A pack of riders trail overall leader Chris Wherry, right, in the final kilometer of the second stage of the Cascade Cycling Classic on Thursday. Wherry was third in the stage.

Tom Zirbel looked around at the 12 other cyclists in the lead pack and made a quick decision as he pedaled up the scenic McKenzie Pass Highway.

Zirbel broke away from the group about 1> kilometers from the finish to claim the second stage of the Cascade Cycling Classic on Thursday with a time of 2 hours, 58 minutes, 39 seconds.

”I knew those guys were fast finishers and I knew I had to go all the way to the line,” said Zirbel, who rides for Priority Health. ”I didn’t even have time to zip up the jersey.”

Those riders from whom Zirbel broke away included Sergey Lagutin of Navigators, who finished second with the same time as Zirbel, and Chris Wherry of Toyota-United, who took third with the same time.

Wherry, who won Wednesday’s first stage, still holds the overall lead with a two-stage time of 6:30:59, and Lagutin remains in second place overall, 15 seconds back.

Jeff Louder of Health Net-Maxxis is third, 19 seconds back, and Scott Moninger of Health Net-Maxxis is fourth, 26 seconds behind Wherry. Nathan O’Neill, also of Health Net-Maxxis, is fifth, 26 seconds behind.

Thursday’s 81-mile McKenzie Pass Road Race started in Bend and took racers north through Tumalo, then east and north past Redmond and Terrebonne. Cyclists then headed west into Sisters and up the McKenzie Pass to the finish at Dee Wright Observatory.

The group of 13 riders broke away from the peloton with just about three miles left to the finish. Chris Baldwin of Toyota-United worked hard to stay in front of the group and help his teammate Wherry stay with the leaders.

”Baldwin rode incredible today,” Wherry said. ”He’s such a powerhouse. We fielded attacks well and we continued (with the leaders) all the way with 1K to go. I just wanted to follow Sergey (Lagutin) and keep the time (overall lead) with the guys. Sergey jumped with 2K to go and I just followed him.”

Lagutin, who hails from Uzbekistan, said he was waiting for the right moment as the leaders climbed toward the finish.

”I was thinking they (Toyota-United riders) would control it, so I was just waiting for their moves,” Lagutin said in Russian through an interpreter. ”I was thinking the hill would be harder, but it wasn’t super hard.”

Lagutin recently won the Uzbekistan National Championship road race, and he was third in the national time trial.

Both Lagutin and Wherry chased down Zirbel when he made his move, making sure the Priority Health rider did not get too far ahead of them to affect the overall standings.

”I was just banking on the fact that they were too busy marking each other,” Zirbel said. ”I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to hold it to the line. But I lucked out. There was a flat section and I gained momentum.”

The 28-year-old Zirbel, who lives in Boulder, Colo., is racing in his second Cascade Classic. He competed in the CCC last year, which was his first National Racing Calendar (NRC) race.

”It’s so beautiful up here,” Zirbel said. ”This is my favorite race.”

Thursday’s action started getting interesting at the 11-mile point when 13 riders, including two from Toyota-United, two from Health Net-Maxxis and three from Jittery Joe’s, broke away from the peloton. Their lead grew to as much as 2 minutes, 40 seconds, before the main pack, led by Navigators, closed back in on them at mile 54.

Aaron Olson of Saunier Duval made attack after attack as the peloton headed into and out of Sisters, but he faded on the final climb and finished 58th. Olson, who grew up in Eugene, is the lone Saunier Duval rider in the CCC; most of his teammates are racing in the Tour de France.

”I’m just trying to train hard for Europe,” Olson said. ”I was just trying to be competitive and get in a move. I got in some and it didn’t work out.”

It did work out for the 13 riders who got away from the peloton with three miles to go to the finish. Baldwin dropped back, but Wherry stayed in the pack to follow Zirbel and Lagutin across the finish line and maintain the overall lead.

”It was a pretty select group with a head wind all the way up,” Wherry said.

Wherry, who lives in Durango, Colo., said he is confident heading into today’s stage, the 87-mile Cascade Lakes Road Road Race. He added, however, that today’s race probably would not have much effect on the overall standings.

”(Today’s) climb is really not that decisive,” Wherry said. ”I think it’ll come down to the time trial (Saturday), and the circuit race (Sunday) is really hard. It could really blow up on the last day.”

Today’s Cascade Lakes Road Race starts at 10 a.m. at Cascade Middle School in Bend and takes cyclists southwest up Century Drive past Mount Bachelor and on to the Cascade Lakes Highway. The route then turns south, circling around Crane Prairie Reservoir before heading back north on Cascade Lakes Highway and finishing at Mt. Bachelor’s Sunrise Lodge.