Butler wins Silverton Road Race

Reported by Oregoncyclingaction.com

SILVERTON — Sue Butler (MonaVie-Cannondale) proved to be Oregon’s fastest in the dirt and on the road the past two weeks by following her May 16 win on the mountain bike at the Chainbreaker XC in Bend with a win at the Silverton Road Race Sunday.

Butler took the final sprint from a select handful of riders in the Women’s Pro/1/2/3 event after attacks, the heat and the course itself whittled the lead group to nine by the second of three 17.5-mile laps.

“We kept pushing the pace and pushing the pace,” Butler said. “Alice Pennington likes to be off road driving the pace, too, so there were about four of us that kept working to go faster and faster. People kept popping off and pretty soon I think there there were nine of us. I didn’t realize there were that many because I only saw about four or five.”

The select group of nine continued to push the pace at the front for about one and a half laps and approached the final climb to the finish pretty much intact.

Pennington was the first to jump at the bottom of the steep short pitch leading up to the finish. Teri Sheasby (BBNS) followed her wheel, with Butler, Lisa Turnbull (Therapeutic Associates) and Lindsay Fox (Team Oregon) in tow.

Sheasby got enough of a gap to hold off all but one of the charging group behind her, with Butler grabbing the win right at the line. Turnbull finished third ahead of Pennington and Fox.

Sheasby attributed her finish to a little bit of luck.

“The three stronger riders kind of led it out,” She said of the finale. “I saw an opening and went. At first I thought they’re going to pass me any minute, and they didn’t. But as we were approaching the line Sue snuck up on me. She had a little more than I did.”

Indeed, Butler saved just enough gas in the tank to notch her second win in as many weeks and her first-ever road race win.

“For the first time in my life I actually did the sprint right,” Butler said. “I didn’t go out first.”