NorCal Cycling News

Pro Squads selecting paths to SoCal

The real start of the US pro cycling season for 2010 will be down in LA for the Redlands Classic.  With the lack NRC races thus far, it seems that many teams have been hitting events in their respective regions to prep form and fine-tune team tactics for the first big meeting of juggernauts … and cracks at the biggest national and international media exposures.

From the Tucson Bike Classic, to the Tour of Murrieta, to our own central valley March classics … teams have been sending out feelers and testing each others’ strengths and squads.  The San Dimas Stage Race is the final hotspot for riders as they prep for the following week’s Redlands mayhem ~ with the proximity of San Dimas helping to settle in LA-lungs, usually a good idea for most teams who come from non-smog’erific regions.

Karl Menzies showed good form at Murrieta, the Bahati Foundation will be looking to build on their Merco success at San Dimas, and Kelly Benefits has been in Asia and beyond bagging tons of high-octane racing miles as they prepare to capture their first Redlands title.

It should be a damn good show.

This weekend’s racing in Madera saw how the Bissell boys are looking like a very strong unit of riders for Redlands, indeed.  Since the famed Oak Glen climb doesn’t showcase in this year’s Redlands again … it’s likely going to come down to a very fit, powerfully fast, and extremely gifted tactical rider that will take the men’s crown.  Ben Jacques-Maynes looks to be poised and ready to make his bid for an overall he’s come close to more than a few occasions.

The Redlands Prologue is a vicious effort that demands good aerodynamics for the opening mile, strong bike handling skills for the initial climb, and an iron will to suffer for the final kilometer.  That gawdamn thing can take a year, or two off your life … especially influenced by the poor air quality possible on the day.

BJM has always been high on the leader’s board for the opening TT, but it’s not necessary to win the prologue to take the overall at Redlands.  What it will take is conquering that final Sunset Road Race … and what warfare that stage will be ~ count on it.  Without radios, the Sunset stage will be less controllable, and more about pure fitness, positioning and patience … and courage.  At Madera, the Bissell boyz showed that they’ve got good strong horses waiting to gallup, with Britton, the Mach, and BJM … but they’ll need a full squad of strongmen able to withstand what will be major bombs dropped from the likes of Kelly Benefits, Fly V, United Healthcare - just to name a few.  The official start list hasn’t been released yet - so we’ll have to see just who and how many of the UCI continental teams are going, and if bigger outfits like BMC are showing and going.

Women’s Racing … too many amateurs ~ but good for the future

It is painfully obvious that Ina-Yoko Teutenberg must be called the major favorite for repeating her crown at Redlands.  Her early form shown at the Merco RR and Crit were breathtaking … evidenced by her earthshaking fearlessness to throw herself off the front of a race.  This woman knows suffering and what it takes to grab for the crown.

And, after watching our NorCal women racing these past few weeks … I’m going to say Ina’s example is one I’d wish more of them would aspire to.  But more on that later.

For Redlands, the PB&Js have signed Mara Abbott to their squad this year ~ a rider who’s been on the podium a couple times, but never won Redlands.  Yet, I haven’t seen her name on any reg sheets thus far in 2010 … so, it’s hard to think she’ll have the speed and race fitness to contend against the HTC powerhouses with only San Dimas in her legs as preparation.  And with Shelley Evans off to fight it out for a world championship jersey on the boards of Copenhagen … a stage win or podium seems realistic for the newly designed squad.  The rest of the team is talented and hungry, but it would be a huge step up for them to overtake HTC’s depth and experience.

It’s possible that Amber Neben may show up and try and win the race solo again ~ but one has to wonder if there will be enough in-fighting of powerful squads to see her take advantage and strike out and steal the victory.

TIBCO will undoubtedly have a strong squad at Redlands, but I am not convinced that the team has the tactical flexibility to be a David against the HTC Goliath.  But they have horsepower in spades - one of the major breakthroughs has to be Alison Starnes who rocked a record breaking TT at the Madera Stage Race this weekend.  She isn’t a rider who can explode away from the field on a climb, but if she finds herself with a gap … this is a rider with the courage to lay the throttle open and surprise ~ if given the opportunity.

Colavita will have their squad ~ and they are always a crowd pleaser, but it seems difficult to believe that they’ll be able to contest for the overall at this year’s edition.  Similarly, the relatively untested Team Vera Bradley Foundation riders will have a difficult task of matching the race legs of other squads who have been active early in the year - but, we’ll have a better indication after seeing their form at San Dimas.

Webcor should have a squad full of potential … with a former Redlands’ winner in Alex Wrubleski, and the ever-powerful, all class Kat Curi Mattis back with the green team.  Mattis was one of 7 pro women to race with the men’s p1/2 field at the Madera Stage Race … signaling that these pro women are committed to doing what it takes to bring up the form and fight it out at Redlands and the European cycling beyond.

However, the lion’s share of the 2010 Redlands’ women’s field will be comprised of amateur and composite squads with young, up and coming riders looking to test their teeth against the best.  NorCal will send a good contingent … and hopefully they will see just how high the bar has been set to make it as a pro rider, both physically and tactically. .

Madera Madness

The Madera Criterium was an absolute slugfest for the men’s p1/2 teams … as Bissell and Yahoo! pushed a 4 rider, 50 minute break off the front against howling winds and a horribly depressing central valley distribution center landscape.  CalGiant was forced to give chase to protect Jesse Moore’s GC position from the TWO time trials that preceded the criterium.  They brought their 8 6 men to the front to conduct a soul-grinder of a team trial, lap after painful lap to try and track down the breakaway quartet.  Ben Jacques-Maynes and Rob Britton were joined by Brian Bosch and Ryan Parnes in the long bomb move, only being caught with 2 laps to go in the 70 minute event.

The pursuit was a slaughter to the field, shredding the race into pocket after pocket of suffering, windswept riders … ultimately seeing only a couple dozen strongmen left to fight it out after the capture of the breakaway.  Phil Mooney, who had flatted in the morning’s TT, jumped away from the field with a lap to go and powered away for a convincing team win for the Yahooligans.  Parnes would take the field sprint in front of teammate Pat Briggs for a Yahoo 1-2-3 … with Bissell similarly positioned in the overall classification.

… to be continued