Day, Abbott charge to victories

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Defending Champion, Ben Day (Fly V Australia) didn't disappoint the crowds when he climbed into the victory in the opening Glendora Chevrolet time trial at the 2010 San Dimas Stage Race. Day won the six-kilometre uphill event in a time of 12:53, five seconds faster than Paul Mach (Bissell) in second place and a further three seconds ahead of Sid Taberlay (California Giant Berry Farms).

"It was a great way to start the season," Day said. "I was a little bit quicker last year but I was in better form then. I’m half way through my preparation since I'd already done the Tour of California [by this stage] last year. I’m excited about coming into this season with a gradual progression in training. This is a stepping stone in my racing. We have a super strong team. The boys are really coming together and it’s very exciting."

Last year, Day won the overall title after the three days of racing ahead of Phillip Gaimon and Chris Baldwin. Today, he was the last rider to start the time trial after a long line of 157 participants in the Pro/Cat 1 men’s race. He set off after his 30-second man, Baldwin, but did not catch him before the finish line.

"How quickly we forget how much it hurts," Day said. "I had Baldwin in front of me today: a great rabbit. I never caught the rabbit but he was putting me in the hurt box. It was a benefit to be chasing him today. I went out hard and it was difficult in the middle. I knew if I was around the same time as last year then it was a good sign that I was in it for the win."

Day commended the efforts of his closest competitors Mach and Taberlay. Taberlay is the Australian National Mountain Bike Champion and no stranger to the podium.

"I don’t know him that well but I know he’s a bloody good bike rider and he’s a champion cyclist," Day said. "He comes from a different back ground of cycling than us but he’s a fierce competitor. Mach did a great ride too. There are a lot of good guys and the race is not over. There are lots of time bonuses up for grabs. But my team is riding very strong."

Abbott beats personal best on Glendora Mountain

Mara Abbott (Peanut Butter & Co TWENT12) displayed her formidable climbing prowess to win the Glendora Chevrolet uphill time trial on Friday. Abbott road to the top of Glendora Mountain Road with a winning time of 14:31, some 16 seconds faster than runner up Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia) and 19 seconds clear of her teammate Alisha Welsh in third.

"It’s exciting to see when you go to the first race with the team because you never know what is going to happen," Abbott said. "You trust your training and everything you did in the off season but it’s a relief to know that it all came together."

Abbott won the time trial in 2008 and started the day as the odds-on favourite to win the nearly six kilometre climb through the switchbacks of Glendora Mountain Road. The Boulder, native beat her previous time by 30 seconds. "Some of that might have been because it was less windy or just a faster course, not just because of training," Abbott said.

Stevens was pleased with her second place performance while racing for her new HTC-Columbia outfit. She is confident her team can pull off a winning performance by the end of this weekend. "It was a hard course but it was good competition," Stevens said. "It’s still early in the season. Any of the girls on this team are capable of winning the overall. But there is really strong competition so we will see how everyone is riding."

Abbott praised her teammate, Welsh, for her third place effort. Welsh’s result surprised some observers, but not Abbott. "We have to highlight Alisha’s ride today," she said. "There are a few people out there who realize how much talent she has but by and large there are people who've overlooked her. I am very excited to get the chance to ride with her because she’s excited about it and so talented."

Other notable performances include Robin Farina (Vera Bradley Foundation) in fourth, Carmen Small (Colavita/Baci) in fifth, Kathryn Donovan (InCycles-SCVelo) in sixth, Ina Teutenberg (HTC_Columbia) in seventh, Katharine Carroll (Peanut Butter & Company TWENTY12) in eighth, Rebecca Much (Webcor) in ninth and rounding out the top ten Courtney O’Donnell (Herbalife Lagrange).

The racing continues on Saturday, March 20 at the San Dimas Hospital Road Race held on a 12 kilometre circuit through Bonelli Park. The Pro men will take on 12 laps totalling 135 kilometres and the Pro/Elite women will complete 8 laps for a total of 70 kilometres of racing.