Ben Day (Fly V Australia) stays tucked in and safe behind teammates.(Image credit: Jon Devich)
Ben Day (Fly V Australia) went home with more things than he had hands for.(Image credit: Jon Devich)
Ben Day (Fly V Australia) definitely worked hard this week for his second big win in two weekends.(Image credit: Jon Devich)
Fly V Australia concluded a successful block of racing in California when all-rounder Ben Day won his second consecutive stage race at the Redlands Bicycle Classic on Sunday. The team is poised to turn its attention to the Tour of California, May 16-23.
Day won the San Dimas Stage Race held last weekend where he started and ended the race in the leader's jersey. Next, the team traveled to the Redlands Bicycle Classic to compete in the four-stage event where Day again won the prologue. Through the efforts of his team, he held the leader's jersey until the final stage.
"I am a little bit surprised this week," Day told Cyclingnews. "These races kind of suit me a bit with the time trial at the beginning of the races but I've never expected to have the form that I have had at these races. I am about halfway through my preparation whereas in other years I was a lot more on the gun."
Manager Chris White launched the Fly V Australia team at the end of 2008,with the primary objectives to become the leading professional team in North America and Australia this season, whilst becoming Professional Continental in 2011 and Australia's first ProTour team in 2012.
"We are aiming very high and we're very ambitious - so far we are reaching all of our aims," Day continued. "We hope to be in Europe next year and then in the ProTour. To do that we need to remain humble, keep working and never think that we've done enough."
Day finished eighth overall at the Tour of California in 2007 and is hoping his team receives an invitation to this year's event. "The Tour of California is a very big goal for us. That is what our focus is on now. It's pretty hard tackling the ProTour guys after they've been racing the ProTour races in Europe. They are racing so hard week in and week out," he explained.
"If we can go there, have a good showing, win a stage or two, animate and be a part of the race and if I could have a good general classification result, then we will be very happy with that," he added.
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For now, Day and his Fly V Australia teammates will take time to celebrate their achievements before preparing for the next series of races at the Tour of the Gila and Joe Martin Stage Race.
"I'm really motivated and happy to be in this position right now," said Day. "We are going to enjoy it but we are back to work this week and we have some really big goals in mind. We want to show the world that Fly V Australia is a team to be reckoned with and a team that needs to be noticed."
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
