3/29/10 - The precarious sixth-tenths-of-a-second lead that Australian Ben Day took into the final day of the Redlands Bicycle Classic stood up for overall victory Sunday on a frenetic final stage.
The Fly V Australia rider’s victory will go into the books as the first National Racing Calendar stage race win for Day and the first or the second-year continental team that has ambitions to reach even higher levels in years to come. The win was also the squad’s 18th of the season and follows Day’s wire-to-wire overall title at last week’s San Dimas Stage Race.
Team Fly V Australia threw down for race leader Ben Day all week
and came out victorious in the end with the overall win.
photo © Mitchell Clinton / www.clintonphoto.com
Fly V Australia Director Sportif Henk Vogels said the victory could not have been achieved without the incredible “mateship” that exists among the Fly V Australia riders, management and staff. It was that unique Australian bond that kept confidence high throughout the four-day race.
“What I saw out there was a bunch of mates bleeding for each other,” Vogels said. “It’s been like this from Day 1 on this team and it just seems to be getting stronger.”
Day said he never felt like his slim lead over Ben Jacques-Maynes Bissell Pro Cycling) was in jeopardy – not when Ben’s brother, Andy, infiltrated a breakaway that gained three minutes at one point; not after he crashed in the feed zone on one of the 12 circuits of the 7.5-mile Sunset Loop; and not when Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare pb Maxxis) was set up by his team for the sprint finish to earn a potential race-winning 10-second time bonus.
Ben Jacques-Maynes finished second and Will Routely led a 3-4-5 finish by Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda. In the end, only four seconds separated the top sixth riders overall. Day became the first wire-to-wire winner of Redlands since Nathan O’Neill won a three-stage time trial, criterium, road race) edition in 2006.
Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis Sutter Home) overcame the difficult Sunset Road Race with a win.
photo © Mitchell Clinton / www.clintonphoto.com
As the men returned to the downtown for their final five laps, the final competitors exchanged positions, negotiated the turns and pushed as hard as they could, all vying for the win. As the field surged forward, chasing Luis Amaran who held the front for two laps. In the end, Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis Sutter Home) burst past the line in first with Dionne Charles (Fly V Australia) and Raymond Kreder (Holowesko Partners U23) closing quickly behind. Despite not winning the stage, Team Fly V Australia’s Ben Day was able to hold onto his overall win in the General Classification.
The Men's Final Jersey Winners: Climbers - Davide Frattini (Team Type 1),
GC Winner - Ben Day (Fly V Australia), Sprinters - Jay Thomson (Fly V Australia).
photo © SoCalCycling.com
