Our team was comprised of Ryan Parnes, Ted Huang, Rand Miller, Brian "BP" Buchholz, James Badia, Rob MacNeill, Fabrice Dubost and guest rider from Metromint Fred Stamm. Our onsite manager, DS, follow car driver, and soigneur was none other than team/club sponsor Keith Williams of Williams Cycling. Rand's girlfriend Alison also assisted with feeds, cooking, and general support for the race. We had great housing split between two hosts; big thanks to Tricia Fynewever and the Wilson Family for putting us up and for the great hospitality during our time in Redlands. All the support we had was awesome!
Below are stage reports from our best placed riders on the stage. Here's a summary of the placings:
Prologue: 76th of 194 for Parnes at 1:02 from stage winner Ben Day (Fly V Australia)
Full Results
Cyclingnews coverage of Rand Ripping the Prologue
Stage 1, Beaumont RR: 45th for Fabrice at 42 sec from stage winner Jeff Louder (BMC)
Full Results
Photo of Fabrice finishing with a bunch of pros (Note: Pat Benatar is playing in Beaumont!)
Stage 2, Redlands Crit: 30th for Fabrice at same time as stage winner Jackson Stewart (BMC)
Full Results
Photo of BP and Jamo in the crit
Stage 3, Sunset Loop Circ. Race: 26th for Fabrice (1st amateur) at 3:16 from stage winner Kyle Wamsley (Colavita)
Full Results
Overall Classification: 26th for Fabrice (2nd amateur) at 5:05 from overall winner Jeff Louder (BMC)
Full Results
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Redlands Prologue
5 short kilometers in the pain cave.
76th of 194
This course not only punished the body, but played with your mind. Aside from one short, punchy climb and quick descent the first 3.5 K were false flat with moderate wind. Then followed a right turn across a highway overpass and then a nasty, leg shredding climb. The first stretch was totally visible and cut across a hillside, then a left turn into a soul-crushing headwall. After that, only 500 meters of false flat separated us from the finish line.
Keith Williams of Williams Cycling was our DS supreme for the weekend, and he showed up before the sun to snag us a primo spot in the team area. He had two tents and a bunch of trainers set up, along with chairs, grub, coolers full of refreshing treats and an arsenal of gleaming, carbon wheels. Awesome. Truly Awesome. We warmed up in style that day.
I will never be mistaken for a climber, and pre-riding the course struck fear into my heart. Rand had ridden the course last year and warned me not to go out too hard, so I chose to reign it in until I hit the climb. After hacksawing a few inches off my clip on bars (Damn UCI Rules!) I warmed up and headed to the start area. I don't usually stand around for 15 minutes before a TT effort, but that was the order of the day. I also don't usually stand in a pen full of Professional cyclists. I can't lie, milling around in a stable full of shiny, pro legs and ridiculously expensive equipment psyched me out more than a little. I managed to make it to the start ramp and then...
BOOM. OK, not really. It was something of an anti-climax as I basically soft-pedaled the first 3.5 K. Then I hit the climb, somehow already exhausted, and the suffering began. I went too hard on the first stretch, and instead of powering over the headwall and finishing strong across the top I wrenched myself over the top, gasping for air and barely moving. I felt like I was stuck in slo-mo. I managed to somehow get the pedals moving and dragged myself over the last 500 meters to the finish, narrowly avoiding being overtaken by the Jelly Belly rider behind me.
Someday I'll get to ride a flat prologue, and then maybe I'll really have something to write about :)
Redlands is really an incredible race and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it.
-Parnes
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Stage 1: The City of Beaumont Road Race
155km, 4 laps of a 39km circuit
45th place for Fabrice
The start/finish line was located in Beaumont, the circuit was mostly flat for 20kms but with a strong tailwind at the beginning and in the face when we rode back. Then there was a 2-stage climb on a little road (2kms of climbing, then a short descent and 1km of rollers). But like for the women's race, the biggest obstacle was the wind, especially with a field composed of 200 guys ready to race.
Right after the start, the leading team, Fly V Australia, worked at the front of the pack and paced a high speed. With the wind at our backs, the speed was between 80km/h and 90km/h!!! In order to succeed in that sort of condition, we needed to be in good position all the time, and be focused on the race. There were not a lot of escapes, the wind was too strong, so the decisive moves would likely be done in the last climb for a pack of about 70 guys. I tried to stay in good position but the fight was aggressive and I was only able to stay in about 40th place before the climb. So there were gaps opening during the climb. I closed two of them but the third was too much and I finished the race in a group of 10 guys just behind the first group of 30 racers (20 seconds). The rest of team tried to fight during the race but for most of them, it was the first time racing at a such high level and in harsh conditions. Ryan finished in a group at 2min, then BP, James, Fred and Ted finished at 10min, but we lost Rand and Rob during that epic day...
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Stage 2: The City of Redlands Criterium
90 mins of a 1.61km per lap
30th place (pack) for Fabrice
After a short ride on the morning in order to warm up, we headed to downtown Redlands for the Crit. The principal difficulty for that stage was the number of riders with 160 starters!! The circuit was 1.6kms long with 9 turns, and a false flat on the start/finish line. The BMC team with their new leader, Jeff Louder, worked on the front of the pack from the beginning to the end of the race, and tried to kill all the escapes. After 15 minutes, which were very hard for me, I tried to stay in good position, staying clear of crashes. In the last five laps I tried to be in good position and rest for the final sprint but in the last lap a crash in a U-turn split the field and we caught the first group just for the last straightaway, that was it... Jakson Stewart won a second stage for BMC and Louder kept the yellow jersey. I finished in the middle of the field like Fred, James and BP. But we lost Ted, who was not really inspired by the 9 turns in a lap, and Ryan.
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Stage 3: Sunset Loop Circuit Race
12 laps of 10kms in the hilly Redlands neighborhoods + some start and finishing circuits on the crit course.
Team: James, BP, Fred and Fabrice
26th place for Fabrice on the stage and overall.
That last stage is the traditional queen stage of the Redlands Classic, with 12 laps of a tough circuit only strong guys can win. As the general classification was very close (50 guys in less than 1min30) the race would be very tough to control for the leader's team. The race started with hot laps of a shortened crit course with sprint bonuses. Then it was a fast, hectic procession to the circuit loops. On the first lap, the organization put timing bonus on the KOM line. That did not help matters!!
BMC as during the crit, worked from the start of race to set a very high pace, so high that during the two first laps in the hills, the field exploded and there were only 25 guys on the front. I was pulled back to a second group. Not content with my position, after two more laps I decided to try something. I accelerated on the climb, with an idea to take with me other riders, but I was the only one crazy, yes crazy, because I finished the race like that: alone, nearly 80kms alone on such a difficult circuit was crazy. But all these efforts were not without reward, I finished the stage at an honorable 26 place, first amateur, and that set me at the same place in the general classification. For BMC, the plan was perfect, they kept the yellow jersey..
James, BP and Fred finished the stage in one of the big groups formed during the day. For an amateur team like Webcor, and for a first experience of that level for most of us, finishing the race with 4 riders was a great success!!
-Fabrice
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