Team Type 1 Shows Solid Form at San Dimas
Atlanta — As the NRC calendar bears down upon the American peloton, Team Type 1 was in San Dimas, California for the San Dimas Stage Race. The three-stage race, which has become a mainstay of the early domestic season, served as the final tune-up for Team Type 1’s Fabio Calabria, Will Dugan, Ken Hanson, Dan Holt, Davide Fratini, Scott Stewart and Martijn Verschoor before they turn their attention to the season’s first major goal, the Redlands Bicycle Classic.
Friday’s Glendora Time Trial covered six uphill kilometers, and was as pure a test of early-season fitness as a rider can find. Leading the way for Team Type 1 was Will Dugan, who started his first full season with the team on the right foot. Dugan’s 24th place finish was only 57 seconds behind eventual winner Ben Day, and showed that Dugan will be a rider for the future.
Saturday’s San Dimas Road Race highlighted a consistently aggressive Team Type 1, who made repeated attempts to pick the day’s correct breakaway. “Every single attack we had someone in the [resulting] breakaway,” said team director Vassili Davidenko. In the end, it was Frattini who made the day’s split, and managed to hang on to the leading group to take home fifth place. Not to be outdone, Ken Hanson was determined to prove himself the best sprinter in the field, and came away with the victory in the field sprint. “Ken almost got Davide at the finish line. It was a chance to see that Ken has some really good form,” said Davidenko. “Going into the last stage, we were very excited to see what he was doing to do.”
Sunday again saw Team Type 1 put itself in a good position for victory, and with a mix of aggressive racing and superb positioning. Team Type 1 was on the attack for the second day in a row, and Davidenko pointed out that the team was never far from the action. “Every single major break, we were there.” When it became clear that the race would be decided by a field sprint, the team turned its focus to delivering Hanson to the line.
“On the final lap, the guys did a great job to put Ken in the right direction.” Hanson, unfortunately, found himself boxed in by riders in the lead up to the finish, but still was able to sprint home to fourth place. “Once you find yourself in a position like that, it’s really difficult to win,” said Davidenko. “The overall experience was positive. I believe with time we can have a really good season.”
Thanks to his ability to get into the correct breakaway, Davide Frattini led the way for the team on the general classification, finishing the weekend in 23rd. Fabio Calabria, a rider with Type 1 diabetes, rode a consistent weekend to an overall 27th place finish.
With the San Dimas Stage Race in the books, Team Type 1 can look to the Redlands Bicycle Classic and the Tour of Morocco with an abundance of confidence and the fitness to fight for the overall victory.
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