Van Buren, AR - Following the successful completion of the Joe Martin Stage Race, Karl Menzies and Frank Pipp of Health Net Presented by Maxxis stayed behind to compete in the Tour of Arkansas, a four-stage race born of the Tri-Peaks Challenge.

Despite facing full squads from a number of teams, both riders rode their way onto the podium. Menzies earned a pair of second places on stages, while Pipp picked up a stage win and finished 4th overall.

Menzies narrowly missed out on the win in the opening Epic Road Race. But he showed growing form by making it through more than 10,000 feet of climbing to contest the finish and earn a close second place.

Pipp showed his climbing legs the following day, finishing a strong fifth on the stage to Mt. Nebo, a notoriously hard climb with 20 switchbacks and gradients reaching 18%.

In Stage 3, Pipp proved that his finish on Mt. Nebo was no fluke. He surprised a select group of 10 climbers with a sprint win at the end of the 16 km climb to Mt. Magazine. Pipp benefited from Menzies' work in the main break of the day, which he initiated 20 km into the 160 km stage, nearly holding on until the end for the win, but happily ceding that honor to his teammate and long-time friend Pipp.

"It was nice to get that first win of the year," said Pipp, who is known more for his sprinting power than climbing prowess. "I don't know what it is about this time of year but I'm usually starting to get good form, and I'm stronger on the climbs these days. It's tough to say how well I'm climbing. The field for this race was good, but it was perhaps a bit thin with Mt. Hood going on at the same time as well. I felt good the day before up to Mt. Nebo, and I stayed with some very good climbers up to Mt. Magazine to get the win."

In the Stage 4 criterium, a highly motivated Menzies once again put himself in the main break of the day, but this time it stuck until the end. Menzies took another close second out of the break to give him his second podium appearance of the four-stage race.

"I know Karl really wanted to get a win this week, so he's a bit frustrated," Pipp said. "He was really close twice. But he'll be motivated for the next races."

That next block of racing begins with the CSC Invitational on June 1, and continues with the Commerce Bank Triple Crown, followed closely by the Nature Valley Grand Prix, June 11-15.

"I'm looking forward to the next two weeks of racing," Pipp said. "It's a hard two weeks, but they're all great races."