Kilojoules Magazine

Cyclists roll through the start of the Redlands Bicycle Classic (Suly Moses/Pexels)

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Returning again for its 38th year, the Redlands Bicycle Classic is set to begin on Wednesday April 9th going through the weekend with the final stage on Sunday, April 13th, 2025. Apart from race cancellations due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, Redlands is one of the longest continuously lasting multi-day stage races on American soil.

2024’s winner and three time consecutive GC jersey wearer Tyler Stites will not be lining up again this year as he made the move from Project Echelon over to UCI ProTeam Caja Rural-Seguros RGA. His former team will be one of three UCI Continental level teams racing, with Canadian team Hustle Pro Cycling and Mexican team Canel’s – Java also fielding squads for the men. Crit circuit powerhouses Golden State Blazers and L39GION of Los Angeles will also compete and look to bring the fireworks to this years stage race.

Last year, Voler Factory Racing duo Miles Hubbard and Ryan Gorman secured the climbers jersey and sprinters jersey respectively. Both will return this year under the team Cyclesport.com and be looking to defend those jerseys. Joining them is Quinn Felton who secured the Best Amateur Rider Jersey and fourth on GC under the Aevolo team. Cyclesport.com should be looking to secure GC, Climber, and Sprinter jerseys with that trio but will have to go through last years second place GC contender Owen Wright who will race on Canel’s – Java this year and third place finisher Joseph Laverick racing for Good Guys Racing NYC.

2024’s women’s second place GC rider Alia Shafi returns once again with her team Fount Cycling Guild. “I went out there and I died trying” Shafi told the Redlands Bicycle Classic team last year on her second place finish in the GC. “I’m happy that we ended up getting second on GC, obviously we hoped to nab [first place] today but DNA [pro cycling] was too good” she said. She’ll be the highest placed returning rider on the women’s side with all four jerseys undefended.

2024’s fourth place finisher Natalie Quinn will race this year for Phase 1 cycling, a UCI mixed composite team and look to improve upon her finish from 2024. With many of the top names from last years race not included on the preliminary start list, the women’s race is up for grabs with few marked riders come day one. This years top returning team will be third place finisher Fount Cycling guild as they look to improve upon last years result and secure the top step on the podium.

Since 1985, the Redlands Stage Race has been a breeding ground for North American cycling talent with major names such as Davis Phinney, Jonathan Vaughters, Christian Vande Velde, Chris Horner, and Phil Gaimon sitting on the winners list of the mens race. The women’s edition, which began a year later, has seen equally major talent with the winners including Jeanne Golay, Alison Dunlap, Mari Holden, Alison Powers, Tayler Wiles, Mara Abott and Kristin Armstrong.

Last year, the Redlands Bicycle Classic instagram posted a throwback image of American Brandon McNulty after his stage one win of La Vuelta. In 2017, the now UAE Team Emirates – XRG rider finished second in the GC classification at Redlands. Young American cycling talent will be on display again this time around with the potential for the next Brandon McNulty to grace the steps of the podium.

This year the stage race will consist of five separate stages over five consecutive days beginning on Wednesday, April 9th and finishing on Sunday, April 13th.

Wednesday, April 9th.

Wednesday will open with the Toyota of Redlands Lake Perris Individual Time trial covering 11.2 miles with the women starting at 10:30am and the men at 12:30 from Lake Perris Recreation Area. There will be no climber points or time bonuses on offer here and the top five finishers will be looking at taking home sprinter points.

Thursday, April 10th.

Stage two will play into the climbers as they compete in the Trek Onyx Summit road race. The stage will start with a ten lap circuit for the men and six laps for the women giving the sprinters three opportunities to grab points towards the sprinters jersey. The race will then begin to climb up with three KOM segments up for grabs before the finish. Two time bonuses will be available on this stage on the final lap of the circuit and the 2nd KOM point. Keep an eye out for GC contenders making a push for that second KOM point before the pure climbers try and run away with the stage at the top. This stage will see the peloton climb up over eight thousand feet during the 75.5 mile stage for the men and 56.1 mile for the women. While the GC can’t be won on Thursday, it can definitely be lost. The gun goes at 9:30am for the men and 10:45 for the women.

Friday, April 11th.

Friday’s stage three brings the Redland Community Hospital Crafton Road Race, a 55.2 and 41.4 mile race for the men and women respectively. The race will be held on a 4.6 mile course. Sprinters will be looking for points at the finish line with the climbers competing for intermediate points on laps 10, 7, 4, and 1 for the men and the latter three for the women. Time bonuses will be awarded at the finish line and the KOM on lap 7 and QOM on lap 5. This course profile is rolling with a flat segment towards the finish line. Fridays race will be fast and dynamic with a high emphasis on positioning and race tactics. GC contenders will be looking to stay safe with hopefuls searching for a breakaway to bleed time from their competitors. The men start rolling at 8:30 am and the women will follow at 10:40am.

Saturday, April 12th.

Saturday’s are for the speedy ones as the peloton hits downtown Redlands for the Arrowhead Orthopaedics Downton Criterium. Navigating a 9 turn, highly technical, 1 mile course. The men will race for 90 minutes and the women will race for 75. With no climber points up for grabs on this flat course, this race will be explosive and exciting as the sprinters bump shoulders in a competition of handling and power. Saturday will be an action packed day with multiple junior crits, a fondo, and other events happening in downtown Redlands. The day will be capped off by the women’s pro crit which begins at 2:20pm and the men’s crit which begins at 4:00pm

Sunday, April 13th.

The final stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic goes long as the race looks to push the limits of the peloton with a 91.3 and 68.1 mile race for the men and women respectively. The Community Alliance Medical Group Sunset Road Race will cap off the exciting five days of stage racing with three distinct sectors. The men will begin with 2 laps of a 1.3 mile circuit before heading into the Sunset Loop. Sprinters will be looking to grab points at the end of each of the opening loops with the last possible chance for points at the finish line. The women will begin at the same location but head straight into the 6.5 mile Sunset Loop with sprinter points only up for grabs at the finish line. The first 2.6 miles of each loop contains considerable climbing as the men will complete 12 laps and the women 9. There are five climber competitions for the men and four for the women over the course of the Sunset Loop. Once those laps are completed, the race will return back to downtown Redlands where those remaining in the main group will compete for the stage win and bonus time on the 1 mile crit circuit. A referee will be deciding who advances and who will be cut from the race after the completion of the Sunset Loop. Those advancing will battle it out over five and three laps for the men and women respectively. With punchy climbing dotting the Sunset Loop, this stage could break up rather quickly. Any teams looking to secure a step on the podium will need to work together to keep their protected rider in a safe position. Delivering your GC contender into the final sector of this stage is vital to capping off all the hard work from the past four days.

For fans of all things cycling and those hoping to see a renaissance of North American cycling, Redlands Bicycle Classic can’t be missed.