Canadians ready to tackle the Redlands Bicycle Classic
The 30th edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic begins Wednesday. It’s the first meeting of the top men’s and women’s North America-based professional cycling teams. Past winners include Jonathan Vaugthers, Christian Vande Velde and Chris Horner. On the women’s side, past champions include Alison Dunlap, Judith Arndt, and Canadians Lyne Bessette and Alex Wrubleski. This year’s edition is five-stages long, including three road races, a 12.5-km time trial and a criterium. There will be many Canadians on the start line.
Elite Canadian Men
Zach Bell, the 2013 Canadian national road race champion, leads his Team SmartShop and is looking for results. After a solid, but victory-eluding start to his year at the Vuelta Independencia Nacional, the strong man will target the time trial and select stages throughout the tour. While he should not be discounted from the overall classification, Bell’s skills maybe better applied to hunting stage victories.
Bell’s team-mate, Rob Britton, comes to Redlands with only one thing on his mind: winning the general classification. With a strong start to his year in the Dominican Republic, where he finished second overall, Britton is looking to finally stand on the top step of the podium. To win overall at Redlands, he’ll have to show consistency throughout the tour while producing a race-winning time trial on Stage 2.
Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies rider Will Routley is also looking for a top overall finish at this year’s race. Unlike Britton, however, the former national champion has many cards to play. Routley is more than capable of producing a strong time trial, yet he will need more than that to win the tour. Look for the B.C. native to be active in one of the more demanding stages as he was in 2010 when he won the opening road stage of the tour.
Former Canadian national road race champion Ryan Roth is also a contender for the overall classification. Roth, who is racing for the Jet Fuel Coffee presented by Norco team, packs a strong time trial and is more than capable of finding the right breakaway to claim victory. Roth has built a career on winning big races by combining raw horsepower with savvy tactics. Don’t be surprised if you see him on the top step of the podium at least once this week.
The surprise victory by Roth’s teammate Anton Varabei at last week’s San Dimas Stage Race is a sign of good things from the Ontario native. While the competition at Redlands will be higher than that San Dimas, Varabei is obviously on-form and, with the added confidence, should be looking at winning another stage.
Elite Canadian Women
Leah Kirchmann of the Optum Pro Cycling team presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies is fresh from winning the final stage of the San Dimas Stage Race. She’ll be looking to carry that momentum into the Redlands Bicycle Classic. While she may not have the time trial to seal the overall victory, she does have the ability to win stages.
Karol-Ann Canuel of the powerhouse Specialized-lululemon professional team recently won the San Dimas Stage Race. She’s a clear favourite to win the Redlands Bicycle Classic. A strong rider who can time trial and climb well, Canuel will look to use these skills along with her strong team to her advantage and win the 2014 edition of this race. Canuel, at this point, is the team’s No. 1 hope.
The Canadian national champion in both the road race and time trial, Joëlle Numainville, is set to toe the line at Redlands in what will be her first big outing of the 2014 season. A rider who sets out her goals at the beginning of each season and then prepares for them manically, Numainville will certainly be ready to make her presence felt in California. While the overall classification maybe beyond her fitness level this early in the season, look for a strong showing from the Quebec rider in both the criterium and other sprint finishes that litter the race.
