News: Stage Win for Barnes in Argentina

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Britain’s Hannah Barnes sprints to Victory on Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour Femenino de San Luis – first win for new team UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling 

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INTERVIEW: Chatting with Hannah pre race was Gordon Wiseman

Team Press Release

Villa Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina – UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team’s Hannah Barnes outsprinted the competition and surged to victory on Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour Femenino de San Luis in Villa Mercedes, Argentina.

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Barnes, who was enjoyed a stellar season last year in Britain, picked up where she left off, not missing a beat and landing on the top spot of the podium in her first race alongside her new UnitedHealthcare teammates.

Teamwork was once again the order of the day for the Blue Train. Following the stage, Barnes said, “The team rode awesome! My teammates did an amazing job today and put me in a position where I was able to deliver for them.”

“This is a pretty good way to start the season,” the new race leader after one stage continued. “Everyone played a part in the win today and I am proud to be a part of the UnitedHealthcare Blue Train.”

Temperatures hovered around 100-degrees and moderate winds marked the fairly flat Villa Mercedes to Villa Mercedes jaunt, which encompassed 63km with two intermediate sprints of which Barnes took second in the first of the two. As the riders raced toward the finish, Barnes’ teammate Alison Powers went to the front and dropped Barnes and Alexis Ryan with 500m to go. Then, with 150m to go, Barnes hit the gas, rocketing her way to first place and the top spot on the podium.

Team Director, Rachel Heal, also talked about the team’s performance in the opening stage. “From the moment we arrived in Argentina, expectations have been high,” Heal said. “I believe the team has done a good job absorbing the pressure that comes along with that. They each did a great job and have been focused on what they do best – racing bikes. Today, they rode a great race as a team. Everyone played a part.”

“I’m very happy with their performance,” Heal continued. “Rushlee’s (Buchanan, who started the season off winning the New Zealand National Women’s Road Race Title on Saturday, January 10) win gave us a huge boost coming into this race and the win today was a great way to get us off to a winning start this year.”

General Manager and Team Director, Mike Tamayo, added, “Our 2014 season is underway and this is a great way to get things started. Rachel just led our UHC Blue Train to its first team victory. The team was outstanding today and the youthful Hannah Barnes was impressive, proving she is one of the fastest women out there. We’re happy with the result and looking forward to the upcoming stages here in San Luis.”

 

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