THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
Neben, Tuft take Redlands opener
On a new uphill 5km prologue course, which was made tougher by strong SantaAnna winds Thursday, defending Redlands Classic champion Amben Neben (Stahl-SCVelo) took out a strong option on a repeat victory with a resounding 33-secondwin over runner-up Christine Thorburn (Webcor Builders). Race favoriteOenone Wood (T-Mobile) placed only eighth, with a 1:07 deficit on Neben.
Things were much tighter in the men’s prologue. Three-time Canadian national time trial champion Svein Tuft (Symmetrics), 29, surprised himselfwith a four-second beating of the on-form Ben Jacques-Mayne (Priority Health).Colombian climber Cesar Grajales (Jittery Joe’s) took third, eight secondsback, while two-time Redlands champion Scott Moninger (Team BMC) was fourth,13 seconds down.
Tuft, who used a full TT set-up (as did Neben), won two flat prologueslast year, at the Tour of El Salvador and Mexico’s Tour of Chihuahua, whilehis 30km TT stage win at last month’s 11-day Tour of Cuba earned him theoverall title. But with the formidable Oak Glen stage coming up Friday,Tuft is expected to cede to true climbers like Grajales and Moninger, alongwith Health Net-Maxxis leader Ryder Hesjedal, who’s lurking 15 secondsback, and Justin England (Toyota-United), at 16 seconds.
The new prologue course, mainly on palm tree-lined residential streetsin Redlands, proved harder than it looked on paper, with a particularlysteep section in the final 2km. Neben showed she was fully prepared forthe challenge after a period of intense training, but on Friday her localCalifornia Stahl-SC Velo squad faces a highly motivated Webcor team.
Besides Thorburn in second, Webcor has Mara Abbott in fourth, Katheryn Curi insixth and Britain’s Rachel Heal in seventh, all of whom could be a dangerin breakaways that Neben’s team will have to chase down. It’s a situationthat could also open up a chance for Wood.
On the men’s side, with 10 riders within 20 seconds of leader Tuft,the Oak Glen stage gives hope to most of the top teams, especially PriorityHealth, BMC, Health Net-Maxxis and Toyota-United.
23RD REDLANDS BICYCLE CLASSIC
Redlands 5km prologue: Highland Ave to Sunset Drive
PRO MEN
1. Svein Tuft (Can), Symmetrics 9:29 (31.626 kph)
2. Ben Jacques-Mayne, Priority Health 9:33
3. Cesar Grajales (Col), Jittery Joe’s 9:37
4, Scott Moninger, Team BMC 9:42
5. Anthony Colby, Colavita-Sutter Home 9:43
FullResultsPRO WOMEN
1. Amber Neben. Stahl-SC Velo 10:52 (27.588 kph)
2. Christine Thorburn, Webcor 11:25
3. Dotsie Bausch, Colavita-Sutter Home 11:34
4. Mara Abbott, Webcor 11:46
5. Katherine Carroll, Aaron Corp Fu 11:52
FullResults
