'Toona time

Clinger, Wenzel win State College circuit

After 60 miles and more than two hours of racing, the State College Circuit Road Race of the 12th Annual Tour de 'Toona came down to four inches and three men.

"(Clinger) had a little bit more snap in his legs than I did," McCormack said.

A fraction of a second later McCormack, of Team Saturn, zoomed by the finish line located at the intersection of Allen Street and College Avenue.

"You don't have a lot of thoughts," he said. "The last half a mile is all instinct. That's bike racing. I lost by a fifth of a second yesterday."

McCormack and Miller finished second and third in Tuesday's race as well.

Ashley Powell finished in fourth, leading a pack of riders across the finish line.

But the race wasn't always a fight to the finish. After the first lap, six minutes separated the leader from the last-place rider.

And for much of the race it appeared as if Jon Hamblin would ride away with the victory. He had more than a one minute lead late into the third lap.

The pack caught Hamblin, however, and he finished 44th.

In the women's race, the gap would prove to be everlasting.

The Saeco Timex team dominated, pulling off a 1-2-3 finish. Once the team got ahead, it remained on top.

Kendra Wenzel came away with the victory and was followed closely by her Saeco Timex teammate Susy Pryde. The two, who finished second and third respectively in yesterday's Altoona leg, broke away from the pack and sealed a victory.

"(Pryde) was a lifesaver cause when she got there she was able to bridge really quickly," Wenzel said. "She was pretty fresh. We worked together. She did a lot of pulling across the line.

"The way the course works, with the number and the strength that we had, it was hopefully only a matter of time before we could spring some more away from the group."

The two sprinted down the home stretch, but Pryde eventually relinquished her position.

"It was kind of team decision," Wenzel said of Pryde's second-place finish. "I was in the jersey today and hopefully she will win it tomorrow. It doesn't really matter to us as long as it is Saeco Timex at the end of the race."

The women's race will take place at 9 a.m. today and the men's race will begin at 1 p.m. in Hollidaysburg.

Yesterday's race proved to be difficult for many of the athletes. The 12-mile course through State College, the Penn State campus and the Toftrees area, which repeated five times during the 60-mile race, featured an unorthodox twist for the racers.

Part of the race was on gravel and dirt, which gave many of the racers a tough time.

"It made it very difficult," said Miller, a four-time Olympic team member from New Zealand. "A lot of people had to drop out of the race because of flat tires."

And Clinger was also angered by some portions of the course.

"I don't think the dirt section was necessary," he said. "It was a tough stage. "This is not a mountain bike race. It made it harder. It was more intense."

Still, overall he was pleased with the race and the town.

"It's awesome," he said. "It's a neat little town. It's a great race."