December 22, 2003

2003 Season Review

Happy holidays from the Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks squad! Initial thoughts going into 2003 were that this would be a rebuilding year, since six riders from the 2002 squad went on to race for pro teams or the US national team. But this 12th year of the team has been one of the most successful seasons to date, with many new riders stepping up to the task ahead and the team veterans proving that they were as strong as ever. The team's twenty-three wins were just four short 2002's twenty-seven, and Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks finished as the 5th ranked amateur team in the USCF's National Racing Calendar Standings.

The squad for 2004 will be announced in the coming weeks, and the team looks to regain the top amateur ranking spot that it held in 2002. We would like to thank all of our sponsors that provide us with the equipment and support that enable to race as representatives of their companies. In particular, we would like to thank Claudio of Rigoni USA, who remains committed as the title sponsor with his line of Fiordifrutta organic food products.

New team member Mike Dietrich had a fantastic season, as this 23 year old finished the season ranked as one of the top amateurs in the country. In the USCF's National Racing Calendar Standings, Dietrich is ranked as the number 4 amateur in the US, out of the 539 pros and amateurs that gained points this season. July of 2003 also saw the return of Jon Hamblen to the squad, and Hamblen immediately went to work winning six races for the year.

February/March

The season began with two of the team's current riders, Josh Anthony and Johs Huseby, and one former rider, Jonathan Page, competing on the US team at the Cyclocross World Championships in Monopoli, Italy. Johs and JP were in the Elite race while Josh battled it out in the under 23 category. February saw new rider Todd Herriott win the Tour of Cuba, and this result propelled him to get a pro contract with Healthnet in April. March began with the team gathered in the warm weather of Tucson, Arizona where Josh Gewirtz sprinted to a 5th place finish in one of the stages of the Tucson Bike Classic, racing against most of the country's professional riders.

April/May

April was the start of the team's winning streak for the season, with Mike Dietrich taking the Tufts Criterium and Marblehead Circuit Race in Massachusetts, and Josh Anthony winning the Ningret Criterium in Rhode Island. The team also put in a great ride over the 12,000 feet of climbing at the Elite National Road Race Championships to catapult Mike Dietrich into an 8th place finish. The Ride magazine featured Todd Herriott and Mike Dietrich as their Rider of the Month for May and June respectively.

June/July

The month of June saw the team travel to the Tour of Ohio for this eight day stage race where Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks riders won two stages and controlled much of the race to allow Mike Dietrich to finish 3rd overall. Curt Davis took advantage of a quiet weekend on the New England race calendar to travel to Canada for the North American Master’s Championships. He won three out of four stages, and finished second overall. Over the 4th of July weekend, the under 23 contingent of the team traveled to Texas where Oliver Stiler-Cote made it onto the podium at the National Road Race Championships. Just a day later saw the team in Illinois for the Four Bridges of Elgin Road Race, which is the only UCI ranked under-23 race in the country. Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks put three riders in the top twenty, with Stiler-Cote in 6th. The end of July marked the return of Jon Hamblen to the team, and he didn’t waste any time getting back to his winning ways, taking the Yarmouth Clam Festival in Maine.

August/September

August began with Hamblen continuing his winning ways at the Tour of the Hilltowns in MA and the Bow Road Race in NH on consecutive weekends. The end of August saw Chris Peck and Curt Davis take 1-2 at the Capital Region Road Race in Albany, while Dietrich continued his good form with a 3rd place at the Southern Maine Road Race. The first weekend in September was the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont, and the team put in great ride to launch Dietrich into 6th place overall as the top amateur, with strong support riding from Don Mills and Johs Huseby. The end of September brought the team to the Univest Grand Prix in Pennsylvania, one of the six UCI races on the US calendar. Dietrich and Hamblen both made the front group, with Dietrich sprinting to 5th place on the day.

October/November/December

The fall means off-road events for the Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks team, with an amazing eight wins from a squad that had already raced the entire road season. Hamblen won the BCA and Hopkinton Cyclocross events in MA, and Peck took the Vermont 50-mile mountain bike race and the Fox Hill Cyclocross in Connecticut. In the UCI sanctioned races against the nation’s top cyclocross pros, Hamblen finished 6th in Blue Bell, PA, with Rob Hult in 7th at the race in New Gloucester, Maine. Hult and Hamblen continued their fine form with victories at the Putney Cyclocross in Vermont and the HVVC Cyclocross in Connecticut. Johs Huseby also got into the winning action at the UNH Cyclocross race, with the Fiordifrutta boys sweeping the top four spots at the Palmer Cyclocross in MA. The fall also saw the release of the 2004 Velonews calendar with a great photo of Jonathan Page on the cover in his 2002 team kit.

Complete highlights from 2003 can be found below:


1st Tour of Ohio, Stage 1
1st Tour of Ohio, Stage 4
1st Marblehead Circuit Race, MA
1st Tufts Criterium, MA
1st Ninigret Criterium, RI
1st Colorado State University Criterium, CO
1st Tour of Cuba, Overall GC
1st North American Master's Championships, Stage 1, Canada
1st North American Master's Championships, Stage 3, Canada
1st North American Master's Championships, Stage 4, Canada
1st Yarmouth Clam Festival, ME
1st Tour of the Hilltowns, MA
1st Bow Road Race, NH
1st, 2nd Capital Region Road Race, NY
1st BCA Cyclocross, MA
1st Vermont 50-Mile MTB Race
1st BRC Hopkinton Cyclocross, MA
1st, 2nd Fox Hill Cyclocross, CT
1st, 3rd HVVC Cyclocross, NY
1st Putney Cyclocross, VT
1st, 2nd UNH Cyclocross
1st-4th Palmer Cyclocross, MA
1st Connecticut Cyclocross Championships, Elite Men

2nd Tour of Ohio, Overall GC
2nd North American Master's Championships, Overall GC, Canada
2nd Monson Road Race, MA
2nd Lake Auburn Road Race, ME
2nd, 5th Tour of Ohio, Stage 8
2nd Unionvale Road Race, NY
2nd Central Park Cyclocross, NY
2nd Frank n' Horst Cyclocross, NH
3rd Sterling Classic Road Race, MA
3rd Southern Maine Road Race


4th Poughkeepsie Criterium, NY
4th Green Mountain Stage Race, Stage 1, VT
5th Under 23 National Championships Road Race, TX
5th Univest Grand Prix, UCI, PA
5th Tucson Bike Classic, Stage 3, AZ
5th Green Mountain Stage Race, Stage 3, VT
5th Concord Criterium, NH
5th Competitive Edge Cyclocross, MA
6th Four Bridges of Elgin, UCI, IL
6th Green Mountain Stage Race, Overall GC, VT
6th Valley of the Sun, Stage 2, AZ
6th Granogue Estate Cyclocross, UCI, DE
6th Palmer Road Race, MA
6th Chainbiter Cyclocross, UCI, CT
7th Ashburnham Circuit Race, MA
7th Downeast Cyclocross, UCI, ME
8th Elite National Championships Road Race, PA
8th North Jersey Cycling Classic