Redlands Bicycle Classic Rookies - Rallying the Troops at North America’s Biggest Stage Race

As the main contact at 4iiii Innovations for our sponsored athletes and teams, I feel as though I’m in the thick of the racing scene most of the year, albeit vicariously, through the amazing content and stats they share with us. Last week however, I got to dive head-first into the deep end of North American pro road racing, as directeur sportif (or “DS”) for the 4iiii sponsored, Manteo Racing team. The Alberta-registered men’s trade team, consisting of AB and BC talent, successfully gained an invite to America’s most prominent stage race, and as former racer for the squad, I was asked to take on a leadership role, as DS. This was the teams first entry into the event, with most of our roster competing in it for the first time, and my first time taking on this role at a competition of this level - so safe to say we were Redlands Bicycle Classic Rookies.

The Race

The Redlands Bicycle Classic is a multi-day, invitational, professional stage race held in Redlands, California. The event is the longest continuously running stage race in American cycling, dating back to 1985, and is known for its challenging courses, attracting future stars of the sport, earning the reputation “Where Legends Are Born.” Notable names to have won the race include, former Project Echelon rider, Tyler Stites, who won three consecutive editions from 2022-2024, as well as current 4iiii athlete, Phil Gaimon, who won the 2012 and 2015 editions. Phil was at the event this year, being honored by the organizers as one of the legends of the race.

The Redlands Bicycle Classic features both men’s and women’s competitions, attracting top professional and amateur cyclists from around the world. The men’s field boasted a total of 188 racers, across 26 teams, making it the biggest field myself or our riders had competed in. The 2025 edition included a variety of five challenging stages, showcasing different aspects of competitive cycling:

• Time Trial: A race against the clock, testing individual speed and endurance.
• Road Races: Mass-start races covering varying distances and terrain, including challenging climbs like the iconic Onyx Summit, and the (in)famous Sunset Loop Race.
• Criteriums: Fast-paced races on short, closed circuits, often held in downtown Redlands, drawing large crowds.

What makes this race truly special is that it’s 100% organized and run by volunteers. In a time when road racing is facing fewer races and support in North America, it’s amazing to see the passion of the Redlands community to keep this classic race thriving!

The Role

If you’ve ever watched the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, or any world class road racing events, you’ve likely noticed the ear-pieces the riders wear, or the long line of cars that follows the peloton. They’re both a part of the strategic element of professional road racing, whereby teams can communicate with their riders from the caravan of team vehicles, to update them on the time gaps, safety issues ahead, or be alerted by the rider of a mechanical issue that requires a wheel or bike change. The person overseeing this communication is known as the directeur sportif (French for “sports director”) and their role is often compared to that of a head coach in other sports.

Other key responsibilities of the directeur sportif include:

• Tactical Planning: Developing the race strategy, determining which riders will aim for the win, who will support them, and how the team will respond to different race situations.
• Race Management: During the race, they communicate with the riders via radio (when allowed), providing updates on race conditions, time gaps, and instructions. They make crucial decisions, such as when riders should attack, chase, or conserve energy.
• Logistics and Support: Oversee the team’s logistics, including ensuring riders have access to food, water, and mechanical support. They also manage the team car, which follows the race and provides assistance.
• Motivation and Leadership: Play a key role in motivating and encouraging the riders, both before and during the race. They need to be strong leaders, capable of making quick decisions under pressure.

Many directeur sportifs are former professional cyclists themselves, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role. In my case, I had a brief stint as a professional road cyclist, multiple seasons with the Canadian national road team, and previous experience DS-ing at other races such as the Junior Nations Cup, Tour de l’Abitibi, in Quebec. I was ready for this next challenge at the highest level on the continent.

The Team

Manteo Racing is a relatively new Canadian cycling trade team, formed in Alberta, making a push to compete at the highest level of competition in North America. A lot of the trade teams focus exclusively on youth development, which is important, but we also believe there are countless amazing athletes that came to the sport later in life that deserve support in their athletic goals. Our roster for Redlands Bicycle Classic reflected that belief, as it included riders ranging in age from 21-40, with several of our older riders having excelled at other sports like hockey, running and triathlon, before discovering bike racing.

I was thankful to be working with two other Manteo staff, who helped steer the ship. Together we attended race manager meetings, procured caravan vehicles, collected race numbers, filled bottles, and ice socks, packed post-race nutrition, organized spare wheels for the car, went over stage profiles with the riders, and generally tried to keep the team spirits high all week. As it was our first Redlands attendance, we kept the expectations modest from a results standpoint, preferring that our riders focus on learning and adapting to the new realities of such a large and competitive field. The fact that we were arriving to 34C temperatures from our on-again, off-again wintery conditions, added another challenge for riders and staff alike, as we went through bottles of hydration and ice-socks at a rapid rate.

Stage 1 - Time Trial (11.2miles / 18km)

Time trials are often used as the first stage of a race to establish the leader’s jerseys and give some order to the coming days. Also known as “the race of truth”, with riders tackling the course individually, separated by 30-second starting times, there’s no drafting or team tactics, just the rider vs the clock. This was our first taste of the temperatures we were in for during the week, with the pro men starting in the peak heat of the day, around 33C. Aerodynamic equipment plays a huge factor in this discipline and some riders were more equipped than others, across all teams, with those targeting a high overall placing making a point of bringing the latest tech.

Our guys had mixed results and were happy to get the first effort in the legs, with our top finisher, Olivier Hamel, taking 52nd/188 racers. We had another rider go down on a high speed corner when he suffered a mis-timed front wheel puncture. Thankfully he and his wife are both doctors, so the necessary cleaning and wrapping of the road rash was well within their skillset, after checking with the race medical crew that no other injuries were present. Crashing - the worst part of racing!

Stage 2 - Onyx Summit Road Race (75.5miles / 121.5km)

Race organizers wasted no time applying the pressure to the field after Stage 1’s relatively tame course profile. With nearly 3000m of elevation crammed into the final 50milles of the race, as it endlessly climbed to Onyx Summit, riders once again battled extreme heat (by Canadian standards) and gradients all day. An unfortunate time mechanical saw one of our riders off the back and chasing (at 400W+) before the ascent had even started. Despite a valiant effort, he was just outside the time cut at the end of the day (20% of the winning time) - along with several others. This is a harsh reality of pro racing, a mis-timed crash or mechanical can end your race pretty early.

The field blew apart once the climb began in earnest, with small groups strung out over kms of road. It was a busy and hectic day for us in the caravan, as we tried to get bottles of ice water to all our riders, in the searing heat. One of our new BC recruits, Brad Bickley, rode a well-pace effort, to punch into the top 35 on the stage and find himself as the best placed Canadian rider on GC at the end of the day, sitting 32nd overall. Not bad for a team riding its first Redlands Bicycle Classic - and while the race was far from over, a small victory worth celebrating to keep the spirits up after a brutal day in the saddle for all.

Stage 3 - Sand Canyon Circuit Race (55.2 miles / 88.8km)

The race organizers must have caught a bit of the gravel bug when planning this stage, as they dropped a few hundred meters of dusty, dirt/gravel road into the mix, for the entertainment/punishment of riders and onlookers. The constant ascending/descending nature of the course was sure to take its toll on the riders after the previous day’s effort, and the off-road section just added another launchpad for riders to attack and distance those who were really suffering. Another ill-timed mechanical saw our GC leader dropped from the main field mid-race, and down the standings as a result. Fortunately, a strong ride from our 40-yr old climbing phenom, Lee Agur, saw him move up to 34th in GC and vying for top Canadian in the race, with TaG Cycling’s Nathan Pruner. The day’s brutal parcour and lingering injuries claimed Sam Hogman, our rider who had a crash on day one, as well as Dustin Quigley - with its tight 10% time cut. At this point the race was now down to 132 racers in the Pro Men’s field, from its original 188, proving just how demanding the competition was.

Stage 4 - Criterium (90 minutes)

While no stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic could be categorized as “easy”, our five remaining riders in the race all agreed that this was the easiest day they’d had yet. The wide, sweeping corners, flat terrain and significant drafting effect of the large field, allowed the guys to sit-in and stay safe, while conserving some matches for the final showdown the following day. The teams who brought riders specifically for this stage, like L3GION, controlled the front of the race for most of the day, while our guys did their best to stay upright, in what is often the most crash-heavy discipline of a North American stage race. With no hills or significant winds to break the field up, 132 riders cornering at high-speed, in close proximity, lap after lap, the chances of a collision are high. Unfortunately, this proved to prove true, as Brad Bickley would find himself on the deck late in the race, with a broken bike and a knee injury that would see his race come to an end. The rest of the team made it safely to the finish, while all narrowly avoiding pile-ups themselves. The race continued to prove attritional on all fronts.

Stage 5 - Sunset Road Race (91.1miles / 146.6km)

Saving the best/worst for last - the infamous Sunset Road Race, with over 2200m of elevation gain, had riders reaching deep to keep contact with the ever-shrinking main peloton. With the race descending back into town, to finish on the previous day’s crit course, only the lead group would be allowed on the circuit, with all other riders being given a calculated time on the stage. All four remaining riders battled heroically, against the heat and exhausted legs. Lee Agur, was our highest placed finisher on the day, with a fitting 40th place - matching his age. In doing so, he secured 32nd overall in GC, as the second Canadian in the standings, with a total time of 11hr 21m 35s. The team finished 16th on Team GC, out of the 26 teams that started the event, another result we can be proud of as a rookie-lead squad.

Lots of power PB’s were set this week and lessons learned, both for riders and staff alike. We’re excited to take what we gained from the peak of the American cycling calendar and apply it to the rest of our season. We’ll be bouncing around the US and Canada for the remainder of the year, attending as many pro events as possible, and continuing to pave the way for future Alberta, and Canadian talent to shine on the big stage. Over and out from Redlands Bicycle Classic 2025!

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