Bicycle Racing : McCormack, Van Vliet One-Two in Criterium

Alan McCormack of the Killian’s Red Irish Team sprinted into the lead with 200 yards to go Sunday to win the San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf Criterium of the Coors International bicycle race.

McCormack, 29, had an official time of 1 hour 30 minutes 22 seconds in the 45-lap, 39.6 mile event. Teun Van Vliet, 24, of the Holland Professional Team was second followed by American Roy Knickman, 21, of the Levi’s Team.

McCormack of Dublin, Ireland, broke away from the pack at about the 28-lap mark and remained in the lead with one to three other riders throughout the rest of the race.

“I knew the race would be won around the last corner,” he said, adding that he wanted to win the event because his chain broke in Saturday’s time trial, forcing him to finish in the bottom 11 of the field.

Van Vliet finished 43rd in the time trial and will wear the race leader’s jersey for the 102-mile Sonoma to Sacramento Road Race today, but he said he only expects to keep it for one day.

“It’s a very hard day, especially the climbing,” he said. “I’m not a climber.”

Knickman of Boulder, Colo., had a flat during the race, but he still managed to hold on to third place, his highest finish ever in the Coors race.

He traded the lead during several laps with teammate Phillip Anderson, who finished eighth. Knickman said he “figured that sooner or later, someone was going to go . . . one of us was going to make it.”

The first-, second- and third-place finishers in the criterium received bonuses of 30, 20 and 10 seconds each respectively, which is deducted from their overall times.

In the overall standings, that puts Van Vliet in first place, followed by McCormack and Bob Roll of the 7-Eleven team, race officials said. Knickman is fourth.