We caught up with busy BenO, as he’s better known, last month at the Tour of California and threw some quickfire questions at him. Check it out!

Also, if you missed the full on interview with Ben by Lyne Lamoureux, you can still read it on our Tour of California coverage blog, here.

Colorado Springs, CO - Carmichael Training Systems, Inc. is now the official coaching authority of the U23 Colombian National Team. Colombia has a rich history in professional cycling, and CTS is proud to contribute to the development of the next generation of Colombian cycling champions. “These young men are coming up through the ranks,” said CTS Founder Chris Carmichael, who raced in Colombia in the late 70s and early 80s as a young amateur on the US National Cycling Team. “They are the future of the elite team and we are excited to help them reach their long term goal of riding in the Tour de France.”

The Colombian team boasts a tremendous amount of talent. With Under-23 World Cycling Champion, Fabio Duarte, and Colombian National Champion Sergio Henao Montoya, the team already has a proven record of success at home and abroad. Going directly to the top, the coaches and directors of U23 Colombian National team contacted CTS for help with their training and nutrition program. “We were happy to help out and work in conjunction with the coaches on the ground,” says CTS Premier Coach Jim Lehman.

In January, Chris Carmichael and a team of four CTS Coaches headed to Colombia for one week to get to know the riders, optimize their cycling positions, and teach them to use power meters. Premier Coach Jim Lehman, Pro Coach Colin Izzard, Expert Coach Brady Irwin, and Senior Coach Jessica Niles, joined Chris Carmichael to provide on-site coaching in Colombia and begin the process of developing long-term coach-athlete relationships. The coaches, while now back in the US, are still able to track their athletes progress by analyzing power files and communicating with the athletes via phone and email.

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Bontrager set out to create a tire that excelled in aerodynamics and rolling resistance. We put this tire up against the competition and it did not disappoint. In fact, once you hit 17 mph* you start to shave seconds off your ride compared to the next best-in-class tire. We’re talking about an increase of:

• 6.37 seconds in a 10k time trial
• 31 seconds in a 40k time trial
• 183 seconds (more than 3 minutes) during an Ironman cycling leg.

This translates into quicker time trials, more energy after the cycling stage of a triathlon or your fastest commute ever.

* with a 10 mph headwind

To learn more, stop by the Bontrager booth at the 70.3 Ironman event in Oceanside, California on April 2nd and 3rd.

Redlands, Calif. — It is a rare opportunity for a community to stand together and applaud the efforts of the tireless men and women who fight for their freedom. It is an even rarer occurrence that they are able to witness selfless generosity that humbly thanks these men and women. The final day of the 2009 Redlands Bicycle Classic, presented by PossAbilities in partnership with CH& E Investments, gave the city of Redlands both. Chris Burnell, president, CH & E Investments presented three veterans with a $10,000 grant facilitated through PossAbilities to honor them for their heroic efforts overseas and the sacrifices they made that left them with a disability.

Recipients
Davey Lind of Chino is a master sergeant that served in Desert Storm, Afghanistan and three tours in Iraq. Twenty-one months ago he was in a roadside bomb explosion that led to a bi-lateral amputation of his legs. Despites the incident, Lind has always kept himself going to be an example to the community and his family. “I’ve been doing adventures sports for the last 20 years, just in a military uniform,” said Lind. “I’m now looking at things I can do as I retire and move onto the civilian side of things.” Lind frequently golfs and stays active whenever he finds the time. With three children and one on the way in July, Lind strives to show his family how to keep going, no matter the circumstances.

Randell Leoncio was a hospital corpsman Third Class in the Navy — the medical for the Marine Corps. He served in Ramadi, Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005, Leoncio was in a vehicle on a convoy when an IED resulted in an above the knee amputation. Despite the accident, Leoncio is an active athlete, snowboarding, handcycling and running. “There was a lot to get over when I came back,” said Leoncio. “You have to stay strong for your family. I was motivated to get back to walking, snowboarding. I had to make a choice: Are you going to be a party pooper, or are you going to live your life. I had a family to think of and my whole future.” Now, Leoncio works at Balboa Hospital in San Diego in C5 Primary Care as a health tech taking care of Marines and other soldiers.

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Jackson Stewart wins stage, Jeff Louder keeps lead

BMC found itself relishing a perfect ending to a well-executed game plan as Jackson Stewart snatched the stage victory away from the pure sprinters participating at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Though the team spent the majority of the 90 minute criterium controlling the race on the front of the pack, Stewart conserved enough in the gas tank to take the well-deserved win. BMC’s Brent Bookwalter rode to third on the day, grabbing his second podium finish at this year’s Redlands.

Staying up front and out of trouble
BMC had every confidence that they would be able to defend the leader’s jersey in the criterium, though with the speed and dangers present in a nine corner crit, no one could feel overly secure. “Our guys are professionals and know how to ride,” General Manager Gavin Chilcott said. “For our European members, the first US crit is a shock to the system though, so it benefited us that we were taking the race from the front.” The day’s game plan would focus on conserving Stewart to go for the stage win while keeping Louder safe and rested in order to defend the overall lead into Sunday. “We had a good game plan going into the stage, and the guys executed it perfectly,” Chilcott explained. “It was really exciting to see them work so well; this is probably the best I’ve ever seen the team ride together.” Though criterium racing is not a team specialty, every member had his job to do and executed it perfectly. “We had a 100% contribution from everyone and allowing for certain
variables in how the race would unfold, the plan was executed perfectly by everyone,” Chilcott reiterated. Race leader Jeff Louder couldn’t have been happier with the way the team rode: “The guys rode amazingly, I was under zero pressure all day. They were like a freight train.”

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Redlands, Calif. — Kori Seehafer didn’t set out to go after the sprint jersey Saturday at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

The Team Type 1 rider said she was only taking advantage of a tremendous lead-out by teammate Jacqueline Crowell on the first of three special point sprints during the hour-long City of Redlands Criterium through the streets of Downtown Redlands.

“In the first one, Jackie did a lead-out for me, so I felt responsible to sprint,” Seehafer said. “I wasn’t sure what the point standings where and wasn’t aiming for the jersey at the beginning of the race, but I thought that if I won all of them today I might wear the sprint jersey.”

The Louisville, Colo., resident did win all three of the sprints but came up two points short of earning the special green jersey that goes to the sprint classification winner. That jersey stays on the shoulders of Ina Yoko Teutenberg (Team Columbia-Highroad), who maintained her lead in the competition by earning her second straight stage victory.

Team Type 1 placed three riders in the top 20 on Saturday’s Stage 2: Alison Powers was fifth, Samantha Schneider was 11th and Seehafter was 17th.

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Redlands, Calif. — With their heads down and legs pumping, the women’s Stage Two criterium cyclists rocketed forward through downtown Redlands’ 1.2-mile course, determined to claim victory. The 2009 Redlands Bicycle Classic, presented by PossAbilities in partnership with CH& E Investments, hosted world class racing that came down to the final seconds. For the second day in a row, Team Columbia Highroad’s Ina Yoko Teutenberg took the win with evergreen Tina Pic of Colavita Sutter Home and Webcor Builders Cycling Team’s Gina Grain finishing milliseconds behind.

The field thinned halfway through the race with two distinct groups emerging, separated from each other by half a lap. Team members worked together, focusing on the stage win, as well as their overall strategy that encompasses another day of tough racing. “I didn’t go for points today,” said Teutenberg. “I wasn’t allowed to attack because I need to save my energy for tomorrow. It is very hard to pass people here. If you come around the corner second wheel, you will end second wheel.”

For more information, including race times, distances, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.redlandsclassic.com.

Redlands, Calif. — Team Type 1’s Alison Powers climbed into third place overall following a wind-swept afternoon of racing Friday at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Powers finished seventh in the 72-mile (116 km) women’s race that comprised three laps of a 24-mile (39 km) circuit around Beaumont, Calif. On the final time up the climb through Bogart County Park, only 30 of the 138 starters made the decisive split – including Powers and Team Type 1 teammate Kori Seehafer.

But the sustained 30 mph winds ­– with gusts up to 45 mph – wreaked further havoc on the small group as it made its way toward the finish in downtown Beaumont. The runner-up in Thursday’s prologue, Mara Abbott (Team Columbia-Highroad), was one of those left behind and forced to chase.

The 12-second gap between the front group of 15 and the rest of the field allowed Powers to move up one spot on the overall classification. The Boulder, Colo., resident is now 37 seconds behind race leader Amber Neben (Nurnberger Shoair). Ina Yoko Teutenberg (Team Columbia-Highroad), the winnner of Friday’s race, is second overall, 14 seconds behind Neben.

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Redlands, CA – Team TIBCO took over the first stage of the Redlands Classic Friday, the hilly and wind-blown Beaumont road race. After breaking the race apart, the team deliver Lauren Tamayo to 3rd place on the stage, and then took the next three placings as well, with Katharine Carroll, Meredith Miller and Jo Kiesanowski. Julie Beveridge was 13th.

“The team rode really well today,” said Team TIBCO directeur sportif Jeff Corbett. “It was a hard day all around. The wind was a big factor. When the bunch had a tailwind, they were going 50 mph. When it was a headwind, they were working to go 10 or 12. And the crosswinds were rough.”

The team used the crosswinds to their advantage at every opportunity. “Whenever we hit the crosswinds, we used our numbers to drive it and hurt the field,” Carroll said.

And there was plenty of hurt inflicted. The front group that came to the finish line together contained only 25 survivors out of 138 riders who started the day, including the five Team TIBCO riders. How much damage did Team TIBCO actually do today? Of those 138 starters, only 96 made time cut.

The attrition went on over the first two of three roughly 39km laps. “Coming into lap three, we created a situation where were able to get Jo and Julie off the front,” Carroll said. “We knew it was a dangerous move and it forced teams like Colavita to put in some hard chasing.”

That move stayed away for about 30 km, and came back at the base of the final climb up through Bogart Park. What was left of the bunch rode tempo to the top. “After being off the front, Julie and I were just going to try to make it over the top but we both felt really good on the climb,” Kiesanowski said.

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Redlands, Calif. — Spinning wheels battled howling winds as cyclists fought hard to the finish at Friday’s 2009 Redlands Bicycle Classic Stage One race in Beaumont, Calif. The race, presented by PossAbilities in partnership with CH&E Investments, featured world class athletes vying for a stage win and strong positions toward the overall win.

Today’s events started with an 18-mile handcycle course that tore through downtown Beaumont with world class athletes competing for the win. The men’s and women’s Stage One race unfolded over a 22.3-mile loop that the men completed four times and the women three.

The courses long leg stretches usually feature fast-paced sprints, but the wind turned the area into a more strategic battlefield. The hills on the course hurt, but the wind was more challenging, said the women’s first place finisher Ina Yoko Teutenberg with team Columbia Highroad. You really have to be mentally alert because there could be a breakaway at any minute and you can’t let it get away from you.

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