2012 SDSR Recap

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2012 SDSR Recap

Cat 5 Criterium Podium Demi Hechanova

San Dimas, California (March 20, 2012) - The 13th edition of the San Dimas Stage Race was an epic event. Not only did the riders have to contend with challenging courses and strong competitors, they also had to battle some weather extremes that would daunt the heartiest of cyclists. Months of preparation by race organizers and riders alike culminated in a whirlwind of activity as the race unfolded over three gray and often wet days. Glendora Mountain Road, the lanes of Bonelli Park, and the streets of downtown San Dimas were filled with color and excitement as almost 900 riders took to the roads, singly in the Time Trial and in large groups in the Road Race and the Criterium.

The Time Trail up Glendora Mountain Road kicked off the race. Starting at 8:00 AM a rider was launched every 30 seconds all day long on a solitary quest for the best time up a steep and twisting 3.8 mile course. The day was overcast and chilly, but thankfully, dry. Phil Gaimon, riding for Kenda/5hr Energy p/b Geargrinder, won the Men’s Pro/Cat 1 category and Kristin Armstrong, riding for Exergy Twenty12, won the Women’s Pro/Cat 1-2-3 category.

Saturday's Road Race around Bonelli Park was done under heavy clouds, frequent rain and erratic winds. The Bonelli Park race course is 7 miles of rolling and curving roads. The race day was broken into three major time segments with several groups, which had their starting times spaced a few minutes apart, racing in each segment. At any given time there were between 200-300 riders on the course braving terrible weather conditions in their quest for victory, or for many, just to finish. Joseph Schmalz, riding for ELBOWZ Racing, took the stage win in the Men’s Pro/Cat 1 and Kristin Armstrong won the stage in the Women’s Pro/Cat 1-2-3. Andy Jacques-Maynes, riding for Kenda/5hr Energy p/b Geargrinder, and Kristin Armstrong were at the top of the GC in their respective categories at the end of the day.

The weather for the Criterium on Sunday was very cool and cloudy. The course, still wet from some early morning rain, was slippery. Nevertheless, speed was the order of the day as the riders raced around the 6 corners of the 1.2 mile course. Eric Young, riding for BISSELL Pro Cycling, claimed the stage victory in the Men’s Pro/Cat 1 and Ina Yoko Teutenberg, riding for Team Specialized lululemon, was the winner in the Women’s Pro/Cat 1-2-3. Andy Jacques-Maynes and Kristin Armstrong held onto their GC leads to become the overall winners of the race in their respective categories.

An added attraction on Sunday was the Kids Race, in which kids from toddlers to 12 year olds raced on parts of the Criterium course. The kids were divided into three groups for the race, toddlers to 5, 6 to 9, and 10 to 12. Under the watchful eyes of family and friends, the kids gave everyone a preview of the upcoming generation of bike racers. In this race every rider was a winner.

Our thanks to the hard working members of the organizing committee and to the many volunteers that helped on the race days as well as to the sponsors that supported the race with funds and other valuable resources and to the USA Cycling Officials that had to deal with many weather related issues during the race. It took all of you to make this event a success!

We also wish to recognize and thank the many media representatives that helped to promote, cover, and report on the races. For the first time, portions of the race were available for via live streaming video. uRide.tv, working with SC Velo, provided streaming video coverage of portions of all three stages. The videos were available at uRide.tv and were viewed in more than 30 countries. Video clips will be available for 1 year following the race. There are many stories and pictures on the Internet about this year's SDSR, links to some of them are given below.

SDSR Media and Blog Links:

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

SoCalCycling.com

CyclingNews.com