There was no telling who would hold onto the yellow jersey as the professional women cyclists approached the starting line of the 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic famous Sunset Road Race starting line. Pure determination was present on every face as the riders started the selective 68-mile course, with circuits in the Sunset Drive hills.

For most of the race, two were in front of the field of 20 riders. As they hammered it out through the downtown Redlands finish, Alex Wrubleski of Webcor Builders charged, drilling across the line first, and not only winning today’s stage race, but narrowly beating Mara Abbott of High Road for the overall 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic win, by a slim one second margin. Leigh Hobson of Cheerwine and Kim Anderson of High Road were second and third for today’s stage race, respectively.

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After battling it out with her breakaway companions, Katherine Carroll, from Aaron’s sprinted to a big win in Stage One. Former Canadian national champion, Alex Wrubleski, from Webcor Builders followed with second; and Leigh Hobson, from Cheerwine grabbed third. Mara Abbott, from High Road, just a few seconds behind in a group that bridged to the breakaway kept the yellow jersey, coming off of her win at Thursday’s Prologue race.

The pro women cyclists lined up to complete 4 laps of 17.5 miles in the 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic Stage One Circuit race in Beaumont, Calif.
This year’s course required a different strategy from the former Oak Glen Stage One race. The 17.5 mile course took the riders through Beaumont’s rolling hills, bordered by open fields. Bogart Park provided a grueling hill that threw some of the hardest obstacles. After the steep climb, the wind to be difficult for the riders.

Some found the challenging course inviting. “I thought the course was fantastic,” said Hobson. “It was definitely a challenge with the climb, but it wasn’t as selective as a mountain top finish. Teams could race more aggressively.”

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