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Defending champion Tyler Stites (Challenge Echelon Racing) took the uphill dash victory within the opening stage in Highlands for the thirty eighth version of Redlands Bicycle Traditional.
Tom Williams (Thriva-SRCT) was second whereas Stephen Bassett (Denver Disruptors) positioned third within the hilly 58.1-mile circuit race.
“It was good. I all the time cherished this course and I have been up there a few instances on the stage and by no means capable of win. It is fairly difficult timing there on the hill, acquired to time it proper and I feel I lastly timed it proper this yr,” mentioned Stites, who completed second on this stage in 2022.
The boys’s area confronted 20 laps of the two.8-mile course in sunny and sizzling climate.
“I feel everybody is de facto sizzling, particularly in April. Numerous guys simply aren’t heat-adapted, and yeah, it was robust.”
The sector was put beneath strain by the intermediate time bonus dash with Stites crossing the road first to grab the three-second time bonification forward of Owen Wright (CS Velo) and his teammate Scott McGill.
Kaler Marshall (Expeditors) attacked earlier than the third KOM of the day with six laps to go. 4 riders – Pablo Alarcon (Canel’s-Java), Tanner Ward (Williams Racing), Brooks Wienke (Aevolo), and Sam Boardman (Challenge Echelon) – gave chase however all escapees have been reeled again with three laps later.
Stites additionally took the 10-second time bonus because the stage winner. Williams in is second place total, at seven seconds down and Bassett is third, at 9 seconds again, Brody McDonald (Aevolo) is fourth and Wright in fifth, at 13 and 14 seconds again respectively within the basic classification.
“Traditionally, this race has all the time been actually shut, however I do not know if these 10 seconds are going to do a lot this yr as a result of we’ve an enormous mountain to climb tomorrow. I feel there might be greater gaps.”
“Traditionally, this race has all the time been actually shut, however I do not know if these 10 seconds are going to do a lot this yr as a result of we’ve an enormous mountain to climb tomorrow. I feel there might be greater gaps.”
Racing continues on Thursday with an thrilling new mountain climb at Onyx Summit, which had by no means been used because the end for a professional bike race. The lengthy ascent covers 33 miles with a mean gradient of three.9% earlier than the summit end crests at an elevation of 8,443 ft (2,573m). Starting on the San Bernardino Worldwide Airport, the lads will deal with 50.4 miles with two KOM areas on Trek Onyx Summit Highway Race.
Outcomes
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