Seventeen-year-old wins women's Criterium race

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By Nate Taylor | Monday, May 26, 2008 11:19 PM CDT | () comments

Samantha Schneider, 17, celebrates Sunday after she won the Quad-Cities Criterium bicycle race in Rock Island. Buy this Photo

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Quad-Cities Criterium

When it was all over, there was Samantha Schneider standing over all the others.

The 17-year-old from West Allis, Wis., stood tall on the podium with her arms extended to the sky with a huge smile. Finally, on her third try, she had achieved her goal of winning the women’s main event at the 42nd annual Quad-Cities Criterium.

“I was definitely not expecting to win,” Schneider said. “I knew I wanted to win, but with a field this experienced, it was amazing to finish first.”

Then, as she was inhaling her victory, a bottle of champagne was given to Schneider to pop in celebration. What was more interesting was that this wasn’t her first time opening a bottle of bubbly.

In fact, she had practiced the night before with her Mesa Cycles Racing teammates.

“We talked to her in our hotel room about how to pop the champagne so she wouldn’t pop her eye out,” said Molly Vetter-Smith, one of Schneider’s teammates who won the event back in 2006.

Although Schneider didn’t take a drink of the champagne because of her age, realizing her dreams from the night before came true was a fulfilling experience.

“That was a big thing,” she said. “All my teammates were pulling for me, and it felt nice to come through.”

Schneider crossed the finish line just before Briana Kovac, who finished second and last year’s winner, Catherine Walberg, placed third.

Even though Schneider became one of the youngest females to win the event, history also was made during the race. With 10 laps to go, seven riders had separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Then, the group began to approach the pack in hopes of lapping the field for the first time. Kovac was able to break that record with six laps to go.

“One of my goals today was to see if I could get a break going,” Kovac said. “Then, when I saw the rest of the field again, it gave me that extra energy to try to catch them.”

Even though Kovac was not able to finish the race with a win Monday, she said she understands the potential that Schneider has.

“Schneider is someone that can win any race that she ever enters,” Kovac said. “She’s not only strong, but she is way smarter than the rest of us. Despite her youth, we can all learn a lot from her.”

Not only was Kovac amazed by Schneider’s skills, Criterium legend Sherri Stedje was, too. With Stedje racing at the Criterium for more than 10 years, the woman who has won the main event four times said she believes Schneider can become the next great rider.

“She has so much potential,” Stedje said. “Now, if she can come here every year and carry the torch, she will have all the doors open for her.”

No matter how many other riders think of Schneider’s potential, Schneider said she wants to win every race she can. After getting her first taste of victory Monday, Schneider said she knows she can’t drink the champagne, but she does want to be handed more of it.

“No drinking for me just yet,” she said. “But I will be popping the bottle.”

Nate Taylor can be contacted at (563) 383-2477 or ntaylor@qctimes.com.