Redlands Classic, California 1 - 6 April 2003

Helen wearing the Sprint leaders jersey with overall leader G. Jeanson of Canada
Helen + Team + Bike	Helen + Team	Helen looking chuffed!
On the Podium!	Helen + Team + Dog	Back on the Podium

Nifty shoe-covers supplied by Sockguy!



Also, CyclingNews has Helen looking composed.

I woke up for today's prologue with a few nerves. Not only because of the race ahead of me but because I my Salsa was being built before race start and I was hoping it would fit me properly. The bottom bracket of my TCR zero Giant had jammed during the Solano Classic and I had ridden the final stage on a neutral bike. As soon as this happened I made arrangements to have the Salsa delivered to me at the race prologue. (Thanks to Ian Prime, from San Diego who drove to Redlands to deliver it to me).

So I met Ian at 8.30am at the race start and our mechanic Chad Contreras set to work. I had all my measurements from the Cycle Fit kit that John had done for me in Melbourne. In addition to Chad who worked tirelessly all week on my bike to do setup adjustments, I would like to thank a number of other people that helped contribute to the building of my Salsa. John from Mavic neutral support lent me a rear wheel for the duration of the race as I didn't have a campy compatible hub converter for my Kyzrium. T Mobile helped out with head stem spacers, Josh Kerr lent me his 12mm bright red profile head stem (and told me it is good to sprint with - I agree with him!!). Dave and Mike at Sierra Nevada gave me cabling to recable the bike in order to fit a longer head stem on, while Mike of Amoroso gave me a wheel magnet. I am so grateful to all of you, because otherwise I would have been on a neutral bike again or without a bike at all.

I won't dwell on the prologue but after getting on the Salsa only 40 minutes before my start I knew the set-up wasn't quite right. I rode a terrible prologue, and later realised my seat was too low and I needed to get 4cm further back behind the bottom bracket. Also I hadn't ridden on campy running gear before so I was very unfamiliar with changing gears. That night I put an urgent order into Dave at Salsa who rapidly shipped out some longer head stems and a seat post shim for me so I could use a seat post with a setback.

Our goal for Redlands
On the ride home from the prologue, I was chatting to my teammate Joan and told her that I was planning to win the green Sprint Jersey. My Australian coach, John Beasley had told me not to be surprised with my results this year and so I had decided the green jersey would be a good goal.

Joan, who has raced at Redlands many times before, gently warned me that Redlands is one of the toughest stage races in the US. She told me about the steep climbs, mentioned dozens of world-class riders who would be racing and suggested that I don't be too ambitious with myself. However, with a good team behind me and a lot of determination we did win that green jersey. Here's how it happened.

Stage 1

Distance: 66km

Highland circuit race - 8 laps

Each 8km lap had a 3-tiered climb with the steepest section approaching a 15% gradient. There was a long descent immediately after the climb which allowed most of the peloton to regroup.

The circuit race had 2 sprints at the start/finish line on laps 6 and 4. The start/finish line was slightly uphill and had a headwind. I need a long sprint and am more powerful over a longer distance, so with 400m to go, I pulled out and started my sprint. With 50m to go, I could see Nicole Freedman (Basis) on my left and dropped it down a gear and really dug. It was a really close sprint but I won it.

Sprint number 2 didn't go so well. Melissa Sanborn (Intermountain Cycling) was on my wheel and with 300m to go she kicked to my right and had a 10m gap before I had even reacted. Another rider also started her sprint on my left and I took the centre line a little way behind them. Both of them beat me to the line giving me 3 points for 3rd. We had a huge gap on the field after this second sprint, so I took off on my own to see if I could get away. I climbed on my own before 3 riders bridged across to me. There were climber points on this lap and being first over, I took 5 climber points. And for the record this is the first time I have contested the sprint jersey and managed to earn climber points in the process.

At the end of this stage, I was equal first with Sanborn (Intermountain Cycling) in the sprint competition with 10 points apiece. As she placed higher than me in the final sprint of the day, she got the honours of wearing the green jersey.

Sprint Points:

Today I pulled out the silver Sockguy shoe covers and received a comment from Ian Prime (photographer) that I was getting serious about the sprinting today. I just agreed with him and told him that TDS would be wearing the green jersey at the end of today's stage.

Today, Anne, Shawn and I had 3 sprints to worry about and then we could sit up and ride to the finish. Our team plan was to let Joan save her legs as much as possible for the final 10km climb to the finish. A good climb by her would move her into the 20 in GC (general classification).

Sprint number one was at the 24km point in the race. Shawn hit the front at the 23km mark and it was her job not to let any riders pass her. She had only just got to the front when Ina Teutenberg (Saturn) attacked down the left side of the road. She stood up and sprinted across to Ina with Anne and I on her wheel. A few seconds later Lyne Bessette (Saturn) attacked down the other side of the road. Again Shawn jumped across to Lyn's wheel and then rode past her, driving her bike as hard as she could. With 1km to go, Shawn swung off and Anne took over. Anne sits really low on the bike, but I still had a good draft and got down in the drops waiting for the first sprint. I didn't see the 200m to go sign and Anne yelled out "200m to go, 200m to go" just as Nicole Freedman (Basis) started her sprint. That hesitation cost me the sprint because I jumped across to Nicole's wheel but she was ahead of me as we hit the line, giving her the win (7 points) and giving me second (5 points).

The next part of the race was tough. We had a 6km climb with Rona setting a wicked tempo on the front. With 500m to go, I lost contact with the front group of 12 climbers and struggled over the top in the second group with Anne. Joan had made the front group so we were happy to let the group go up the road. However, Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) was in this front group without her teammates and soon the Rona team from our group rode a hard tempo and bridged us back to the climbers.

Shawn who had absolutely buried herself for me in the first sprint, made it into the 3rd group over the climb with Nicole Freedman (Basis). Nicole was my main sprint rival for the points jersey, so it was a relief that she hadn't made it over the climb in my group. This only left Sanborn (Intermountain Cycling) to keep an eye on.

Sprint number 2 was at the 63km mark. There was a two person break of Teutenberg (Saturn) and (Barry) T Mobile ahead of us so I was sprinting for 3rd place. It was a tricky sprint immediately after a hard right hand turn. Anne moved me towards the front just as we approached the corner. Sanborn moved up to try and get my wheel, but Joan got it first and took the corner wide, forcing Sanborn to take a longer slower corner. I sprinted hard without Sanborn coming around me, giving me another 3 points.

Sprint number 3 was at the 86km mark. We had caught Teutenberg but Barry (T Mobile) was still alone off the front, so I was sprinting for second place points. There was a strong cross headwind, and Anne drove it hard up the right hand gutter, giving me a nice draft. Gaps in the peloton were opening up behind us as riders struggled to remain sheltered from the wind. I jumped with 200m to go, taking another 5 points, while Anne took 3 points. At the base of the 10km climb, I sat up and rode as slowly as I could to the finish, trying to rest my legs. Anne caught me half way up and we chatted with some other riders to the finish.

At the conclusion of the day, I had climbed into the green jersey with 23 points. Nicole Freedman (Basis) and Melissa Sanborn (Intermountain Cycling) and Dede Barry (T Mobile were trailing on 12 points each.

Sprint Points:

This race consisted of a separate 7.6km loop that we rode once only before completing 4 laps of a 16km hilly circuit. The circuit had a steady 2km climb with short 20% gradient wall about midway up, followed by another more gradual rise.

There were 2 sprints on lap 3 and 2, located at the start/finish line. I was concerned about the climb and warmed up well in preparation for the tough climbing ahead. On our first ascent of the 16km loop, Genevieve Jeanson (Rona) attacked, taking 4 riders with her. The break was represented with Saturn and Tmobile and everyone sat up and let them go.

It was a perfect situation for us. All the sprint points would be taken by these climbers and I would retain my overall lead. As soon as we knew the break was gone, I climbed as slowly as I could, to conserve energy for tomorrow. I stayed with the front group until the last lap and then dropped back into the 2nd group and rolled gently in.

Sprint Points:

Today is the last day where sprint points are available so whoever accumulates the most points today, wins the sprinters jersey for 2003. The 3 sprints to be contested were held at 45 and 30 minutes to go and 5 laps to go. Derek Wiback (Sockguy) had sent each of us a pair of lime green Sockguy shoe covers that not only matched my jersey and looked good but helped us find one another in the peloton.

The pace was exceptionally fast right from the start and I was struggling to stay towards the front. Usually I am able to sit comfortably in the top 10 but I kept slipping down to 20th wheel. I am so grateful to Joan who sat in the top 10 for the entire race and covered every dangerous attack for me. She rode so strongly and prevented a number of potential breaks from forming that would have been detrimental to our green jersey.

When the bell rang signifying sprint points on the next lap I was back in about 17th position. I tried not to panic but I had a lot of ground to make up in one lap when the speed was hovering around 45km/hr. I waited until the back section of the 9 corner course and moved right up to 5th wheel. On the 2nd last corner, Nicole Freedman (Basis) moved past me so I jumped on her wheel and she led me through the last corner. I let her tow me to the line for this sprint and took 2nd, giving me another 5 points. This put me 9 points ahead of Freedman.

Ina Teutenberg (Saturn) was away in a solo break for the 30min sprint so she claimed 7 points and I finished 2nd, earning another 5 points. Freedman was badly positioned and didn't earn any points in this sprint so I was now 14 points clear of her and with only 1 sprint remaining, had the jersey won. I didn't need to contest the final sprint but finished 4th in it just in case I had made an error with my maths during the race.

And so the sprint jersey is mine for 2003. It was a great team effort and I am humbly grateful for the 100% commitment from Anne, Shawn and Joan over the past 4 days to help me win it.

Sprint Points: