A Thrilling Philadelphia Treat

Philadelphia, USA, June 9, 1991

1991 Champion: Michel Zanoli (Ned) 251 kms (156 miles) in 6h15’15” (40.28 km/h)
1991 US National Champion: (2nd) Davis Phinney (USA)

The legend of Philly continued to grow with an exciting finish to the 1991 USPRO Championships. The 100,000+ fans that lined the 23.2 kms (14.4 miles) race course were treated to a real Dutch treat.

Defying the rule that early breakaways don’t succeed, a four rider group broke away on the first lap and built a 6’45” lead through six laps. The strong chase began to bring the time gap down and two laps later the break was caught. Immediately a counter-attack, led by young French climber Richard Virenque, went over the Manayunk Wall and a new eleven rider breakaway formed. But this was not to be the final selection. 

On the return trip down Kelly Drive, four miles from the finish area, 1988 CoreStates USPRO champion Roberto Gaggioli launched an attack that seemed to form the definitive selection.  Canadian Brian Walton (Motorola) and young Paul Willerton quickly joined Gaggioli’s move. 
Slowly the break gained nearly one minute as the race entered the second of the three short finishing laps (Lemon Loops). 

An anxious Subaru-Montgomery team had missed the break and drove a hard chase in the peloton.  In the breakaway Walton, fearing the sprint of Gaggioli, attacked going through the start/finish area for the final short lap. 

The hard charging peloton swept up the breakaway and caught Walton on the final climb of Lemon Hill with only two miles to the finish.  The huge crowd lining the Benjamin Franklin Parkway would be treated to the first ever field sprint.  The large pack came around Logan Circle with the teams of the sprinters trying to control the lead out.  Coors Light’s Stephen Swart, Davis Phinney’s final lead out man, came off the Circle at full speed.  Motorola’s Phil Anderson, a wily veteran, jostled hiss way in and beat Phinney to Swart’s wheel. 

The large framed (6’6”) Michael Zanoli (Tulip) patiently waited on Phinney’s wheel.  Inside the final 400 meters Anderson opened up the sprint.  Zanoli shifted into his huge sprint gear and powered past Anderson and Phinney for the victory.  The Dutchman crossed the finish line a bike length ahead of the second placed Davis Phinney. 

Michel Zanoli holds off the hard charge of the Davis Phinney to win the USPRO Championships

An elated Zanoli said after the race “I had just about given up hope. I had a late flat (on lap 10) and had to wait for the team car. The chase back was hard.”

Coors Light’s Davis Phinney was the top American finisher and was awarded the Stars and Stripes jersey of US National Champion.

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