Vigland earns win in Marquette

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Hagerty cycling team executed its game plan to perfection at the Superior Bike Fest in Marquette.

Susan Vigland, aided by her teammates, surged to the lead 23 miles into the 57-mile road race to capture the women's pro state championship.

Vigland finished in 2 hours, 45 minutes and 35 seconds -- nearly 50 seconds ahead of defending champion Sarah Maguire, representing Priority Health.

"It was the race of my life," Vigland said. "I've never done anything like that before. It was exciting for our team. It was probably the best race we've ever ridden."

The Hagerty team set the tempo at the start of the weekend race as Johanna Schmidt, who was second in the women's pro criterium, sprinted to the lead.

"We came into that race with a plan," Schmidt said. "There's a big hill at the beginning (Marquette Mountain). I like to climb hills. I took off on that hill and was able to stay away (in the lead) for about an hour. I was just trying to give Susan an opportunity to sit in the pack, rest and make the other competitors chase me down. And that's what happened. Susan sat in the pack and let them do the work."

"She got so far away that the (Priority Health) team let her go, thinking she would wear herself out," Vigland said. "I don't think they realized how strong she was -- and how far away she could get. Finally, they realized they needed to start working together to try and catch her. We sat in the pack and let the Priority Health team do all the work, which is what we wanted and that was to let them use up their energy instead of sitting in and drafting."

After the pack caught Schmidt, the race settled down until the riders started approaching another hill -- and another Hagerty ploy.

"It was kind of an ideal situation because all of the Hagerty girls were at the front of the pack pushing the pace up the hill," Schmidt said. "We let Susan go and then held everybody else back. When the other teams realized she was going, they tried to work together to bring her back, but we kept blocking and messing up the pace line and it was frustrating to them."

Vigland, who missed last year's Superior Bike Fest with an injury, opened a gap and then put the hammer down, riding the last 34 miles by herself.

Her victory was a milestone for the Hagerty team, which has been in existence for just three years.

"A win for her is a win for the team," Schmidt said. "We're all thrilled. We've been trying to beat Priority Health for quite awhile. To do that, and win a state championship, is great for our team."

Vigland finished second to Maguire by less than a second in the Presque Isle women's pro circuit race. Rachel Decker won the women's circuit Cat 4 division.

Schmidt, meanwhile, was second in the criterium on a seven-tenths of a mile course in downtown Marquette. Schmidt lost to Maguire by just over a second in a sprint to the finish.

"The criterium is my favorite part of bike racing because it's so spectator friendly," Schmidt said. "It was right downtown and the streets were packed with people. It was exciting."

Traverse City's Jeff Koch, riding for West Priority Health, won the men's masters 35-plus division in the circuit and criterium races.

Photos

Susan Vigland won the womens pro state championship at the Superior Bike Fest in Marquette. Special to the Record-Eagle