Noah Granigan (Denver Disruptors) wins stage 1 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic(Image credit: Snowy Mountain Photography)
Kyle Murphy (L39ion of LA) debuted his stars and stripes jersey(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
CS Velo came to the front to disrupt the chase to protect Alan Schroeder, who was in the break(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
In Highland Circuit, the break of the day went away three-quarters into the race and five escapees stuck it to the line.jpg(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Men's stage 1 podium (L to R): second place Robin Carpenter (L39ION of Los Angeles), winner Noah Granigan (Denver Disruptors) and Richard Arnopol (Project Echelon) in third(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Noah Granigan (Denver Disruptors) took out the uphill sprint victory in the Redlands Classic opening stage in Highlands. Robin Carpenter (L39ION of Los Angeles) was second with Richard Arnopol (Project Echelon) in third.
The field stayed together across the first half of the 20-lap circuit race that covered a total of 58.1 miles. The first intermediate bonus and second of three mountains classification points were up for grabs with 12 laps to go, and those skirmishes ignited movement among the top teams. Former Mexican road champion Eder Frayre started the accelerations for L39ION, followed by Arnopol, and a break was made.
“We went pretty late in the race. We were kept on a tight leash. We were working really well together and then it was just a drag to the finish,” said Arnopol.
In the final lap there were six riders together in an established break, with a minute over the field. Carpenter and Granigan took over at the front to battle for victory.
“It was a good situation. No one was attacking [in the final 2.9-mile lap] until we got to the bottom of the hill. It was just about being patient, until you can see the banner to really open it up," Granigan said about his final move. "The boys were good, with me in the break and we had Riley Sheehan and Reinardt [Janse van Rensberg] finish 1-2 in the field sprint.”
Thursday's stage 2 begins at 10 a.m. PDT for the 90-mile City of Yucaipa Road Race.
Results
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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
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