REDLANDS, California (April 14, 2024) — Brendan Rhim stormed across the finish line to celebrate yet another stage victory, the fourth out of five days of racing for Project Echelon at the Redlands Bicycle Classic presented by the San Manual Band of Mission Indians. The team entered the finishing circuits with four riders, including the yellow jersey Tyler Stites, who finished 11thon the stage securing the overall title for a third year. Brody McDonald was second on the line for Aevolo Cycling, followed by Tyler Williams in third once again for Denver Disruptors.

“The team was absolutely unbelievable; so strong!” Stites said. “We were always in control the whole day. I think we had four guys in the crit laps, something that I have never seen before from a leading team – to be able to defend the lead that well. It was a really good day, and then to come away with the stage is icing on the cake.”

The pro men started under looming rain clouds and dropping temperatures. It wasn’t long before the rain began, pelting the riders as they began their first loop around Sunset. There was an early time bonus and king of the mountain points available on the first of 12 laps on tap for the day.

A small break of three escaped shortly after, including Eder Frayre (Williams Racing Devo), Miles Hubbard (Voler Factory Racing), and Alan Schroeder (CS Velo). Hubbard had begun the day with only one point deficit in the KOM classification. He sprinted to the line to earn seven points as the first rider to cross, making him the virtual red jersey leader for the rest of the day.

“It was a really tight competition coming in, with four people within two points of each other,” Hubbard said. “We went for the early break; my teammates set me up super well going up the first climb on Sunset Loop. We ripped it up the climb, and came away with two other riders and we stuck it for about two hours. Luckily they were up there for other reasons, so I scooped up the majority of points throughout the day and locked down the red jersey.”

Teams had different objectives on the final day of competition, including defense of the Best Amatuer jersey, to sprint, and the KOM. Aevolo was defending the Best Amatuer competition with Quinn Felton in the lead, while fighting for a stage win for McDonald. Felton would secure the white jersey in the end. Ryan Gorman took enough points on the first two intermediate sprints to secure his green sprint jersey before calling it a day, riding in with the grupetto.

Stites had a healthy 43-second advantage ahead of Joe Laverick of Ribble Rebellion at the start of the day. Project Echelon hovered at the front of the field, driving the pace in defense, keeping the break within a safe distance despite there being no threat to the overall GC.

Their pace would soon absorb the trio just after the third KOM of the day. Up next was Reid Kinniburgth of TaG Cycling who tested his legs, escaping solo from the field. He would dangle off the front, gaining up to a 15” gap at one point, before he too was caught.

What was left of the field had dwindled down to just over 20 rider, all of which who would make it to the final downtown city circuits. Project Echelon held the advantage with four teammates, including the yellow jersey, in the front group.

Brendan Rhim was first to jump making the turn onto the circuit, launching an attack that would soon be countered by his teammate, Sam Boardman. They raced for 5 laps in total before Rhim would catapult to the line for the win.

“Tyler Stites joined some elite names in history today and he did it with an amazing team of people behind him. I couldn’t be more proud,” Project Echelon Director Sportif said at the finish. “We are a veteran, non-profit organization. Our mission is to educate and empower veterans and help them through physical activity. To connect with a community like Redlands and our veteran community back home is extremely important to us.”

The team had begun their season with a racing block overseas, competing against some of the best riders in the world, before arriving to Redlands.

“It makes a huge difference going overseas,” Stites said. “We were racing against the best riders in the world over in Europe, so it definitely ups our level to come back here and we’re able to show how strong we are.”

The pro men’s race wrapped another successful year for the Redlands Bicycle Classic organization. Mostly made up of volunteers, they put their time and hard work into allowing the race to return each year, celebrating the Redlands community, while hoping to inspire the next generation of pro cyclists.

Complete Pro Men’s Stage 5 Results

Women’s Stage 5 Recap: Roldan Wins Redlands Finale for Cyclisca Cycling

REDLANDS, California (April 14, 2024) — Mara Roldan embraced her breakaway companion, Jenaya Francis of TaG Cycling, celebrating another win for Cynisca Cycling at the Redlands Bicycle Classic finale on the Sunset Loop. Roldan bookended her participation in Redlands winning the opening stage in Highland and the finale in Downtown Redlands. Jenaya Francis cross the line just behind for second, followed by Marlies Mejias in third for Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24.

“I think we just kept believing, we just kept saying to each other we’re Van der Poel,” Francis said, referring to the recent winner of Paris-Roubaix Matthieu van der Poel, who earned victory after a lengthy solo breakaway. “The gap just kept increasing,” Roldan added. “I took a wrong turn coming into the first corner of the circuit. I had to turn around and pull for my life to get back on her wheel; we just kept working together until the end.

“I was not expecting this. I knew we had a good team; we were on good form coming into this.” Roldan said. “We didn’t necessarily have expectations for ourselves, but we wanted to show who Cynisca is and what we can do. I think we did just that.”

The women set out for the 68-mile trek at 10 AM following the completion of the inaugural junior stage race in downtown Redlands. Marlies Mejias and Emma Langley both lead their classifications for sprint and the QOM by a healthy margin.Taking into account that anything can happen on the Sunset Loop, Virginia’s Blue Ridge took to the front from the gun, allowing Langley to solidify her QOM lead.

Emma Langley would garner top points on three of the four QOM sprint lines available on the final stage, securing her win in the classification.

“It was a really hard week but that means it was really great racing,” Langley said. “I had a couple of days off in fighting for the QOM jersey with no points available in the time trial or crit, but those were still brutal days on the legs just to make today that much harder. We had so much fun out on the course, fighting for a stage win as well as trying to bump up on GC, but to secure the QOM jersey is also really special.”

The battle for the GC ensued between the top five in the overall classification. Gontova had begun the day 50-seconds ahead of Alia Shafi of Found Cycling Guild and an additional 30 seconds ahead of Natalie Quinn. Shafi managed to breakaway early on, with two other riders – Emma Langley and former Colombian National Road Champion, Diana Peñuela of DNA Pro Cycling. The trio managed to gain up to a 30-second gap, with Peñuela sat on the back monitoring the situation for DNA.

Though Shafi gave a valiant effort, the break was caught due to the driving force of DNA Pro Cycling. Shafi would end the day 48-seconds behind Gontova. Roldan moved up in the overall standings to secure third place on GC after her stage win on Sunday. Meanwhile, Cecile Lejeune finished just inside the top ten for CCB p/b LLG, allowing her to secure the Best Amateur Competition.

Gontova had successfully defended her GC leaders jersey through to the finish, with numerous teammates emptying their tank while working towards their common goal. The victory is the most prestigious in Gontova’s young life.

“I’m really stoked we were able to pull it off. My teammates were really doing a lot of work for this today. I am so grateful for the team I had around me this week,” Gontova said after finishing. “I’m really happy we were able to hold onto it in the end. There were some moves that were very threatening to the GC but my teammates did a really good job on the front reeling it in and setting the pace.

“I didn’t expect myself to be in this position; I didn’t think I would be able to make it or hold on to the yellow jersey. I was so happy to start this stage in yellow and hold on to it until the end getting the biggest win of my career by far.”

Many teams now head to New Mexico for the Tour of the Gila, one of three stage races held in the United States each year, after wrapping another historic 5 days of racing at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Complete Pro Women’s Stage 5 Results

Women’s Stage 4 Criterium Recap: Skylar Schneider wins stage 4 criterium for a second year

REDLANDS, California (April 13, 2024) — Skylar Schneider catapulted herself around the DNA Pro Cycling’s sprint train in the final meters to cross the line, marking her first win of the season for Williams Racing Devo in Downtown Redlands. Schneider had won stage 4 last season in similar fashion in her Redlands debut. DNA Pro Cycling Makayla Macpherson was second, followed by Marlies Mejias in third.

“Every year is a new challenge; we always look forward to Redlands,” Schneider said at the finish. “It’s one of the first races we do all year, so it sets the stage to give us the momentum to keep going.

“DNA did a phenomenal lead out. They were very fast and very smooth; we knew exactly where we wanted to jump. They made it hard for us because they were going so fast but we were on a mission today to get this first win for WRDevo. Two weeks ago I was doing all-nighters in my bakery so I’m really happy to be here and feeling good.”

The professional women took to the stage at 2 PM local time, after a morning filled with cycling events including the kids’ school duel races and the Plain Wrap Charity Ride at 8 AM. The first race began with stage 2 of the junior stage race at one, followed by the pro women.

The 75-minutes of racing included five sprint competitions – four intermediate sprints and points offered at the finish. Virginia’s Blue Ridge Marlies Mejias led the classification by five points ahead of her teammate Emily Ehrlich, and 7 points ahead of Cynisca Cycling’s Chloe Patrick. With Mara Roldan (Cynisca) sitting in fifth on GC and the team focused on moving her up on GC, it would be Mejias jersey to lose.

Twenty24 sent Emily Ehrlich to monitor moves at the front of the race, keeping Marlies on her wheel to be ready for the first sprint of the day. The Cuban sprinter crossed first to earn top points in both the first two of five points available. Once she had gained enough points in the first few intermediate sprint to gain a healthy margin in the classification, she switched focused to the finish – eager to gain a stage victory before the race ends on Sunday.

“The goal was to maintain the lead with the jersey,” Mejias said. “The finish didn’t go as planned but tomorrow is another day where we will try again. We’re in a good position, so I hope tomorrow will be a great day for the team.”

DNA Pro Cycling controlled the pace of the field, following the first intermediate sprints. The squad made sure the yellow jersey of Nadia Gontova was kept safe and out of trouble. They monitored the front of the field and kept the race moving, making it difficult to go around them with such a tight and technical circuit.

As the laps began to wind down, teams began positioning themselves for the finish. DNA Pro Cycling was given the green light, ready to battle for the stage win. With one lap to go, Schneider was sitting sixth wheel just behind her older sister Sam and four other DNA jerseys. Rounding the final corner, Schneider launched her sprint, surfing wheels to get into the DNA slipstream before jumping for the win.

“I think the team did really, really well,” Macpherson said, despite missing out on the top step. “We wanted to keep Nadia safe. The team worked amazing in doing that, but we also wanted to get a result for the day. We were able to get on the podium so it was a great day out there.”

There were no changes in the overall top five on GC, with Gontova maintaining a 50-second lead heading into the final day of race.

“It was really hard, not my favorite day,” Gontova said. “I’m really grateful for some awesome teammates keeping me safe. I’m happy to have made it through today. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, which is a little more up my alley. I really liked it last year, though I suffered a mechanical on the last lap. I’m hoping this year will be a better results in the end.”

There was no queen of the mountain points available on the stage, while Cecile Lejuene maintains her lead in the Best Amateur competition.

The finale for our pro women will begin at 10 AM in Downtown Redlands for the City of Redlands Sunset Road Race.

Complete Pro Women’s Stage 4 Results

Men’s Stage 4 Recap: McGill Takes Third Stage Win for Project Echelon

REDLANDS, California (April 13, 2024) — Scott McGill stole a third stage victory for Project Echelon at the 2024 Redlands Bicycle Classic on Saturday. Denver Disruptors were just behind, finishing second and third with Noah Granigan and Tyler Williams. Project Echelon arrived in Southern California after spending time in Europe for a short block of racing to help gain racing fitness and strength before the start of the season back home.

The Arrowhead Orthopaedics Criterium for stage 4 was a chaotic day of racing, with a massive crash in the peloton within 10 laps to go. After a short neutralization of the race to allow riders to visit the pit for service and others to be seen by medical, all riders were up and the race was started once again. Two laps were added to leave the peloton with 10 laps to go for another try. The stage 4 victory marks the third win out of the four days of racing for Project Echelon.

“The final few laps were probably the least stressful of the whole race, because I was just sitting behind the team,” McGill said. “When we were further back in the bunch, there was a lot of fighting for position. The team was super strong, we were just going to ride until two laps to go to keep the GC safe, but we were able to ride into the final lap with four guys. They were amazing today; I can’t thank them enough. We were able to win today and hold on to the GC so, yea a really stressful day.”

The team had dominated the race keeping a watch on the front of the field, marking any moves that escaped. A few riders tried their hand, including Will Gleason of CS Velo Racing, and Tyler Williams for Denver but were soon absorbed by the field.

“Tyler and I were going in it in the last lap; you can win it with three corners to go where we were one and two there,” Granigan said after the finish. “Scott is one of my really good friends, he was crafty and able to get by and get around Tyler in the head wind into the finish. It ended up working out for him. We had some small mistakes in those last two turns.”

Project Echelon kept their focus, keeping the yellow jersey safe at the front of the race. Other tactics came into play, marking the intermediate time bonus where Stites picked up two seconds behind Ryan Gorman (Voler Factory Racing) who held his lead in the sprint classification. Stites was happy, hoping to gain every second possible before the Sunset circuit finale.

“It was a stressful crit, quite a few crashes but after the restart we were able to take to the front as a team which really kept us safe,” Stites said after finishing. “It’s hard to pass a train once we’re up to speed on this course with so many turns. Scott was able to take the win, which was amazing.”

The last two years, the final stage on the Sunset circuit has delivered exciting racing for the finale, finishing within 30 seconds for the overall GC margin. Stites will start the final stage with a 43-second margin ahead of Ribble Rebellion’s Joe Laverick.

“It’s a really tough race where anything can happen,” Stites said. “We’ll need to come with our best legs and give it our best to defend.”

Meanwhile, after earning podium spots nearly every stage, Denver Disruptors will have one more chance for a stage win.

“We had the numbers [today], but it’s the first big stage race of the season,” Granigan said. “Scott’s a good rider so I can’t be too upset. I definitely wanted that one, but we’ll have numbers tomorrow so we’re looking for that.”

Complete Pro Men’s Stage 4 Results

Women’s Lake Perris Individual Time Trial Recap:

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, California (April 12, 2024) – Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24 Emily Ehrlich rode to victory for a second year running in the time trial for the stage 3 Toyota of Redlands Lake Perris individual TT. She won with a blazing time of 24:21. Moving to a new course this season at Lake Perris, riders rode a technical, 11.7-mile course starting atop the lake dam, winding their way around the lake via portions on a bike path and taking a couple tight turns before powering up to the finish to complete the third stage at the 2024 Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Ehrlich arrived to Redlands following her first ever Pan American Track Championships where she earned two gold medals in the individual pursuit and team pursuit respectfully. Her teammate Marlies Mejias was second with a time of 23:05, followed by Alia Shafi (Fount Cycling) in 23:11. Ehrlich had been feeling under the weather, trying to recover from the effort on the track, not sure if she would be able to race through Sunday.

“It’s been really tough coming from the track, I’ve been just taking it day but day. I’m feeling a little bit better today, even though yesterday really wiped me out,” Ehrlich said before her start. Speaking of the course ahead for the TT Ehrlich was excited for the change in venue and the new course.

“I’m really excited about the course; it’s very technical but going to be fun. I think there are a lot of opportunities to gain time where a lot of people might not think. We’ll see what happens.”

The defending overall champion was sitting far out of contention on the GC recovering from illness. She started within the first group of riders rolling down the start house. The heat had finally subsided on Friday, with a slight wind keeping the riders cool but thankfully did not play much of a factor for the finish.

Current U23 National Road Champion, Natalie Quinn had a solid day racing with the USA Cycling Redlands Development squad. She finished 12th on the day with a time of 25:59, enough to move her into third overall. Emma Langley struggled after a tough day in the mountains on stage 2, finishing the TT in 27:26, dropping down to 9th overall.

Alia Shafi moved up to 2nd overall on GC after a strong showing in the time trial on Friday. The Fount Cycling Guild rider won the Joe Martin time trial last season, surprising her rivals and even herself. The confidence built from last season is evident this season, making her climb up the GC riding consistent each day. Shafi was 5th on GC at the start of the day, down 1:26 from Gontova (DNA Pro Cycling). The yellow jersey managed to defend her lead, with a 50-second advantage ahead of Shafi.

“It was a little scary around those corners but I pushed it where I felt I could and was safe,” Shafi said. “It was awesome to end on the podium. The wind played a factor a little, but I took that into account in my strategy moving up slowly on GC. We’ll see where I am for tomorrow.”

The race returns to Downtown Redlands on Saturday for a full day of festivities beginning with the kid’s school duel races. The pro women will take to the start later in the afternoon at 2:15 PM local time.

Complete Pro Women’s Stage 3 Results

Men’s Lake Perris Individual Time Trial Recap: Project Echelon Goes 1-2 on Stage 3, Stites Extends Overall Lead

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, California (April 12, 2024) – Another change of the course was on the menu for the Lake Perris Individual Time Trial for stage 3. The past two years the Redlands Bicycle Classic has held the time trial on a traditional out-and-back course along Route 66. Race organizers decided to change it once again, moving it this time around to Riverside County for an 11.7-mile technical course beginning on the Lake Perris dam and winding around the lake before climbing up a short, punchy hill to the finish.

Project Echelon’s Tyler Stites won the stage for a third year in a row, dashing across the finish clocking a time of 22:20. His teammate Brendan Rhim was just behind in second finishing in 23:35.45, and Ribble Rebellion’s Joseph Laverick in 23:35.89. Denver Disrupter’s Stephen Bassett had started the day in second on GC after the queen stage, but struggled to find a rhythm, ending the stage in 23:54 over 1:34 down from Stites. The results dropped Bassett out of the top ten on GC.

“It was a really fun course today, lots of twists and turns which was completely different than last year’s straight out and back,” Stites said after finishing. “I didn’t know if I was going to perform the same. I had a lot of fun out there in the turns and giving it my all.”

The TT specialist has stepped up to the challenge each year, whether facing strong winds like last season, or a twisty, technical course set for this year. He ended the day gaining important time on GC, now holding a 41-second advantage over the new second place overall, Laverick of Ribble Rebellion.

“The time trial is something we focus a lot on; our sponsors give us great equipment so we’re able to excel in this discipline,” Stites added.

It was Project Echelon who dominated the stage, at one point leading the standings with fiver riders, with Rhim sitting in the hot seat for most of the day. Rhim has returned to Redlands after racing for several years overseas. His last participation was in 2018, while he made his debut 10 years ago in 2014.

“It was a tricky course, you had to really push on the slower sections, push on the headwind sections and float on the shallow/easier sections with the tail wind,” Rhim said of the course. “It was probably the least consistent effort I have done in a while in a TT. I definitely came close to the edge of the road a couple times, but everyone was dealing with the same course.”

The race moves to Downtown Redlands for the final two stages, beginning with the downtown crit tomorrow afternoon. The course offers a technical 9-turn, 1-mile circuit; set for 90 minutes of racing for the pro men.

It will be a day for the sprinters and crit squads, with five sprint lines on tap. Many of the GC favorites will hope to stay safe and get through the stage looking ahead to the Sunset Loop finale on Sunday.

“Anything can happen on Sunset,” Stites said. “We’ve got to show up with our best legs and give it all in defense.” Rhim agreed, flashing a big smile, “We’re going to have fun tomorrow and Sunday!”

The men take to the line at 4 PM PDT.

Complete Pro Men’s Stage 3 Results