Sutherland talked about his win in New Mexico, stating, “This was not easy, it was tough. The boys did a great job getting us to this point and sometimes you have to put it on your shoulders and bring it home. When your Teammates ride so hard for you, you don’t have a choice. You have to pay them back for what they’ve done and show them how much their effort means. We are heading in the direction we want and are seeing the hard work of the past few months start to pay off.”

Sutherland added, “The other teams were great, especially Competitive Cyclist and Bontrager-Livestrong. Simply a tremendous effort from everyone racing here at SRAM Tour of the Gila.”
General Manager and Team Director, Mike Tamayo, said, “The SRAM Tour of the Gila is a great stage race and its good for us to get a stage race win on US soil. It’s important for our title sponsor, UnitedHealthcare, and for all of our sponsors. Winning the overall at Gila and watching the boys race up the Gila monster reassured us that the Team has done all the right things this spring.”
Tamayo continued, “Today the Team did exactly what it needed to do. Jonny (Clarke), Davide (Frattini), Ben (Day) and Chris (Jones) rode the front of the race like superstars. Jeff and Jason were in the breakaway and once the breakaway made it over the biggest climb, those two guys were in a select group that Rory, Marc (de Maar), Competitive Cyclist’s Paco Mancebo, and all the top riders where in.

Jeff and Jason rode their butts off, closing the gap from five minutes to three minutes. Then, the last 10km it was Rory solo with the top riders sitting on his wheel. He slowly chipped away at the gap and won the overall by just 15 seconds.”

Reflecting on the Tour, Tamayo concluded, “We’re proud of our effort here. Also, it was impressive to watch the Bontrager-Livestrong Development Team ride so well and impress everyone, especially going 1-2 on the final stage today. They are proving a lot and they deserve to be at the Amgen Tour of California.”

The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Roster for the 26th Annual SRAM Tour of the Gila:
Rory Sutherland (AUS)
Marc de Maar (CUR)
Jeff Louder (USA)
Jason McCartney (USA)
Chris Jones (USA)
Jonny Clarke (AUS)
Ben Day (AUS)
Davide Frattini (ITA)

The SCOTT duo Vogel/Schurter set the pace right from the start. With different success. While Schurter stayed in top positions all race long- Vogel got dropped by the 7 men lead group after he bent his seat. Following he cruised into casual 36th place.

The trio Schurter- German champion Milatz and marathon world champion Sauser got in a break and left Näf-Hermida-Flückiger and Marotte behind.

Clarke secured the Team’s first win of the season two weeks ago on March 31 in Tampa at the 2012 Cigar City Brewing Criterium & Street Festival, beating Luis Amaran (Jamis Sutter Home) and Amaran’s teammate, Kyle Wamsley, who took third in the first race of the NCC. Wamsley put forth yet another valiant effort in Charlotte, but the five man squad from UnitedHealthcare consisting of Clarke, Adrian Hegyvary (USA), Jay Thomson (RSA), Karl Menzies (AUS), and last year’s Presbyterian Crit winner, Jake Keough (USA), proved to be too much for the field. The boys in blue and white put forth a mammoth effort in the final laps to reel in the leaders and their well-executed lead out paved the way for Clarke and Keough to take spots one and three on the podium.

Pleased with the results, General Manager and Team Director, Mike Tamayo, stated, “Charlotte is stage one of an important weekend of back-to-back racing in the US for us. The guys will leave Charlotte and fly straight to Battenkill where they will race shortly after landing in upstate New York.”

Tamayo continued, “I’ve been a director with this group for many years and I’ve seen them put together a great lead out, but tonight I wasn’t so sure about the distance from where they took over the front. I thought it may have been too far from the finish, but they showed me and everyone else just how strong they are and pulled off an amazing ride and a great win.”
“These guys are just so unselfish. Jake, Adrian, Jay and Karl were all selfless in devoting the entire race to make sure they could sprint for Hilton. Menzies really does the job of 10 men (hence the nickname, 10 Menzies). Jake won this race last year and selflessly focused on helping Hilton win it this year – and he still landed on the podium. It is great to have such incredible talent working together to race and win for one another,” Tamayo concluded.

The Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium is part of USA Cycling’s National Criterium Calendar (NCC) as well as USA CRITS national series, and boasts one of the most lucrative prize purses. This year’s edition saw the elite men roar through the streets of downtown Charlotte’s 1.3 mile closed barbell shaped course at a lightning fast pace, amidst the backdrop of a crowd that was nothing short of electric. The race is the chief fundraising event for the Brain Tumor Fund for the Carolinas, and has raised nearly $5 million for charity over the years.