Green Machine Lands Stateside for Redlands Bicycle Classic
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Twenty seven years ago at the inaugural Redlands Bicycle Classic, organization was sparse and the purse was a paltry $13,650. That didn’t stop U.S. racing legends Alexi Grewal, Steve Hegg, Roy Knickman, and Thurlow Rogers from throwing down on the field, accounting for all four stages just months after they had earned America Olympic gold in the road race and individual pursuit, the first cycling medals for the U.S. since 1912.
Since then, the race has transformed into one of the classic American events and the perennial kick-off for the NRC racing calendar, with a combined purse of $40,000 for the men’s and women’s fields. The Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth team will bring a tested and tough team to the 2011 edition of the race, one more than ready to officially kick off the NRC season at the 4-day event.
Andy Bajadali, who won the event in 2007 with Jelly Belly, will make his 2011 racing debut at the California event, after spending the majority of the 2010 season recovering from knee surgery. It will be Baj’s first opportunity to test his legs in a race after spending the winter training and rebuilding his excellent form. Look for Bajadali and fellow course veterans Alex Candelario, Mike Friedman, and Dan Bowman to make waves, especially after two weeks of UCI 2.2 stage racing in Asia.
Flying directly from the Tour de Taiwan, expect both Bowman (7th overall on GC) and Candelario (six top ten finishes) to be well prepared for the classic event, as they will look to build on the momentum they built through ten tough, mountainous days of racing.
“Redlands is a fixture of the American racing scene. It’s one of the best courses in the country,” said Performance Director Jonas Carney. “Redlands has a long history and we’d like to add the KBS-OptumHealth name to the prestigious list of winners. Coming off of Jelajah Malaysia and the Tour de Taiwan, we believe we’ll field a very competitive squad.”
The race covers classic varieties of American racing, beginning with Thursdays 3.1km Prologue. The field will duel it out on the 60km downtown criterium course before the final and decisive day, the Sunset Loop road race.
“The Sunset Loop is one of the most difficult circuits in American racing,” added Performance Manager Jake Erker. “It doesn’t necessarily determine the overall winner every year, however, the GC leaders have to be in the front group to have any chance in the overall. It is actually a course supremely suited to Candelario. With his current climbing form and sprinting ability, he could be the most dangerous rider in the field coming into the finish.”
The Redlands race is known for its lucrative time bonuses, which come early and often, and traditionally play a large part in determining the eventual winner. Look for any team intent on taking the overall GC to capitalize on these bonuses.
2011 KBS-OptumHealth Redlands Bicycle Classic Roster
Alex Candelario
Mike Creed
Mike Friedman
Jason Donald
Reid Mumford
Dan Bowman
Jesse Anthony
Andy Bajadali
Straight From the Work Horse’s Mouth – Jesse Anthony Reports on Battenkill
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Jesse Anthony reports on his efforts at last weekend’s Tour of the Battenkill, where he landed himself on the podium after a day of suffering.
Early on in the race, a break got away without too much of a fight, and I was stuck in the group. The peloton didn’t seem all that ambitious, so I started looking for an opportunity to get up to the break, which had 5 riders. Being one of only a dozen professionals in the race, I was heavily marked, so Reid and Jason helped soften up the field a bit and I was able to get away by myself and go across to the break about 65k into the race.
At about 75km in we hit a steep dirt hill for the 3rd time as we started our big lap, and one other rider (Brett Tivers) and myself shed the other 4 riders in the break. We were working well together, but he was suffering on the hills and I dropped him about 100km in, on the toughest dirt climb of the race.
From there, I settled into my own rhythm and dug in for the duration. With around 50km to go I could feel some cramping coming on in my hamstrings, so I had to be very careful how I was pedaling. I was feeling good and kept up a pretty good tempo for a while, and when the commissar finally came up to give me time gaps there was a chase group over a minute back, and the field was over 2 minutes back. It was a long ride out there by myself, especially since it was mostly headwind on that second half of the big loop.
From what I gather, Brett Tivers recovered in the field after being in the break with me, and he jumped in a chase group with 30km to go. With 25km to go my hamstrings started cramping badly. I began focusing on using mostly my quads for the last 25km of the race, and that became increasingly brutal. The chase group was at about 20 seconds back at the start of a nasty 2km stair step climb with 10k left in the race, and I was psyched to have a hill because I was feeling good going uphill all day. I hit the climb steady at the bottom and pushed as hard as I could over the final few grades over the top, then it was a fast drop down to the final flats.
Once I hit the bottom of the descent it was all or nothing. I was turning myself inside out to my now 15 second gap to Tivers, who was by himself over the hill. He eventually caught me with a little over 2k to go, and immediately attacked before I could get on his wheel. I was stuck at a time trial pace for so long that I didn’t have enough acceleration left to jump on his wheel. I got out of the saddle and tried to ramp it up a few times to close the gap in the last 2k, but he was flying and I was gassed.
After 100km out in front and 65km solo, I had to settle for 2nd place, 11 seconds back. The 3rd place rider came in solo around 40 seconds down, and a few other guys were scattered in front of the diminished field.
It was really tough for me to accept losing the race like that. I was fighting for so long and I wanted to win so badly. After a tough final day at Redlands I was really motivated for this race, but it was not meant to be. I know I rode my best, but I really a win for this program. Everyone has worked so hard to get to where we are at today, and the camaraderie is fantastic. I want nothing more than to reward the staff, management, sponsors and my teammates with a big win. This team is getting so close to that big win, I can feel it coming soon.
-Jesse
Green Machine Signs Top Elite Amateur Chad Haga
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Always a firm believer in the power of late-season athlete acquisitions, Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth Pro Cycling Performance Director Jonas Carney further bolstered the team’s roster with the signing of Chad Haga this week, a hard-charging elite amateur formerly of Team Rio Grande Racing. “We’ve been keeping an eye on Chad since the early season,” said Carney. “He has had some great rides at some big races, including the Joe Martin Stage Race, the SRAM Tour of the Gila and the Nature Valley Grand Prix. He brings a unique skill set to our program, and has so many of the qualities that make a young rider successful.” Haga, 23, is a recent graduate from Texas A&M University and had a breakout year in 2011, his first season as a fully committed racer. He kicked off his season by claiming the U25 jersey at the San Dimas Stage Race Prologue, and a week later was crowned the top amateur and 6th overall at Joe Martin. It was the young riders performance at Nature Valley – where he was again the top amateur – that sealed the deal for Carney. “Chad has shown how strong he is all season by climbing and time trialing very well at the NRC level. At Nature Valley, he showed that he is more than just a strong rider; he rode a very smart, consistent race, and accomplishing his goal.” Long, lean, and powerful, Haga excels in the time trial discipline, finishing 7th in the time trial at Gila this year, eleven seconds behind TT specialist Tom Zirbel. “With the solid core of veteran athletes we have in this program, Chad will be able to learn and grow so much. Even late in a season like this, we have found that bringing in fresh legs will rally the guys as they continue to push through the long season.” said Carney. “Clearly he is one of the top amateurs in America and we are excited to see what he will bring to the table for us.” Haga will be racing in the green and gold for the first time at the Tour of Elk Grove later this week, and continue to build his already excellent form as the team zeroes in on late season goals.
2011 Tour of Elk Grove Roster Colton Barrett Mike Creed Chad Haga Dan Holloway Julian Kyer Tom Soladay Mike Sherer
Victory for Tom Soladay, Continued Success for Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth in Wiconsin, British Columbia
Thursday, July 7th, 2011
Tom Soladay topped the podium for Kelly Benefit Strategies Pro Cycling this weekend at the Great Downers Ave. Crtierium, a long-time staple of Wisconsin’s Superweek series. Soladay claimed a convincing win at the race, outsprinting his closest rivals at the line under waning daylight in downtown Milwaukee. Soladay continues to rebuild his form after recovering from the Epstein Barr virus that plagued throughout the 2010 season (Tom is documenting the unique challenges of recovery at velonews.com). His first victory for the Green Machine is a promising sign for the young rider, and comes on the heels of several other strong performances by KBS-OptumHealth at Superweek, including a 4th, 5th, and 6th place for Soladay as well as numerous top tens for Colton Barrett.
“We are thrilled with Tom’s progression this season, he has battled so hard to come back from what is an extremely tough illness for a professional cyclist,” said Performance Manager Jake Erker. “Clearly Tom is returning to form and won a competitive race Saturday night in convincing style. Tom has put in an exceptional amount of work all season long, beginning with some grueling stage races in Asia and France, and all of his hard work is starting to pay off.”
North of the border, the Canadian contingent of KBS-OptumHealth, consisting of Marsh Cooper, Reid Mumford, Julian Kyer, and Dan Holloway, concluded their efforts in the BC Superweek series. Once again it was Cooper with the legs to force a breakaway that would go to the finish at Saturday night’s Choices Market Criterium in downtown White Rock, and the surging Canadian rider was able to finish second after a wet and dangerous finish, with Holloway finishing 6th. It was the fourth podium for the quartet and third for Cooper at BC Superweek.
Great Downers Ave. Criterium Results
1 Thomas Soladay (Kelly Benefits Strategies-Optum Health Pro Cycling)
2 Hans Dekkers (Landbouwkrediet- Colnago)
3 Laurent Beuret (Team Atlas Personal)
4 Yuen Chi-Ho (Team Hong Kong)
5 Feng Chun-Kai (Action Cycling Team)
6 Ricardo Van Der Velde (Donckers Coffee Jelly Belly)
7 Juan Enrique Aldapa (Mexican National Team)
8 Alder Martz (Hincapie Development p/b Holowesko Partners)
9 Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse p/b Motorex)
10 Ryan Freund (ABD Cycling)
Choices Market Criterium Brief Results
1 Justin Kerr (Team H&R Block) 1:11:16
2 Marsh Cooper (Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth Pro Cycling)
3 David Stephens (Garneau Evolution)
Tour de Taiwan Recap: Dan Bowman Climbs to 7th Overall After Final Push
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
KBS-OptumHealth Pro Cycling concluded their efforts at the Tour de Taiwan yesterday, a race which saw the team not only competing against some of the world’s best, but also facing off against wildly undulating terrain and equally unpredictable weather conditions. Dan Bowman showed his early season form, leapfrogging a handful of spots on the overall standings over the race’s final two days to finish 7th overall. KBS-OptumHealth’s aggressive riding over the closing stages also pushed the team into the top-five in team classification. Former ProTour rider and current Austrian national champion Marcus Eibegger (Tabriz Petrochemical) took the overall win.
Alex Candelario, Dan Bowman, Mike Friedman and Mike Creed stay in high spirits after a down and dirty day of racing.
Bowman and Mike Creed teamed up and made the front group on the race’s final day, as rain showers poured down on the field. With the sole mission of moving Bowman as far up the GC ladder as possible, the two climbers hung tough on an extremely fast 15km climb to finish the stage 11th and 12th, moving Bowman into 7th.
“After a long ten days of racing, the courses really turned upward over the last couple of days. Despite the 15km climb on the last stage, the leaders tackled the lower slopes at 40kph and obliterated the field. Creed and Bowman did well to help each other make the selection, allowing Bowman to jump past a couple of guys who couldn’t hold the pace.”
Mike Creed drills it in the break during a typically rainy day in Taiwan.
Alex Candelario, traditionally known for his late-race kick, was labeled by Erker as the team’s “new climbing ace” after several impressive efforts in the mountains throughout the week. The veteran sprinter showed his rapidly expanding ability to race across various terrains and conditions, finishing in the top ten six times, including a 4th place finish in Stage 7, earned on a vertigo inducing 500 meter uphill sprint.
“In such a mountainous race, I was impressed with Cando’s ability to ride with seasoned climbers as well as other teams that are well into their season. He’s come out swinging and deserved a victory. I’m sure his numerous top tens will make him even hungrier for a win during our major objectives of the season such as Tour of California and Philadelphia.”
After a week of racing through the industrious western part of the country, the route looped around the south end and headed up the island’s eastern edge. The views were spectacular over the final days as the race headed along the shimmering coastline and sped upward through an expansive mountain range.
“I was very impressed with how the team rode over these last few days,” added Erker. “We were represented in all of the moves and narrowly missed the win a number of times. We were without a doubt one of the most aggressive teams in the field and definitely influenced the outcome of this race.”
Another notable highlight included neo-pro Mike Sherer riding a long and impressive breakaway in the race’s 6th stage that was reeled in with 7km to go. It was the young riders first UCI stage race and first time overseas, and he proved up to the task in the closing stages after a fast and unforgiving week of racing.
Several member of the Tour of Taiwan squad will be joining their teammates in Redlands, CA this week for the Redlands Bicycle Classic. After 10 days of UCI racing, look for the KBS-OptumHealth team to field a highly competitive squad back stateside for the NRC opener.
Final Overall Classification
1 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Tabriz Petrochemical Team 27:25:38
2 David Mccann (Irl) Giant Kenda Cycling Team 0:00:13
3 Junya Sano (Jpn) d’Angelo — Antenucci – Nippo 0:01:21
4 Lachlan Norris (Aus) Drapac 0:01:23
5 Hyosuk Gong (Kor) Korea
6 Adam Phelan (Aus) Drapac 0:01:29
7 Dan Bowman (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies – OptumHealth 0:01:35
8 Yuzuru Suzuki (Jpn) Shimano Racing Team 0:01:38
9 Jai Crawford (Aus) Giant Kenda Cycling Team
10 Junpei Murakami (Jpn) Shimano Racing Team
11 Peng Da Jiao (Chn) Max Success Sports 0:01:41
12 Adam Semple (Aus) Drapac
13 Kyung Gu Jang (Kor) Korea 0:02:04
14 Ying Hon Yeung (HKg) Hong Kong 0:02:07
15 Alex Coutts (GBr) Giant Kenda Cycling Team 0:02:23
16 Ryota Nishizono (Jpn) Shimano Racing Team 0:02:25
17 Henry Frusto (Ita) d’Angelo — Antenucci – Nippo 0:02:27
18 Mehdi Sohrabi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team 0:02:28
19 Takeaki Ayabe (Jpn) Japan 0:04:46
20 Hossein Askari (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team 0:04:49
21 Chun Hing Chan (HKg) Hong Kong 0:05:09
22 Ghader Mizbani Eranagh (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical Team 0:05:14
23 Alex Candelario (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies – OptumHealth 0:05:23
24 Rhys Pollock (Aus) Drapac 0:05:35
25 Hsin-Hua Huang (Tpe) Team Senter-Merida Taiwan 0:06:43
Final Team Classification
1 Drapac Professional Cycling Team
2 Giant Kenda Cycling Team
3 Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team
4 Shimano Racing Team
5 Kelly Benefit Strategies – OptumHealth Pro Cycling
6 Japan National Team
7 Hong Kong Team
8 Korea National Team
9 Champion System Racing Team
10 Max Success Sports
11 ACTION Cycling Team
12 Team Senter-Merida Taiwan
13 Rapha Condor Sharp
14 Netherlands National Team
15 Malaysia National Team
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