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FEATURES: A DAY AT THE RACES
Zap
April 2, 2011
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Sure it was warm, but what took many people by surprise was how clear the skies were. It may be rare in the Inland Empire, but it can happen.
With the temps in the low-90's, for both the prologue and stage one road race, staying cool was the name of the game.
The forks on the Avanti road bikes had a decidedly unique shape. The New Zealand based bike company is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a sweet "all-black" team replica race bike.
So here's a water bottle on the Kenda/5 Hour energy team bike...curious where the cage might be?
With it's simple magnet attachment system, the Vincero Design bottle/cage combo is probably the most unique on the market. For $47 you can get a 24oz bottle and mount. Although there is a track for the bottle to slide on, just getting the bottle close to the magnetized mount is enough to keep it in place. Pretty cool.
Former 7-Eleven, Motorola and PDM rider (and two time top ten rider in the Tour de France) Raul Alcala showed up looking fit as a fiddle. The 46 year old Mexican star has hardly aged and finished in 58th place in the TT (just less than a minute off).
All the TT bikes were required to pass the usual UCI gamut of (silly) technical regulations (saddle set-back and handlebar extension length).
As a potential future star, Chipotle's Danny Summerhill gets the full treatment which included a tire rub-down prior to hitting the start box. Along with the Trek-LiveStrong team, the Chipotle Development team offers a first-rate opportunity for America's young riders to make the jump to the Pro class.
The Ride Clean team was started in 2006 and according to their web site, "The RideClean mission is to promote Clean Sport, facilitate discussion of this topic and support avowedly clean athletes through an organization of solidarity and in an environment that allows development according to individual potential.
The teams core value: The journey is more important than the destination - this guides the team and governs its choices." Kudos.
As many riders scurried about the TT pits socializing and getting prepped for the race in one way or another, there was a steady hum coming from the HTC-Highroad camp as team riders were all aboard their trainers getting warmed-up. Though it's not surprising given the overall administration and history of the team, HTC's organization and professionalism is striking.
For the TT, the Kenda/5 Hour Energy team rides Mercury TT frames and wheels, but uses just the wheels for the Masi road bikes.
THE TWO FACES OF AGE
Trek-LiveStrong teenager Charlie Avis rolled to the line aboard a $10,000-plus bike along with all the latest, most fashionable equipment and went to record an awesome 20th place finish in the TT. Meanwhile...
...1984 Olympic road race champ Alexi Grewal came to the line with little more than a heart of gold and an aero helmet to mark his comeback to racing. With 32 spoke aluminum wheels that most kids today wouldn't even run for training wheels, a three inch stack of headset spacers and seatpost near the height limit, the 50 year old finished just over two minutes off in 161st place.
In addition to the big-name squads, the Redlands Classic also acts as a stage for many smaller teams to come out and get some exposure. The United States Armed Forces Cycling Team (r) is made up of active duty service personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines - bravo! Team Elbowz (l) is a start-up team formed by America's leading MotoGP contender (and reigning World Superbike Champion) Ben Spies with help from some of his motorcycle sponsors: Yamaha, Alpinestars and Brand 34.
By the way, here's what Ben Spies looks like when he's "road racing" in the real world. Hitting speeds upwards of 200 mph at some courses, Ben is the latest Texan to take America's two-wheeled honor to new heights. |
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