By any objective standard, Health Net presented by Maxxis is burning up the NRC circuit. The team swept the overall top three at the Nature Valley Grand Prix, racking up three stage wins along the way. The next day, Scott Moninger took first place at the Nevada City Classic. And earlier in the month, Greg Henderson took back-to-back wins at the Reading Classic and the Philadelphia International Championship. Health Net/Maxxis currently holds a lead of more than 1000 points in NRC standings.
Nature Valley featured strong performances by the entire squad, with Karl Menzies taking the top overall spot on the podium and teammates Henderson and Nathan O’Neill in second and third places, respectively. Menzies also won the fourth stage, while Henderson topped the podium at the second and O’Neill took first place in the opener. Each of the three riders had held the leader’s jersey at one point in the overall race.
Cyclingnews.com has called the Nature Valley Grand Prix “one of the most important US domestic stage races.” The race was held June 14-18 in Minnesota.
In taking his fourth victory in the Nevada City Classic, Moninger grabbed a decisive lead after the first 30 minutes, and held the top spot throughout the remainder of the contest. "It's a cool race," he said. "The crowds are great.” Moninger’s teammate Roman Kilun also took a spot in the top ten with a seventh place finish. The race was held June 18 in Nevada City, California.
Henderson conquered a hilly course to win Reading, Pennsylvania’s Reading Classic, taking the lead in the last lap, just 200 meters from the finish line. Teammate Kirk O’Bee also did well in Reading, posting a fourth place finish. The race was held June 8. And just three days later, Henderson won the Philadelphia International Championship, after his teammates’ strong efforts put him out front in the last lap.
