Pinfold sprints to Stage 8 win in Mexico City; Menzies wraps up Sprints competition at Vuelta Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico - In front of tens of thousands of fans in the heart of one of the world’s most populous cities, Canadian Andrew Pinfold finished off a perfectly executed lead-out with the sprint win in the final stage of la Vuelta Mexico. It was the team’s second stage win of the eight-day race.

Pinfold was on the tail end of a full lead-out train, with the winning effort coming at the end of a 77km stage that saw the team help control the race from start to finish.

“Right from the start, we sent Brad White and Pat McCarty to the front to help the Serramenti-Diquigiovanni team of race leader Jackson Rodriguez keep control of the race,” said directeur sportif Mike Tamayo.

When a nine-rider break went up the road, it was OUCH Presented by Maxxis that led the chase to bring it back with about 15 km to go.

“With six kilometers to go, we took over,” Tamayo said.

The team sent Floyd Landis, Cameron Evans, Karl Menzies, Roman Kilun and Pinfold to the front to join McCarty and White and lined it up. “It’s great to have that kind of horsepower up front for a lead-out,” Tamayo added.

Going into the final kilometer, Kilun was on the front, with Menzies and Pinfold glued to his wheel. Kilun dropped off the duo at about 450 meters to go. Menzies dialed it up, taking Pinfold through the sweeping turn around the landmark Independence Monument on El Paseo de la Reforma in the heart of the city and giving him a clear shot to the line.

Pinfold easily bested the Burgos Monumental duo of Joaquin Sobrino and Enrique Mata.

“I had Roman and Karl looking after me. And when Karl goes like that, you can’t help but win,” Pinfold said. “The guys rode amazing. Everyone did their jobs today. When that happens, so do the wins.”

Menzies carried enough momentum after his lead-out to come through in 6th place on the stage.

Notes

Pinfold’s stage win capped off a highly successful week for OUCH Presented by Maxxis in Mexico. In addition to the win in Stage 8, Cameron Evans also delivered the win in Stage 6. Karl Menzies successfully defended his lead in the Sprinter’s competition on the final day to bring home the win in that competition.

Pinfold also added a 2nd place in Stage 2, as well as a 3rd place in Stage 4. Menzies added a 4th place in the opening stage, while Landis finished 6th in Stage 7.

“I’m really happy with the way the team performed this week,” Tamayo said. “We set a goal of coming to Mexico to get us ready to launch into the first part of the domestic season. The team raced exceptionally well. The sprinters are looking strong and they were communicating very well with each other during the race. I can’t ask for anything better than how the guys did down here.”

Race Results