Neto Wins Berkeley Hills!

Photo of Joachuim Neto courtesy of steep.tv.

by Harry Hunt

San Pablo Reservoir, CA -- Men's team captain Joaquim Neto delivered his 2nd victory of 2006 to Tam Cycling by winning the 71 mile, Cat 3, Berkeley Hills Road Race on Sunday.

Despite the presence of much larger teams, including Team Spine, Webcor and Squadra Ovest, Neto was able to overpower the field, which had widdled down to 25 riders, on the final climb with only one teammate, Harry Hunt.

Neither Hunt nor Neto would have fared well without the support of up and coming Tam Cycling star and teammate, Peter Billington. Billington worked the neutral support like a pro making sure his teammates had fresh water bottles each lap to combat the heat.

The race was one of attrition, as lap after lap, riders slowly fell off the back. Harry Hunt had the dual role as domestique and director sportiff during the race and instructed Neto to conserve as much energy as possible until the final climb. Despite Hunt's guidance, Neto decided to test his legs with an attack on the 3rd lap, but was reeled in after a few minutes off the front.

As the temperature quickly rose, Neto thought he had burned too many matches during the attack and didn't think he had the legs for the win. However, Hunt knew that Neto was on form and could recover before the last climb. Channeling his his inner Bjarne Riis, Hunt ordered Neto to sit in and ready himself mentally and physically for the finish.

As the final climb began, Neto dug deep and attacked the field. No one could match Neto's power and only a few managed to hold his wheel as he crossed the finish line in first. Hunt didn't have the legs to follow Neto on the final climb, but was able to hang on for a position in the top 20. It was a great win for Neto and Tam Cycling.