39th Edition Kicks off with Lake Perris Time Trial
A Historic Return with New Changes
The Redlands Bicycle Classic presented by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians returns with some exciting changes for its 40th year of racing in Southern California. The 39th edition will begin this Wednesday, April 9th with the Toyota of Redlands Lake Perris Time Trial in Riverside County, ending with the iconic Sunset Loop, celebrating the finale in Downtown Redlands on Sunday, April 13. The race was paused for one year in 2020 due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, making its return in 2021.
Schedule Shakeup: New Stage, Highland Dropped
This year the City of Highland Circuit Race will be missing from the lineup, which has traditionally opened the week of racing. Due to the changes, race organizers chose to flip the time trial to the first stage, while adding a new Crafton Hills circuit stage in its place.
Missing Champions and Notable Absences
Missing among the peloton are time trial winners from last season – Emily Ehrlich (Twenty28 Pro Cycling) and Tyler Stites (Project Echelon) – Stites would go on to notch another overall Redlands Bicycle Classic title to his palmerès. The winning times set on the course were a lightning fast 24:21 for the women and 22:20 for the men.
Redlands Bicycle Classic where legends are born has long been a place to shine for young talent, garnering the attention of top teams overseas for many of the past winners of the race.
Rising Careers: Stites and Ehrlich Shine Abroad
Stites was signed at the end of the season by ProTeam Caja Rural in Spain after winning Redlands for a third time, and earning his first Tour of the Gila overall title days later. Meanwhile, Ehrlich is now concentrating her efforts on the track, currently racing the Pan American Track Championships where she earned her first gold in the individual pursuit for Virginia Blue Ridge Twenty28 last week.
Lake Perris Time Trial Launches the Race
Racing will commence Wednesday with the scenic 11.7-mile TT course, after making its debut last season with rave reviews from riders welcoming the change. Stites said of his winning ride, “It was a really fun course, lots of twists and turns which was completely different than last year’s straight out and back. I didn’t know if I was going to perform the same. I had a lot of fun out there.”
Queen Stage: The Climb to Onyx Summit
The race against the clock will launch the general classification battle right from the start, awarding the first yellow jerseys of the week before the riders attack the Onyx mountain stage the following day and the first King/Queen of the Mountain points. Race organizers hope an adjustment to the first half of the queen stage will reduce the peloton prior to the start of the climb. 2024 saw a larger group than had been anticipated, reach the finishing line in the men’s race.
The pro men will start first at 9:30 with a 2.7-mile circuit, completing a total of ten laps before heading up the climb, followed by the women at 10:30 who will complete six laps. The Onyx summit sits at an elevation of 8,443 ft. (2,573m), earning the title as the highest mountain pass in Southern California, and the second longest climb in the state at 29.9 miles in length. Depending on the time gaps following the opening TT, the climb up to the Onyx summit will witness an epic GC battle and points in the mountains classification, for only the second time in history. Riders will face close to 6,000 ft. of vertical gain, averaging 3.9% gradient with peaks at 8%.
Stage 2 Recap: Gontova’s Breakthrough
Nadia Gontova soared to the finish last year with a solo victory on stage 2, moving into the yellow jersey that she would defend to the end, winning her first overall title. She also took home the Queen of the Mountain classification for her efforts. The Canadian talent would continue racing a stellar season, earning the attention of a French ProTeam squad, Winspace Women’s Cycling Team in Europe, moving her up the ranks for 2025.
Stage 3: New Crafton Hills Circuit
Following the ascent up to the Onyx Summit, stage 3 will feature a new 4.6-mile circuit road race in Crafton Hills. After two days of tough racing, the new circuit will provide opportunities to gain important points in the King of the Mountain competition ahead of Sunday’s Sunset Loop.
The women’s race begins first at 8:30 A.M., racing 9 laps of the circuit, followed by the pro men at 10:45, racing 12 laps. The course includes a canyon road descent, a scenic climb, and a short unpaved section. Once the peloton heads out from the start, they will face a quick descent before hitting a rolling Fifth Ave. As they make a narrow left onto Walnut Street, climbing gently before continuing to a steep climb through tight curves on Overcrest Drive. Then, a sharp 330-degree left onto unpaved Tennessee Road for 200 meters before winding their way up a short and fast climb, reaching the finish. Time will tell if the stage will benefit the punchy sprinters in the bunch, or should the GC battle remain tight, the day will prove another tough one in the saddle for those fighting for the overall.
Saturday: Family Fun and Downtown Crit Showdown
The riders head back to Downtown Redlands Saturday for a fun-filled day of festivities for the entire family, with the famed school duel races, along with a gran fondo, expanded expo to celebrate the 40 years of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, all before the pros put on a show for Stage 4 Arrowhead Orthopaedic Downtown Criterium.
The technical 9-turn, 1-mile long course has brought a thrilling show for the many fans that line the circuit. The penultimate day of racing will be a fight to further secure the sprint points classification before heading into the finale on Sunday.
Crit Favorites: Sprint Stars Return
Last season, Project Echelon’s Scott McGill stole the top step to make it a third stage win for Project Echelon. McGill will be returning once again with a strong squad, hoping to take another victory for the team.
Skylar Schneider won the sprint for the pro women last season, but has since made her much expected return to the WorldTour this season. Her past teammate, Kendall Ryan racing for L39ion of Los Angeles will be a heavy favorite in her absence. Ryan arrives to Southern California after winning the Inaugural Redbull Roundabout Rumble this past weekend in Indianapolis. After a full day of events and crit racing Saturday, riders will want to rest the legs ahead of the infamous Sunset Loop for the grand finale.
The Grand Finale: Sunset Loop
Heading into the final day, time margins have been tight in the general classification in past editions. In 2023, Tyler Stites had less than a 30-second lead at the start of the final stage, later becoming isolated on the loop but fought incredibly hard to earn his second overall title by a mere 14-seconds ahead of AJ August who finished second that season. Team tactics will be key for both the stage win and defending the general classification for the final day of racing.
The women will begin the day at 10 AM, facing 9 laps on Sunset compared to the 12 on the menu for the pro men. Many will be fighting through the undulating hills and punchy climbs up on Sunset, hoping to make it to the final circuit in Downtown for the finale. The pro men will start their stage later in the afternoon at 2 PM after which the 39th duo of champions in the pro men’s and women’s fields will celebrate a hard fought and well-earned week of racing.
Race Details
For more information and to spectate visit www.redlandsclassic.com.
Top photo – Tyler Stites (Project Echelon) races into yellow, winning Lake Perris Time Trial (2024 © VeloImages)
