Seth Arseneau (2nd from left) won Sunday’s PossAbilities Criterium at the Redlands Bicycle Classic in a thrilling 3-up sprint finish with Oscar Sanchez (left) and Todd Philpott (second from right). This gave Team U.S. Handcycling a 1-2 finish in the first big criterium of the season and the crowd’s roar made it oh-so-sweet. “The Redlands Bicycle Classic is an unbelievable event and today’s first-ever handcycle race was a huge hit!” said Willie Stewart - aka one-armed Willie - of PossAbilities (Loma Linda University Medical Center), the title sponsor of the event and organizer of the handcycle race. photo courtesy of Press Enterprise.
The race unfolded as expected with the three kneeling bikes at the front, joined by HCB racer David Lee of Cardiff by the Sea, CA. Lee — known for his long distance exploits — was a surprise winner in Thursday’s time trial, and his fitness kept him in the front group of the criterium for all but the final lap, where he couldn’t hang with the furious pace going in to the final turn. Seth Arseneau however, was right where he wanted to be on the last lap. “I was in third position in to the final turn, but I knew I had a better line every time in that corner, which put in a perfect position for the sprint.” said Arseneau following the win. Philpott — pushing a huge 72-tooth chainring — closed on Sanchez and Arseneau in the final 10 meters, but ran out of room as all three racers finished within inches of one another.
Ericka Davis of Carlsbad, CA won the women’s event atop a field of three, in her first major race, and all of the participants were spurred on by the community in Redlands, who have embraced the event — and now the hancycle race — for 23 years. “This event is what we’re all about, and it’s a great start to the handcycling season.” said Chris Hensley, of U.S. Handcycling.
Check back for event photos. Check out these additional external links:
cyclingnews.com story | Photo Gallery on Redlands Website | PE.com Story | News Story on Redlands Website
The photo from the sprint finish in Redlands. Seth Arseneau (top) was first, followed by Oscar Sanchez, and Todd Philpott. Photo: Al MacDonald, AGR Timing, c. 2007
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