison Powers 1st, Flavia Oliveira 2nd

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