On March 6th, southern California will be inundated with lycra clad men and women from all over the USA and the world as the 4th Annual Pomona Valley Stage Race kicks off in grand fashion with new sponsor, KB Home, and an added day, now featuring 4 days of exciting, ability testing races sure to delight racers and fans alike and attract the best of the best in the United States cycling community.

At least 81 women will be competing from 3 professional teams (T-Mobile, Saturn, Rona/Esker) and 27 "Elite" teams of Category I and II women, whose closest comparison would be the D-3 Men’s teams, but without some of the financial support. This year, organizers have included Category III women in the field, which some teams have taken advantage of. This race will certainly be good experience for them.

Browsing over the rider list, a few names come to the forefront of the pack. Alison Dunlap will be riding for T-Mobile, an occurrence which raised my eyebrows. She will do well, especially on the first stage. T-Mobile also has 2000’s winner, Amber Neben. Lacking, however, will be last year’s stage 1 winner, Kristin Armstrong, who just finished up 5th in Australia at the World Cup race. T-Mobile will certainly be a force to contend with.

Saturn, of course, is bringing a power house squad as well. Manon Jutras will surely do well on the first stage. Laura Van Gilder and Ina Teutenberg will be well suited to the last day crit. Lyne Bessette will be one to watch during Friday and Saturday’s road races.

My pick of the elite squads, for reason of sheer numbers, would be the Women First/Red 5 Racing team. Good grief, with that many women (11!) they could potentially play all sorts of games with the peloton, sending people off the front. However, only 4 of them are Cat I’s. Will the Cat II, and III women on this team, and all of the others for that matter, be able to hang on? We shall see...

As for the men, Saturn, Prime Alliance, Schroeder Iron and Health Net are the teams to watch. Prime Alliance finishes off their Southern California training camp with this race, and they are an incredibly strong squad. Saturn brings Tour de Langkawi champ Tom Danielson, along with an extremely daunting roster. Meanwhile, local heroes Schroeder Iron are in for their first real test, and National Champ Chann McRae will have strong support. Gord Fraser's new Health Net Squad will have a part to play. New D3 team Lemond/Fitness Blender will step up to the plate for the first time, and Sierra Nevada/Cliff Bar has a big team coming.

The Pomona Valley Stage race is in its fourth year. All-round tough guy Jamie Paolinetti won it in its inaugural running in 2000. In 2001, local Southern California hardman, and reigning Masters' National Champion Chris Walker took top honors. Last year, it was Australian sprinter Hilton Clarke stepping into GC victory with a tactically savvy ride in the criterium on the final day.

Thursday's uphill time trial is important to the race, but in past years has not proved decisive. Schroeder's Pete Knudsen won it last year. The road stages leave the door open for a sprinter's victory if the field stays together. Last year say the road stage won by Miguel Meza riding for Team D.A.R.E., on a vacation from his duties on Colpak-Astro. This year adds a new circuit race stage has been added, and leaves open another possibility for a strong sprinter to take the day if the gusty winds don't split the field. Finally, the criterium. Fast and tactical, it's time bonuses have been decisive.

Bottomline, it's a wide open race. It will favor a strong all-arounder, or a sprinter who can hang in for the rollers.

The Stages

Stage 1 Glendora Mountain Time Trial

Promising to bring even the best climbers to their knees, this steady climb along the Glendora Mountain Road has 2100 feet of elevation gain in it 8.1-miles, winding, with 5 switchbacks, through the Angeles National Forest. While there will be no sight seeing for the cyclists, spectators will be treated to spectacular views of the Los Angeles basin. Last year’s winner for the men was Pete Knudson of Schroeder Iron and Kristin Armstrong, then of Goldy’s and now on T-Mobile, for the ladies.

Stage 2 KB Home Circuit Race

After the previous day, the rider’s legs are sure to be hurting, but there is no rest for the weary. Day two will feature a circuit road race through a KB Home development in Fontana, California, 25 miles east of San Dimas. A 2.3-mile loop around the Sierra Lakes Golf Course, the stage will include a sprint competition. This course features a slight incline along the back stretch of the circuit leading up to a long arching turn into the finishing straight, but winds blowing through the Cajon Pass are common here, and will likely be more of a factor.

Stage 3 Puddingstone Road Race

The Puddingston Road Race is scheduled for Saturday. A 7.8 mile loop of rolling terrain around Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park, this stage has been part of the race since it's inception. Beginning in LaVerne, the course circles the Puddingstone Reservoir passing through Pomona and San Dimas. The course, which offers enough difficulty to give a breakaway a chance, but also offers long stretches of flat straights where chasers can lift the pace for capture, and a long, flat, finishing straight over smooth roads. This stage offers an opportunity for thrilling racing, and an unpredictable finish. Last year’s winners were Miguel Meza of Team Dare/Colpack Pro and Anne Samplonius of the now defunct Talgo America Team.

Stage 4 San Dimas Downtown Criterium

This course takes riders through a residential area, past Civic Center Park with a finish on palm tree lined Bonita Ave. in downtown San Dimas, in the quaint Frontier Village. The race is contested on wide streets and is a relatively long 1.2 mile 4 corner loop with a short 40 ft elevation climb per lap. Known to riders as a safe, fun course, it favors strong contenders and cohesive teamwork. With this course, the final stage is definitely not a mere formality, and the race leader will have to come into this stage ready to fight. Last year’s winners were Hilton Clarke of Schroeder Iron and Erika Schwarz of California’s Elite Women’s Red 5 Racing team.

Purse
$ 11,500 cash overall
Pro/1 - $ 5000
Women Cats 1/2/3 - $ 2000

Women’s Team/Rider List (as of 2/28/03)

ABRT/Team Snow Valley
Kristy Scheffenacker (Cat I)– Baltimore, MD
Kristy Gomes (Cat. I) – Washington, DC

Biogen
Maren Partridge – Salt Lake City, UT

Cycles Veloce
Dolly Ginter – Huntington Beach, CA

Fairfield Toyota
Heather Cole – Santa Rosa, CA

Fourwinds
Lynn Gaggioli – Santa Rosa, CA

Genesis Scuba/FFCC
Grace Fleury (Cat I) – Chapel Hill, NC
Susan Palmer-Komar – Hamilton, ON
Larssyn Staley (Cat I)– Beaverton, OR
Iona Wynter (Cat I) – Duluth, GA

Helen’s/Trek/VW
Riley McAlpine – Santa Monica, CA
April Henderson-Anderson – Placentiae, CA
Dara Rogers – Newbury Park, CA

Hi Tech Bikes/Harbour Lights
Rook Campbell – San Diego, CA
Laura Perdew – Irvine, CA

Intermountain Cycling Organization
Maatje Benassi – Colorado Springs, CO

Landis/Trek/VW
Rebecca Cooke – Tucson, AZ

Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club
Katheryn Curi (Cat II) – Danville, CA
Eryn Hanna (Cat II) – Reno, NV
Sandra Kolb (Cat I) – Hollywood, CA

Mexico
Gabriela Gonzalez De Ferrar – Chula Vista, CA

Minute Maid/Desani
Nicole Brandt (Cat I) – Bermuda Dunes, CA
Laura Downey (Cat I) – Long Beach, CA
Carla Koehler (Cat I) – Los Angeles, CA
Jacque Scott (Cat II) – Redondo Beach, CA
Katie Stafford (Cat I) – Pasadena, CA
Desira Utzig (Cat I) – Los Angeles, CA
Julia Whiteside (Cat II) – Placentia, CA

Palo Alto Bicycles
Holly Harris – Menlo Park, CA

Rona/Esker
Karen Bockell (Cat I) – CO
Genevieve Jeanson (Cat I) – Canada
Kristen Lasasso (Cat I) – Los Angeles, CA

Saturn
Lyne Bessette (Cat I) - Knowlton, Quebec
Megan Elliott (Cat I) – Toma, IN
Manon Jutras (Cat I) – Victoria, BC
Amy Moore (Cat I) – Mississauga, ON
Jessica Phillips (Cat I) – Missoula, MT
Ina Teutenberg (Cat I) – Park City, UT
Laura Van Gilder (Cat I) – Cresco, PA

Squadra Coppi
Laura Weislo (Cat II) – Raleigh, NC

TDS
Emily Gloeckner – Denver, CO
Shawn Heidgen – Elburn
Helen Keley – Australia
Rebecca Loney – Madison, WI
Joan Wilson – Ramona, CA

Team Basis
Nicole Freedman – Wellesley, MA
Lauren Gaffney – Nashville, TN
Kate Maher – Berkeley, CA

Team Bike Doctor/Cannondale
Jennifer Scott – Ellicott City, MD

Team Bioc
Jane Despas – San Jose, CA

Team Spine
Laurel Green – Sebastopol, CA

Team Tailwinds
Patricia Bell – Santa Maria, CA

Team T-Mobile
Dotsie Cowden (Cat I) – Santa Monica, CA
Alison Dunlap (Cat I) – Colorado Springs, CO
Katarina Grove (Cat I) – Ft. Collins, CO
Sarah Hammer (Cat I) – Temecula, CA
Kristin Johnson (Cat I) – Durango, CO
Lara Kroepsch (Cat I) – Boulder, CO
Amber Neben (Cat I) – Irvine, CA

Team Velo Clips
Beth Leasure – Saint James, MD

Team Zombies
Susan Cooper – San Marcos, CA
Carla Hukee – Venice, CA
Kimberly Kemp – Redondo Beach, CA
Katherine Sherwin – Pacific Palisades, CA

The Olympic Club
Lisa Hunt – Fairfax, VA
Cynthia Mommsen – Mill Valley, CA

Valdora Mountain Lodge
Rachel Couch – Boulder, CO

VeloSport
Jennifer Franklin – Las Flores, CA

Women First/Red 5 Racing
Michelle Beltran (Cat II) – Chico, CA
Betsy Bloom (Cat II)– San Diego, CA
Jenny Eyerman (Cat I) – Encinitas, CA
Felicia Greer (Cat II)– Fresno, CA
Emily Kachorek (Cat III) – Mountain View, CA
Megan McQuaid (Cat II) – Irvine, CA
Erin Mirabella (Cat I) – La Habra, CA
Rhonda Quick (Cat I) – San Diego, CA
Laura Resor (Cat III) – CA
Erika Schwarz (Cat II) – Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Stevens (Cat I) – Long Beach, CA

Unattached
Jennifer Todd – Thousand Oaks, CA
Christine White – Portland, OR

Men’s Team/Rider List (as of 2/28/03)

5280/Subaru
Blake Caldwell – Boulder, CO

ACA/Cicli Casati
Eric Reber – Littleton, CO

Backyard Burgers Cycling Club
Dale Suttle – Memphis, TN

Big Shark Racing
Craig Wohlschlaeger – St. Louis, MO

Broadmark Capitol
Craig Wilcox – Port Angeles, WA

Cyclery USA/Trek VW
Craig Turner – Redlands, CA

Excel Sports Boulder
Cody Waite – Longmont, CO

Fior di Frutta/Wheelworks
Oliver Stiler-Cote – Kennebunkport, ME

GS-Lombardi/Foundry
Jason Fernschuss – Palo Alto, CA

Health Net Cycling Team
Rusty Beall – Nevada City, CA
John Hunt – Fairfax, CA
Alex Ivanov – San Mateo, CA
Kevin Klein – San Jose, CA
Alex Kozlov – San Mateo, CA
Jason Lokkesmoe – Oakland, CA
Chris McGovern – Nevada City, CA
Mike Sayers – Oakland, CA
Eugeni Seniushkin – San Mateo, CA
Russell Stevenson – Piedmont, CA

Honeywell Cycling
Eric Brownell – Chandler, AZ

Jelly Belly/Carlsbad Clothing
Kirk Albers – Roslindale, MA
Ben Brooks – Sydney, AUS
Brent Dawson – Dubbo, AUS
Tyler Faurar – Wenatehee, WA
Chris Fisher – Boulder, CO
Mark Fitzgerald – Alexandria, VA
Brian Forbes – Phoenix, AZ
Mariano Freidrick – Los Angeles, CA
Austin King – Phoenix, AZ
Remi McManus – Boise, ID
Cory Steinbrecher – Glen Ellyn, IL

KB Home
Michael Anker – Pasadena, CA
Cameron Brenneman – Mission Viejo, CA
Nate Faulkner – Bracebridge
Rob Kamppila – Cerritos, CA

Kissena Cycling Team
Keith Miller – Cardiff, CA

Landis/Trek/VW
Tim Carolan – Tucson, AZ
Brian Lemke – Phoenix, AZ
Drew Miller – Flagstaff, AZ
Hugh Moran – Mesa, AZ
Scott Price – Phoenix, AZ
Jacob Rubelt – Flagstaff, AZ

Lemond Fitness/Blender Magazine
Marco Aledia – Worthington, OH
Joe Chapman – Dunedin, UNK
Andy Crater - Greensboro, NC
Eneas Freyre – Greenwich, CT
Matt Hawkins – Cumberland, ME
Bill Innes – Redwood City, CA
Adrian Laidler – Adelaide, AUS
Leigh Palmer – Bris, AUS

Lombardi Foundry
Dean La Berge – Napa, CA

Minute Maid/Desani-LaGrange
Matt Bromen – Long Beach, CA
Victor Ayala – Chino, CA

Monex
Andrew Deters – San Diego, CA
Ron Hudson – Tucson, AZ
Gregg Medinilla – North Hills, CA
Ken Toman - Lincoln, NE

Prime Alliance
Alex Candelario – Boulder, CO
Jonas Carney – Winter Park, CO
David Clinger – Agoura, CA
Michael Creed – Colorado Springs, CO
Matt Decanio – Rapidan, VA
Ryan Miller – Kirkland, WA
Danny Pate – Colorado Springs, CO
John Peters – Santa Rosa, CA
Svein Tuft – Langley, BC
Jonathan Vaughters – Denver, CO

Reno Wheelmen
Michael Hernandez – Reno, NV

Saturn
Tom Danielson – Durango, CO
Will Frischorn – Boulder, CO
Chris Horner – Bend, OR
Tim Johnson – Middleton, MA
Trent Klasna – Cool, CA
Ian Stuart – Tempe, AZ
Phil Zajicek – Tucson, AZ

Schroeder Iron
Jason Bausch – Irvine, CA
Jacob Erker – La Jolla, CA
Dane Jankowiak – Huntington Beach, CA
Pete Knudsen – San Diego, CA
Adam Livingston – Encinitas, CA
Chann McRae – Austin, TX
Rigoberto Meza – Pomona, CA
Aaron Olson – Eugene, OR
Michael Tillman – Santa Monica, CA

Sierra Nevada/Clif Bar
Nieko Biskner – Santa Barbara, CA
Matt Dubberley – Los Gatos, CA
David Fuentes – Berkley, CA
Andy Jacques-Maynes – Berkley, CA
Ben Jacques-Maynes – Santa Cruz, CA
Todd Littlehales – Portland, OR
Sterling Magnell – Occidental, CA
Daniel Ramsey – Santa Barbara, CA
Adham Sbeih – Citrus Heights, CA
Troy White – Sacramento, CA

Southern California Velo
Ryan Dorst
Frank Sarate

Subaru/Gary Fisher
Walker Ferguson – Boulder, CO

Suburban Homes/WSC
Dan Bowman - Durango, CO

Swami’s Athletic Assoc.
Chris Daggs – Carlsbad, CA
Chris McDonald – El Cajon, CA

Team Rio Grande
Andy Clark – Ft. Collins, CO
Rich Davis – Ft. Collins, CO

Team Snow Valley
Michael Voigt – Alexandria, VA

Team West Virginia
Mike Jones - Harpursville, NY
Wes Seigler - Richmond, VA
Benjamin Sharp - Indianapolis, IN
Scottie Weiss - Radford, VA
Dave Wenger - North Lima, OH

US National Team
Patrick McCarty – Allen, TX
Jonathan Retseck – Newtown, PA
Darby Thomas – East Montpelier, VT
Nathan Treto – Temecula, CA

USPS Presented by Berry Floor U23
Shawn Milne – Gloucester, MA

Webcor Cycling
Jeff Angermann
Dario Faltuier – Palo Alto, CA
Marc Hagenlocher – Santa Rosa, CA
Patrick Heaney – Mountain View, CA
Ted Huang – Los Altos, CA
John Kelly – Martinez, CA
Mark Mattis – Sunnyvale, CA
Ben Stafford – Stanford, CA
Lionel Syne
David Wyandt

WellsFargo.com
Patrick Caro – La Verne, CA

Whittaker Meyer/Specialized
Jason Van Marle – Los Angeles, CA

Sponsors and Partners:
KB Home - Building new home communities throughout the country, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. We have the home you’re looking for in places you’d love to live.

San Dimas Community Hospital - San Dimas Community Hospital is a 93-bed acute care hospital. Offering valuable services not only to patients and families in our hospital, but also to members of the community.

Southern California Velo - A Bicycle racing club with members throughout Southern California, with teams from Elite Category 1 riders to entry level Category 5's.

KB Home Cycling Team - An Elite regional Southern California bicycle team, joining us this year to assist in making this event bigger and better.

INCYCLE bike shops - Pomona Valley’s premier pro bicycle shops, serving the Inland Valley area with shops in San Dimas and Chino.

Thanks to the official Pomona Valley Stage Race website for all the great information!