Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) and Saturn’s Trent Klasna successfully defended their leads at the 2001 Redlands Bicycle Classic to emerge as the overall victors after Sunday’s tough Sunset Road Race through the hilly residential neighborhoods of south Redlands. While Jeanson simply rode away from the field adding to her already substantial lead, it was the U.S. Postal Service’s Levi Leipheimer who took the final sprint in the men’s event.

Jeanson entered Sunday’s final stage with a nearly two-minute lead in general classification over Saturn’s Kimberly Bruckner. While two minutes may be an obtainable goal on the twisting and hilly roadways around Redlands, Jeanson not only wanted to make certain that no one escaped to threaten her lead, she also wanted to test her fitness.

“I wanted to ride alone, to see how much I could do today,” Jeanson said.

Apparently she could do a great deal. Jeanson attacked on the first climb, just four kilometers from the start of her 99.5km race. It was supposed to be a road race, it turned into an individual time trial.

“I thought she was just trying to keep the pace high,” Bruckner later said. “I went after her, but whew… there was just no way to stay on her. It was early but she was already gone.”

Long gone. Jeanson continued to add time — 15, 30, even 60 seconds — on each the eight times around the 10.4km circuit. Jeanson crossed more than seven minutes ahead of the nearest chase group.

Bruckner crossed the line, still hanging on to second overall, but now with a gap totaling more than 9 minutes behind Jeanson. It might have been a closer fight. Bruckner, who had just returned from Australian where she won the Tour de Snowy, had only intended to be playing a support role at Redlands, helping designated team leader Lyne Bessette. But Bessette was lost to the team after an accident at the end of stage two left her with a broken collar bone.

“It would have been closer,” Bruckner said. “We wouldn’t have let her role off on her own today, but you look at the way she’s riding and you have to conclude that she is definitely the strongest woman in the world right now.”

Klasna Keeps It

Saturn team director Jim Copeland congratulates Klasna after stage 6.

Photo: Casey B. Gibson

He earned the jersey on Oak Glen after benefiting from an early break and the inability of the leaders to form an effective alliance against him. He entered Sunday’s 142km race with nearly a two-minute advantage over second-place Chris Horner of Mercury.

“I like this stage,” Klasna said of the steep 10.4km circuit. “I won it last year. But, yeah, I haven’t ever come into with this much pressure. But I have a great team. I think we can do it.”

And despite an early break of four — U.S. Postal’s Levi Leipheimer, Danny Pate (Prime Alliance), Chann McRae (Mercury) and Vladimir Miholjevcic (KRKA Telekom) — that gain as much as a four-minute advantage, Klasna and the Saturn squad kept their cool and maintained a careful watch on the men who posed a real threat on GC: Horner and U.S. Postal’s Roland Green.

The four escapees were eventually reeled in and Klasna could relax, for a moment. Soon after, Green managed an escape with Mercury’s Scott Moninger and Mapei’s Michael Rogers.

“I was really worried about Roland,” Klasna later recalled. “He could easily put two minutes or more into you on this course.”

But even that trio’s bid was cut short as the leaders entered downtown Redlands for a final five-lap charge through yesterday’s downtown criterium course, chased down by a group of 18 that included among others, Klasna, Horner, Green and Leipheimer. As the leaders were about to be reeled in, however, Moninger jumped and appeared to be on his way to taking one more stage for Mercury. But on the final lap, a hard charging Leipheimer charged, caught Moninger in the final turn and sprinted to earn the Postal squad their third stage win at Redlands.

As for Klasna, he had already been celebrating the overall title, riding through the streets of downtown Redlands at the back of the group waving his arms, even two laps before the finish.

“It was the team that got us the jersey and the team fought to keep it,” Klasna said. “They did an incredible job.”