Jacques-Maynes brothers finish in top 15 of Cascade Cycling Classic stage race

Andy and Ben Jacques-Maynes, twin brothers from Watsonville and pro cyclists, placed in the top 15 of the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Ore., over the weekend.

Andy Jacques-Maynes finished 14th overall with his best finish of the stage race coming in the criterium Friday, when he placed fourth in the same time as winner Carlos Alzate Escobar [1 hour, 13 minutes, 49 seconds]. Escobar rides for Team Exergy, and Andy Jacques-Maynes rides for Kenda/5-Hour Energy.

Andy Jacques-Maynes, who now lives in Corralitos, had three top-10 finishes over six events.

Ben Jacques-Maynes placed 15th overall with his best finish of the stage race coming in the time trial Tuesday, when he placed 10th in 5:09.84. Winner Chad Haga of Fort Collins, Colo., finished in 5:02.64. Haga rides for Optum, and Ben Jacques-Maynes rides for Bissell Pro Cycling.

The overall stage race winner was Francisco Mancebo from Watkinsville, Georgia.

Results in this report are from USACycling.com.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Corralitos’ Andy Jacques-Maynes takes 4th in San Rafael Twilight Crit

Corralitos resident and pro cyclist Andy Jacques-Maynes placed fourth in the San Rafael Twilight Criterium on Saturday.

The Kenda/5-Hour Energy team rider crossed the finish line behind winner Eric Riggs of Antelope [Team Mike's Bikes], runner-up Jared Barrilleaux of Petaluma [Cal Giant/Specialized] and third-place finisher James LaBerge of Napa [Team Mike's Bikes] in the men’s Pro/Cat 1/2 race.

Jacques-Maynes’ twin brother Ben Jacques-Maynes, a Watsonville resident and fellow UC Santa Cruz alum, placed 17th for Bissell Pro Cycling.

Scotts Valley’s Rob Evans was the only other cyclist from Santa Cruz County to break into the top 25. He was 24th for McGuire Cycling Team.

In other divisions, the sole other county rider with a top-five finish was Santa Cruz’s Steven Sperling, who placed third [men's Cat 3].

Results in this report are from USACycling.com.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Watsonville’s Ben Jacques-Maynes takes 8th in national road race

Watsonville resident and UC Santa Cruz alum Ben Jacques-Maynes placed eighth at the USA Cycling Pro Road Race Nationals on Monday.

Jacques-Maynes, who rides for Bissell Pro Cycling, was part of a breakaway pack that trailed eventual winner Timmy Duggan by about 30 seconds for the final three laps through downtown Greenville, S.C.

Duggan [Liquigas-Cannondale] won the race in 4 hours, 17 minutes, 40 seconds.

Jacques-Maynes crossed the finish line in 4:18:09 and his twin brother from Corralitos, Andy Jacques-Maynes [Kenda 5-Hour Energy Cycling Team], placed 19th in 4:20:20.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Corralitos cyclist Andy Jacques-Maynes clocks 10th fastest time trial at Nationals

Corralitos resident Andy Jacques-Maynes, a pro cyclist who rides for the Kenda/5-Hour Energy team, pushed out the 10th fastest time trial at the USA Cycling Pro Road Race and Time Trials in Greenville, S.C., on Saturday.

Jacques-Maynes clocked a 42-minute, 35.92-second time over 20.7 miles. The UC Santa Cruz grad joined three other Kenda riders in the top 10 and finished less than two minutes back of winner David Zabriskie [40:41.44], who rides for Garmin-Barracuda.

Jacques-Maynes’ twin brother Ben, who rides for Bissell Pro Cycling, finished 26th [44:59.16].

The event continues today.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Santa Cruz’s Chris Wehan places 4th in 17th annual Miwok 100k

Soquel’s Jon Beard suffers broken hand, pushes to 50-mile mark before going to hospital

Santa Cruz resident Chris Wehan placed fourth in the 17th annual running of the Miwok 100-kilometer race in the Marin Headlands on Saturday.

He crossed the finish line at Stinson Beach in 9 hours, 44 minutes, 58 seconds, about a half hour behind winner Dave Mackey of Boulder, Colo. [9:14:06], according to results on UltraSignup.com.

The race — which saw only about 260 of 350 people finish according to runner Melanie Michalak out of Santa Cruz — had 13,000 feet of net ascent over difficult terrain.

Soquel’s Jon Beard reportedly fell on one of the decents.

“…He continued running to the 50-mile mark with one broken hand and one hand in desperate need of stitches,” Michalak wrote in an email. “Although he made the cutoff time at the 50-mile mark, he headed to the emergency room to set his hand and get a cast.

“This truly embodies the ultrarunner spirit- enduring the pain as long as possible!”

Michalak finished the race 37th among women, 173 overall, in 15:11:09. Other Santa Cruz County-area runners who finished were as follows: Sean Lang [Santa Cruz] was 45th overall in 11:54:52, Mike Wright [Corralitos] was 94th overall in 11:54:52, and Rohanna McCord [Santa Cruz] was 42nd among women and 180th overall in 15:15:47.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Andy Jacques-Maynes secures two 5th-place finishes in Joe Martin Stage Race

Corralitos resident and professional cyclist Andy Jacques-Maynes rode his way to two fifth-place finishes in the road race portions of the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Ark., over the weekend.

He finished four seconds back of winner and teammate Shawn Milne on Friday, and then finished in the same time as winner Eric Marcotte of Elbowz Racing on Saturday. Jacques-Maynes, who is a UC Santa Cruz alum, and Milne ride for the Kenda/5 Hour Energy team, powered by Geargrind.

Jacques-Maynes also had a sixth-place finish in the criterium, crossing the finish line in the same time as winner, Eric Young of Bissell Pro Cycling and was 21st in Thursday’s time trial. He was 13th in the stage race.

Jacques-Maynes’ twin brother Ben, who lives in Watsonville, also competed in the stage race, finishing 20th overall. His best finish was ninth in the individual time trial 13 seconds back of winner Francisco Mancebo [Competitive Cyclist Racing Team].

Ben Jacques-Maynes was also 16th in the criterium Sunday, crossing the finish line in the same time as teammate Young, and in the road races, he placed 54th and 15th on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Results included in this report were from USACycling.com.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets

Corralitos cyclist Andy Jacques-Maynes wins San Dimas Stage Race General Classification

Andy Jacques-Maynes rides up a hill in the first stage of the San Dimas Stage Race. He finished the entire event a champion, with green and yellow jerseys. (Annette McCusker/Contributed)

 

There was only one way Corralitos resident and UC Santa Cruz alum Andy Jacques-Maynes could describe how he felt after winning the San Dimas Stage Race‘s General Classification: Shocked.

“So what can I say?” Jacques-Maynes, who rides with Kenda/5 Hour Energy’s pro cycling team, posted to Twitter. “It’s amazing to have won the San Dimas Stage Race in very trying conditions this weekend. I’m a little shell-shocked…”

Andy Jacques Maynes, the overall winner, celebrates on the podium after Stage 3. (Bill McCusker/Contributed)

Much of the stage races were held in rain, wind, and cold, but Jacques-Maynes pushed through the difficult weather. Friday, he placed 12th in the first stage, a 3.7-mile time trial through the San Gabriel Mountains. He finished in 13 minutes, 54.74 seconds — 44.59 back of winner and teammate Phil Gaimon – according to results posted on the SDSR website.

Saturday, he followed with a second-place finish in the second stage, which organizers describe as “a rolling to hilly circuit” in Frank G Bonelli Regional Park. He crossed the finish line in the same time [3:32:19] as winner Joseph Schmalz of Elbows Racing, according to the SDRS site. That finish put Jacques-Maynes at the top of the standings and in position to capture the General Classification.

He clinched the win Sunday with a sixth-place finish in the third and final stage race, which was held on a 1.21-mile grand prix course through San Dimas’ historical downtown area, in the same time [1:29:29] as winner Eric Young of Bissell Pro Cycling, according to results on VeloNews.

“It was a very intense build up to the crit, and the race itself was quite stressful (rainy and slick),” Jacques-Maynes tweeted later. “Pretty stunned, hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Ben Jacques-Maynes in action in the first stage. (Annette McCusker/Contributed)

Jacques-Maynes’ twin brother Ben, who rides for Bissell, also competed.

He placed 16th in the time trial [47.88 off the lead], fourth in the second stage race [:03 off the lead], and 18th in the third stage race [in the same time as the winner]. This was just his second race back from injury. He suffered a broken collarbone during last year’s Tour of California.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter at CGullTweets

Santa Cruz County will have only one Jacques-Maynes brother to root for in Amgen Tour

Andy Jacques-Maynes pedals up Highway 1 during the early part of the race in front of Canadian Will Routley in 2010. At the time, he was riding for Bissell Pro Cycling. He now rides for Kenda/5 Hour Energy, which will not compete in the TOC for 2012. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

The Amgen Tour of California, a professional cycling stage race, may be coming through Santa Cruz County, but Corralitos resident and UC Santa Cruz alum Andy Jacques-Maynes won’t be coming with it.

The TOC on Tuesday released its list of 16 teams — both domestic and international — that will compete in the event, which is scheduled to run May 13-20. Andy Jacques-Maynes‘ team, Kenda/5 Hour Energy, did not make that list; although, his twin brother, Ben Jacques-Maynes, will ride for Bissell Pro Cycling, which did make the cut.

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“So #AToC teams announced today, but no @KendaProCycling … What can we do? Simply continue doing what we’re good at: racing our bikes!”

— Andy Jacques-Maynes (@ajmiac) March 13, 2012

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Those that will compete are as follows:

• BMC Racing Team (USA)
• Rabobank Cycling Team (NED)
• Garmin- Barracuda (USA)
• RadioShack-Nissan-Trek (LUX)
• Liquigas-Cannondale (ITA)
• Omega Pharma – QuickStep (BEL)
• AG2R La Mondiale (FRA)
• GreenEDGE Cycling Team (AUS)
• Team Spidertech Powered By C10 (CAN)
• UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (USA)
• Project 1t4i (NED)
• Colombia-Coldeportes (COL)
• Team Optum Presented By Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)
• Bissell Pro Cycling (USA)
• Team Exergy (USA)
• Bontrager Livestrong Team (USA)

For additional details, please visit the Amgen site.

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I’ll just go do everything EXACTLY the same, w/o a chip on my shoulder. I’ll do my thing, maybe #AToC can reconsider with some fan feedback.

— Andy Jacques-Maynes (@ajmiac) March 13, 2012

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Andy Jacques-Maynes’ tweet prompted an outcry of support via Twitter on Tuesday morning. For a sampling, see the Storify post “Outpouring of support for KendaProCycling on Twitter.”

–Christina Gullickson, on Twitter at CGullTweets

Jacques-Maynes brothers on different teams, but right on track at Madera Stage Race

Pro cyclists Ben Jacques-Maynes and Andy Jacques-Maynes — identical twins and UC Santa Cruz alums — finished in fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Cat 1/2/Pro division of the  Madera Stage Race over the weekend, according to official results.

Ben Jacques-Maynes, a Watsonville resident, rides with Bissell Pro Cycling, but Andy Jacques-Maynes, who lives in Corralitos, moved over to Kenda/5 Hour Engery after Bissell declined to re-sign him after last season.

Andy Jacques-Maynes’ top finish came when he was runner-up to Ken Hanson [1:02:2] in the Madera Criterium with the same time.

Ben Jacques-Maynes’ top stage finish at Madera was when he took third in the Sharon Time Trial in 21:07. Overall winner Michael Creed of Optum Pro Cycling took the time trial victory in 20:57 and California Giant/Specialized rider Evan Huffman was second [20:57].

For full results, including those for masters and women, visit the official site via the image link below.

– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter at CGullTweets