THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING »

Get the VeloNews Email Newsletter FREE

  Learn More | Archive
Home » Top Stories » Road » Redlands Bicycle Classic

Redlands Bicycle Classic celebrates 25th year with largest field ever.

Published: Mar. 24, 2009

The list of past champions of the Redlands Bicycle Classic reads like a who’s who of American cycling. Thurlow Rogers, who still puts the hurt on SoCal masters and pros, took the inaugural title back in 1985, one year after finishing sixth in the Olympics.

Four years later it was Scott Moniger who won the overall, the first of his two victories. Chris Horner has won it four times. Jonathan Vaughters, Davis Phinney and Christian Vande Velde are also past champs. And in the women’s race, the Redlands Classic acted as a springboard for top riders such as Mari Holden, Jeanie Golay and Amber Neben.

2009 Redlands Bicycle Classic
March 26 Prologue (5km)
March 27 Beaumont Circuit Race (110/138km)
March 28 Downtown Criterium (60/90 minutes)
March 29 Sunset Road Race (106/146km)

The Redlands Classic is back for its 25th running this Thursday, March 26, and a record field of 350 men and women are registered. For the past seven years the race has maxed out its 200 spots in the elite men’s race, but this is the first time it’s filled 150 women’s spots.

“We feel it’s our most competitive field ever,” said Scott Welsh, the race’s marketing director. “We even had to turn away four or five women’s teams. The interest has really grown.”

This year’s course is identical to the one featured in the 2008 edition, won by Colombian Santiago Botero and Canada’s Alex Wrubleski. On Thursday, riders start off with a 5K prologue that climbs 1000 feet up to Panorama Point on the town’s south side.

On Friday, they tackle multiple laps around a winding 24-mile loop around the neighboring city of Beamont, which features a punchy climb through Bogart Park. Saturday’s criterium features the same nine-cornered course through downtown Redlands. And the race finishes with the grueling Sunset Road Race circuit race in the hilly neighborhood south of town.

Noticeably absent for the second straight year is the Oak Glen climb, which came to define the race in its previous editions. Organizers scrapped Oak Glen after 2007 due to the financial and logistical strain of sending the peloton racing through multiple municipalities. A return to the climb, Welsh said, is something the race is constantly striving for.

“We toyed with adding (Oak Glen) as a fifth stage, but figuring out how to get back there is still a challenge for us,” Welsh said. “It’s our most famous stage. We’d love to re-introduce it again, but putting on a point-to-point race in Southern California is doggone difficult.”

Even without Oak Glen, the four days should serve up plenty of challenge, as both the men’s and women’s pro fields feature stage racing talent. Fly V Australia’s Ben Day is hot off a win at the San Dimas stage race, and can time trial as well as he can climb. Past winners Andrew Bajadali (Kelly Benefits) and Chris Wherry (Hotel San Jose) are also on hand. Botero, who raced for Rock Racing last year, is not — the Colombian retired at the end of 2008. Also absent are Rock’s former ProTour riders Oscar Sevilla, Tyler Hamilton and Francisco Mancebo (Mancebo and Sevilla are competing in Spain's Vuelta a Castilla y Leon; Hamilton intended to start the Castilla but pulled out saying he was sick). In their place is American Chris Baldwin, who finished second last year.

Most eyes, however, will be on the OUCH-Maxxis team of Floyd Landis and Rory Southerland. Both riders call Southern California home, and both will be looking to score top results after disappointing showings at last month’s Amgen Tour of California.

Other men who could challenge for the win are Bissell’s one-two punch of Tom Zirbel and Ben Jacques-Maynes, as well as BMC’s Jeff Louder. Youngster Peter Stetina, who is riding for the Garmin-Holoweko-Felt development team, is another to watch.

In the women’s race, defending champion Wrubleski might find the toughest challenge from her own Columbia-Highroad teammate Mara Abbott. Winner of the 2007 Oak Glen stage, Abbott appeared to have the 2008 overall in the bag after winning the prologue, but Wrubleski chipped away, taking enough bonus seconds by winning the last stage to defeat Abbott by one second.

The teammates might have to join forces to defeat Amber Neben, the reigning time trial world champion. Neben won Redlands in 2007, and is showing up on a composite team named Nurnberger-Sho Air.

Other women who could unseat Wrubleski are Webcor’s Katheryn Mattis, Kristin LaSasso (Kahala La Grange), Leah Goldstein (ValueAct Capital) and Alison Powers (Team Type 1).

Preliminary rosters are here.