Haedo returns to Redlands success

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Eight years on from his last victory in the Redlands Classic Criterium, Juan Jose Haedo returned from his six-year stint in the WorldTour to claim another victory in downtown Redlands. The Jamis-Hagens Berman recruit out-kicked Brad Huff (Jelly Belly/Kenda) for the stage honours, with his teammate Luis Amaran rolling in for third.

"It's really nice to win," Haedo said, recalling the last time he won stages in 2005 at the criterium and in 2006 in the Sunset Road Race. The Argentinean began his career racing in the USA, and came back to the Jamis team after not being renewed with Saxo Bank.

Even with six seasons at the sport's highest level, Haedo said it wasn't easy to get the victory, even though he made it look dead simple. "It was difficult to win back then, and it's still difficult to win here," he told Cyclingnews. "I got a really good preparation this winter, and it was good to get a result for the team after all the guys made such a sacrifice. It made me dig even deeper to try to win because you saw the guys really stepped it up this year. I had to do it for them."

Huff, who was sixth in the Beaumont Circuit, also coming second behind the breakaway to Haedo yesterday, was "closer" but said Haedo used the tactic of opening up a small gap to the wheel of Amaran in the final half lap. "I tried to get around him, but he had it pretty controlled. I was on his wheel coming out of the corner, but he was the fastest guy," Huff said.

Race leader Chad Haga (Optum Pro Cycling) added one second to his advantage over Francisco Mancebo (5 Hour Energy) by out-sprinting the Spaniard in the intermediate bonus. Amaran moved himself up from seventh to fifth overall by winning that same sprint, and adding another four seconds on the finish, but said that wasn't part of the plan.

"I was in a good position and saw the GC guys going for it, and I decided to jump in," Amaran said. "It's hard to change the overall classification on the final day, but we have a strong team and will try."

For Haga, defending the lead was a real relief. "We expected Mancebo to go for it in the intermediate sprint, and he did. I just had to be ready. I jumped on his wheel when he went - I think I could have taken the sprint, but I got a little boxed in, but I did manage to beat Mancebo in that one and take one more second.

"Candelario is our sprinting ace, and he was guiding me around. He delivered me to Mancebo's wheel at the start of the sprint and all I had to do was come around."

Optum team manager Jonas Carney said it's been "interesting" racing down two men, as the rest of the team tackles its spring European campaign.

"Normally if we were in yellow we'd put eight guys on the front and just control it, but we knew we were coming here without a team that can ride the front. The other teams have their objectives, and they know that if they want time bonuses, they need to ride. This isn't our preference, but it is what it is..."

The final stage on the shorter, hilly Sunset Road circuit will be difficult to control. "It will be a hard day," Haga said. "Mancebo is going to try to win, so we have to be ready for it."

Hat trick for Powers in yellow

In the women's race, Alison Powers (Now & Novartis for MS) claimed her third consecutive stage, timing her last lap acceleration to perfection to hold off Joelle Numainville (Optum Pro Cycling) and Loren Rowney (Specialized-lululemon). Powers extended her advantage over Tayler Wiles (Specialized-lululemon), while Brianna Wiles (Optum) remained in third overall.

The Now & Novartis team of Powers put on another display of perfect teamwork, controlling all of the attacks to keep the race together for their leader. Alison Tetrick (Exergy-Twenty 16) put in the first move of the day, going solo for five laps before succumbing to the chase. Optum's Denise Ramsden was the only other lengthy escape of the day, but there was no breaking the grip of Now & Novartis.

Powers used her years of experience in this race to time her jump perfectly. While Specialized-lululemon took to the front mid-way through the final lap to lead out Australian Loren Rowney, Powers slotted in on her wheel and jumped with three tight turns to go.

"When you've done a finish ten times, you figure it out," Powers said. "I won the Sunset Road Race (which finishes on the same circuit) twice, and saw how it could be done in the criterium."

Powers was amazed at her team's performance, and for her turn-around in fortune in this year's race: from her dominating time trial victory to her two sprint wins, it's been a relief after many years of coming second.

"I've just been the queen of second place over the past year. And two years ago, I broke my elbow in this criterium: so instead of going to the hospital I'm heading to the podium, so that's always nice!"

Break falls short in action-packed men's race

The men's 90-minute criterium had just two sprints for time bonuses, offering up just one realistic opportunity at the mid-race sprint for the overall contenders to chisel away at Haga's slim lead. The early race primes provided an impetus for several small and short-lived breakaways, but the 5 Hour Energy-Kenda team controlled the race well, having confidence that Mancebo could take the time.

However, when it came to the sprint bonus, it was the Jamis-Hagens Berman boys who lined up single file and delivered Luis Amaran to the three-second bonus. Haga managed to sneak in just ahead of Mancebo, and tacked one more second onto his overall lead.

It wasn't until 25 minutes to go that a promising break would go free: Eric Marcotte (Elbowz), Olympian Bobby Lea (SmartStop/Mtn Khakis) and Pat McCarty (Bissell) were joined by Matt Green (Astellas Oncology) and briefly by Cole House (Cash Call) in a move that lasted until just before the final points sprint with five laps to go.

"Once Pat McCarty joined us it looked like we might have a chance," Lea said. "But once it became clear it wasn't going to stick, I just tried to keep us out there as long as we could to help (the team's sprinter) Isaac Howe."

The final laps played out like the finale of a Grand Tour stage, with the Jamis team setting up its lead-out train on the front, and Hincapie Devo and the Predator Cycles team itching for the stage win as well.

"We took control and we knew being in the front would be safer for me, but we didn't know if we could make it all the way to the line," Haedo said. "In the end we made it all the way. When [Luis] went he really stretched it out and no one could come around. It was a perfect tactic.

"It was a good day with Luis taking the bonifications and winning the stage."

Optum's Tom Zirbel managed to narrowly avoid disaster: the third placed rider overall flatted with five laps to go, just inside the 3km mark, luckily avoiding any time loss.

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