Silver City, NM - There's some benefit to not being the team that has to control the race. Gord Fraser and Scott Moninger of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis took advantage of the work of TIAA-CREF to get a mostly free ride to the finish of the 72-mile Inner Loop Road Race, then finish it off by going one-two on the stage.

TIAA-CREF had targeted this stage, normally one that ends in a sprint, for its strongest finisher, Rahsaan Bahati. But when a two man break of Michael Dietrich (KodakGallery-Sierra Nevada) and John Tarkington (Vitamin Cottage) got up the road, they almost foiled everyone's plans. When the gap had extended out over five minutes, TIAA-CREF turned up the heat and began bringing back the break.

Fraser and Moninger stayed near the front, with Moninger and teammate Roman Kilun putting their noses into the wind only toward the end to help bring back the break. The final 10 miles of the stage, the head and cross winds began to wreak havoc on the break, as well as the pack.

A long turn in the final mile by Danny Pate (TIAA-CREF) finally brought the break within reach, but it also sent Bahati toward the back of the pack.

Moninger, a two-time Gila champion sitting second overall coming into the stage, finally went to the front in the final kilometer to bring it back together for sprinter Fraser. The move caused further splits in the field as the sprint began to wind up. Race leader Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United) found the right wheel, jumping in behind Moninger and sticking with him on the slightly uphill run-in to the line.

But Dietrich had just enough left in the tank to get ahead of Baldwin to take third on the stage behind Fraser and Moninger. Tarkington held on for fifth, five seconds behind the stage winner.

Fraser praised TIAA-CREF for their work in bringing back the break. "I didn't think it would come back to be honest, but I think there was enough wind at the end," Fraser told Cycling News. "But good credit goes to the TIAA-CREF guys. They went really hard to bring it back. Coming in was the first time we even touched the front all day. Roman and Scott gave good pulls, but didn't quite finish off the breakaway."

Dietrich's third place might prove to be decisive when the race ends on Sunday. With time bonuses for the top three finishers on the stage, Moninger was able to pick up an additional 10 seconds on Baldwin, to move to :22 behind, as well as extend his lead over third-place Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) to 1:20. Fraser's 15-second bonus moved him back into the top 10 overall at 4:02 behind Baldwin.

The tour continues Saturday with a criterium, and ends Sunday with the decisive 100-mile Gila Monster Road Race.

1 Gord Fraser (CAN) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
2 Scott Moninger (USA) Health Net Presented by Maxxis
3 Michael Dietrich (USA) KodakGallery-Sierra Nevada