Atlanta — The American NRC circuit was finally in full swing as Team Type 1 headed to Redlands, California for the Redlands Bicycle Classic for four days of intense domestic racing action. Team Type 1 brought a balanced squad of riders to both chase stage wins and overall classifications.
When the dust settled, Team Type 1 emerged with its first classification jersey of the season.
Davide Frattini highlighted a strong weekend by securing the climber’s jersey thanks to a strong final day in the saddle, and proved that Team Type 1 will be a team to watch for in any situation.
Thursday’s uphill time trial set the stage for what would be a hectic four days, and a number of blistering paces did little to settle the race’s overall classification.
Just under a minute behind the day’s victor was Team Type 1’s Scott Stewart, who led the way with a time of 10:08.9 over the 3.1-kilometer course. Another ten seconds behind was Will Dugan, who had his second strong time trial in as many weeks.
Dan Holt was on the move early in Friday’s stage 1, a 105.7-kilometer road stage that had the potential to shake up the general classification. The breakaway was never going to stay away for the entire day, and Holt returned to the peloton to help guide Team Type 1’s sprint specialist Ken Hanson to the line in what would most likely be a bunch sprint. In the end, a last-minute attack of three riders was able to foil the sprinters’ hopes, but Hanson was able to mix it up in the finale, finishing the day in 11th.
Saturday’s criterium would put Team Type 1’s lead out train on display, as the peloton stared down one of the most technical courses they will see this season. As they had done on Friday, Team Type 1 kicked up the early pace, this time with Will Dugan putting in the day’s first attack. Despite his best efforts, he was back in the peloton before he could do any damage, thanks to the chasing efforts of the other sprinters’ teams.
The peloton had little trouble keeping any subsequent dangerous attacks at bay, and as they reached the final laps of the day, a mass dash to the line was in order. Team Type 1’s train attempted to overhaul the rest of the sprinters as they headed to the finish, and had Hanson squarely in the mix as the sprint unfolded. Hanson had another excellent day, taking home eighth place.
Sunday’s Sunset Road Race would be a day to remember for Team Type 1 and one of its star riders, Davide Frattini. After two of the scheduled twelve circuits of the “Sunset Loop,” ten riders pulled clear of the peloton and quickly assembled a 30 second advantage over the field. Sensing that this would be the move of the day, Frattini bridged across the gap alone half a lap later. With the breakaway makeup settled, the group set about increasing their cushion, and Frattini set about his assault on the climber’s jersey.
Frattini appeared the most motivated of the leaders to keep the breakaway alive, and was frequently seen pulling up the steep ascent to the King of the Mountain point. Frattini was third across the line at the second climber’s point (with nine laps to go), first at the third climber’s point (with seven laps to go), first at the fourth climber’s point (with five laps to go) and third at the fifth climber’s point (with three laps to go). Frattini would end the day with 22 points in the climber’s competition, enough to best Jelly Belly’s Kiel Reijnen by four points.
Thanks in large part to Frattini’s efforts, the group entered the final kilometers of the stage with a slim lead over the peloton. The finale covered five laps of Saturday’s criterium course, and the hope was to survive long enough to grab victory. Working against the team was the presence of Andy Jacques-Maynes, who was only thirty seconds back on the overall classification.
The eagerness of the remaining sprinters and the dangerous makeup of the lead group made victory a long shot, and with four laps to go, the group came back together for a final sprint. Team Type 1 was without its pure sprinters, but had the multi-talented Will Dugan in the mix to take home another strong finish. Dugan crossed the line in twelfth, notably ahead of Hilton Clarke, who had won Saturday’s criterium.
Team Type 1 had one of the strongest weekends of any team in attendance, finishing fourth on the overall team classification and winning the climber’s jersey, it’s first classification jersey win of the season. Frattini was also the team’s best-placed rider, overall, finishing 53 seconds behind the win in 28th place. Tied on time, but one spot behind Frattini was Scott Stewart, who finishing in 29th place, also 53 seconds behind. Will Dugan rode another very strong weekend to 35th, while Fabio Calabria, a rider with Type 1 diabetes, crossed the line 2:37 behind in 47th place.
A strong at the Redlands Bicycle Classic has Team Type 1 looking forward to what promises to be a season full of success.
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