American wins men's race; Canadian top women's finisher.

Tyler Tolleson used the last energy he felt in his legs to rocket past the competition and win the 2008 Tour de Leelanau men's race Sunday.

ANNE SAMPLONIUS of Canada raises her arms in triumph after winning the Tour De Leelanau. The finish line was in Peshawbestown near the Eagle's Ridge Conference Center.

Tolleson, riding with the BMC team, was right behind Ben Jacques-Maynes and Teddy King of the Bissell team as the trio climbed the steep hill leading up to the finish line behind the Eagle’s Ridge Conference Center in Peshawbestown.

Tolleson surged past his challengers to win by a hair in 4:15:09. Jacques-Maynes took second with the same time, and King was third in 4:15:10. Tolleson has been riding professionally since 2006 and this was his first try at the Tour de Leelanau.

“I had the legs to give it a try so I went for it,” he said.

Tolleson said the course was difficult.

“It was hard all day, the hills, the weather, the other teams, it was a challenge,” he said. The difference for Tolleson was having teammate Darren Lill in the front group of riders with just over 12½ miles left in the race. BMC, Bissell and Team Successful Living all had racers in the main breakaway pack, which established itself early in the 109.5-mile race. In the last 12 miles, though, Tolleson and Lill battled Jacques-Maynes, King and Successful Living’s Charles Dionne to the finish.

Tolleson said he had no doubt in his and Lill’s ability to win the sprint up the hill to the finish line.

“I felt confident going into the sprint since it was a longish uphill run into the finish, which is the sort of thing I usually like,” he said. “In the last 20 kilometers (12.43 miles), there were a lot of attacks and Darren did a fantastic job; we really helped each other.”

The women’s race was dominated by Canadian Anne Samplonius riding for the Cheerwine Team. She jumped out front early in the race, and with the help of teammates like Leigh Hobson, 2007 second-place winner Laura Van Gilder and Stacy Marple, cruised to a win in 2:58:05. Second went to Hobson in 3:00:19 and third went to New Zealander Joanne Kiesanowski, riding for Team TIBCO from San Francisocco, with a time of 3:00:21. Van Gilder took fourth in 3:01:05.

“Everyone is talking about me getting out in front early, but really this is a team win. Without my teammates behind me blocking and helping me stay out front, we don’t get this win,” Samplonius said. Originally from Canada, Samplonius now lives in Boulder, Colo. She won the 135.9-kilometer Ronde van Gelderland race held in Apeldoorn, Netherlands on April 20 and will compete in the Montreal World Cup race next month as well.

Samplonius said she enjoyed the tour’s challenge.

“The hills were amazing and the rollers we went through (around Peterson Park); that really took it out of my legs,” she said.

Like Tolleson, Samplonius got her legs back and was able to cruise to the win. “Again, only with the help of my teammates was I able to stay ahead,” she said.

Samplonius has been riding professionally since 1993. “I guess that makes me an experienced rider,” she said, laughing. She called the Tour de Leelanau an exciting and challenging experience.

“We need more races like this. To have a one-day hard hilly course like this, and have it be in the United States, I think this event has the potential to really grow,” she said.

Samplonius also appreciated the effort put in to make the racers and teams focus on the race. “The organization is great, the setting is beautiful. This course is really a classic road course, very challenging and a lot of fun. I hope I can come back next year,” Samplonius said.

Race director Steve Brown, founder of the Tour and head of Iceman Productions, said reactions like Samplonius’ are appreciated.

“I was talking with the manager for Team TIBCO, a women’s team from San Francisco. They heard about our race from some other riders who participated in last year’s event. All the riders were raving about the course, they were really excited about it and want to come back,” Brown said.

“That is the kind of response we look for. Having teams like Cheerwine, Priority Health, TIBCO, Bissell and all of them here brings in more women racers which could change the racing dynamic,” he said.

With the help of volunteer coordinators like Chad Shutt, who took over organizing the road marshals this year, Browns said he was able to focus more on getting teams what they needed to make the race easier for everyone.

“With guys like Chad, Joe Bottenhorn, you name them, they all knew what to do. It is great having a volunteer organization like this to rely on. It makes my job much easier,” he said.

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