Dan Barry’s win completes treble for PureBlack Racing

Dan Barry’s win completes treble for PureBlack Racing; three straight wins for team at Tour de Toona

Auckland, New Zealand, 10 July, 2011 – PureBlack Racing’s Dann Barry has won the third stage in the 2011 Tour de Toona in Pennsylvania completing a unique treble for the team as the third PureBlack Racing rider in three days to win a stage. Roman van Uden won the tour opener and Scott Lyttle triumphed in the second stage and is the tour leader going into the fourth and final day of the tour.

Barry triumphed in the 150km road race, his first US stage win for the season, in a sprint to the line after a huge ride in the break today. Lyttle and the rest of the team stormed home as they raced to defend the yellow jersey, which he continues to wear as overall GC leader by 27 seconds.

“Today we saw the huge strength of this team,” said Carl Williams Sports Director of PureBlack Racing. “The teamwork the guys showed in an incredibly aggressive day of racing was just amazing. Every single one of the guys showed huge determination and courage as they fought to defend the yellow jersey. Barry getting the stage win was just icing on the cake for us and is a great result for a rider who has ridden tirelessly for his team mates all season long.”

PureBlack Racing lined up with only seven riders this morning with James Williamson having to withdraw with a wrist injury sustained on the first day of racing. Today’s Queen Stage had three big climbs with the biggest a 9km monster coming just 50km into the race. The race was full of action right from the start with a break forming early that saw Barry get away with six other riders to make sure PureBlack Racing covered any action off the front of the peloton.

At around the 30km mark Roman Van Uden ended up in a ditch as he crashed trying to avoid other riders who had gone down in front of him. After a quick bike change he was up and riding again as Mark Langlands and the rest of the team drove the tempo at the front of the peloton.

At the start of the big climb Bissell rider Chris Baldwin launched a huge attack on the yellow jersey blowing the peloton apart and bridging to the break group as his teammate in the break waited for him at the top of the hill. The PureBlack Racing team quickly reformed at the top of the hill where they began a huge chase to pull back the two minute lead the break had established.

The 90km chase by five PureBlack Racing riders and only a handful of others was ridden with almost perfect timing as Scott Lyttle crossed the line only 8 seconds behind Dan Barry to remain safely in yellow. Dan Barry who had ridden in the breakaway all day grabbed a 3 second advantage to win in a sprint finish from what was left of the break.

“This is what high performance team work is all about,” commented Greg Cross PureBlack Racing’s Business Director. “Setting a goal and a strategy for the race and adapting and reacting to the competition as it unfolds in real time. We are very proud of our team culture and the guys demonstrated today exactly how much it means to them under the white-hot competitive spotlight of a pro cycling race. This is a great example of what PureBlack Racing is all about.”

Tomorrow’s Altoona Downtown Criterium is the final stage for the tour.

For more information on the team and racing schedule see www.pureblackracing.com

ENDS

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