Team Announces New Sponsor – Redbones Barbecue

The Fiordifrutta squad is happy to announce that Redbones Barbecue of Somerville, Massachusetts will be supporting the team for 2004. Located in Davis Square, this restaurant is a favorite of cyclists around New England and hosts many cycling events.

Huseby 3rd at Downtown Claremont Criterium, May 23

It was an overcast day and threatening to rain in downtown Claremont, NH. The temperature was hovering in the high 50's to low 60's and thunder was at bay. There was a 50+ person field on this short, less than half mile circuit of which we completed 65 laps. I was the lone Fiordifrutta representative as others were defending Shawn Milne's stellar ride in the Tour of Connecticut. Both Racksmith and Trek/VW had full squads in attendance, so I knew I had to be careful not to burn too many matches, but at the same time needed to make sure I didn't miss the move.

Several small groups made efforts to get away and I got in quite a few, but the pace was so high - they never lasted. With three laps to go, Racksmith got to the front and I maintained third wheel feeling that a crash was very likely in one of the tight turns. Trek/VW then came to the front with a lap and a half left and I still maintained a top ten spot knowing that it would be hard to gain much ground on the finishing stretch. In the second corner of the last lap, Trek/VW and Racksmith took out the first 15 guys, but several of us were able to stay upright and stay away. I was filled with adrenaline as I narrowly missed this crash, but was able to stay in there and finish 3rd.

Milne Finishes 3rd Overall at Tour of Connecticut, May 16-23

In our last update we covered Milne’s 2nd place effort in the opening stage of the Tour of CT on Sunday May 16th. Through the remaining four stages Milne and team were able to hold on to 3rd place overall as well as the leader’s jersey for best amateur. Cyclingnews.com has a great shot of Milne on the podium here.

Thursday saw the team lapping the race car circuit at Lime Rock Park in Northern Connecticut, and Milne was able to sprint to 12th place in the downhill finish. Friday’s stage in New Haven saw Curt Davis, Jon Hamblen, Josh Gewirtz, and Mike Dietrich put in fantastic rides to help pull back breakaways that threatened Milne’s placing. Milne delivered a strong 10th place in the field sprint, beating out overall leader Mark McCormack who was 12th.

On Saturday, the city of Waterbury welcomed the riders for one of the hardest circuit races on the US calendar. Only 35 of the 130 starters finished the race, and Milne climbed well to finish 14th with support from climbers Dietrich, Hamblen, and Peck.

Sunday’s final stage ended in dramatic fashion as Milne flatted just as the race returned to Danbury for 20 miles of finishing circuits. The team had kept Milne in great position and well-hydrated for the first 80 miles of the event, and the untimely flat tire threatened Milne’s podium chances. But with help from the team, Milne was able to rejoin the small front group and go on to a 5th place finish on the day! This was good enough to hold onto 3rd place in the overall results, and keep the leader’s jersey for top amateur.

You can see free video samples of the races on Aria TV, one of the newest providers of on-line video content.

Pictures from Stage 1 of Tour of CT, May 16th

Jonathan Mcelvery took some great shots of Shawn and the team in Sunday’s race. Stay tuned for results from Thursday’s stage as the squad tries to keep Milne in the leader’s jersey for top amateur rider.

Shawn on the finishing circuits

Shawn knows the right wheel to be on

The team pulls through

Milne Takes Second at Opening Stage of Tour of Connecticut, May 16th

Shawn Milne put together one of the best rides in his career to take second place in the 136 mile stage 1 of the Tour of CT. He finished just 28 seconds down on US Professional Champion Mark McCormack (Colavita-Bolla) and ahead of Navigator’s Mark Walters. Milne is now wearing the top amateur jersey as the Tour of CT continues this Thursday through Sunday.

At mile 6 of Sunday’s stage, things were not looking good for the Fiordifrutta boys as they were not part of a nine rider break that had put four and half minutes on the field. The field had slowed to a crawl, and Curt Davis and Chris Peck took up a chase that would last for the next one and half hours. After 20 minutes of towing the field, the gap remained at four minutes, and the team sent strongman Jon Hamblen to the front to help with the chase. With not a single pull from any other team, the Fiordifrutta squad caught the breakaway at the 42 mile mark.

Hamblen was still fresh enough to cover the next attacks with Mike Dietrich and Phil Wong also prevalent at the front. Unfortunately a crash took Wong out of the action by the 80 mile mark, and the usually tireless Hamblen was finally slowed down as the race neared the finishing circuits in Torrington. The team was hit by more back luck as Dietrich flatted on the 50 mph descent into town, and was not able to rejoin the small 25 man front group.

The group of 25, which contained Milne, Peter Hult, and Josh Gewirtz, was chasing a three man breakaway. This trio contained two former Fiordifrutta riders who have made the jump to the professional ranks, Mike Jones (Healthnet) and Todd Herriott (Colavita-Bolla). The group was finally caught with just 5 of the one mile finishing circuits to go. Milne finally saw his chance to attack and escaped with just 6 other riders. The group was out-powered by McCormack who took the solo win, but Milne was also able to get away from the group by himself to finish a strong second.

You can read complete coverage of the event at Velonews.com and cyclingnews.com and we will send links to pictures in the coming days.

You can read the Danbury News Times story on the event here, which included the following quote:

Milne and Fiordifrutta almost single-handedly caught the leaders early in the race. And yet, the team paid a heavy price for its efforts.
"We burned some matches, right there," conceded Milne, who won the top amateur jersey for his runner-up finish. "We worked really, really hard at the end. But it just started to fall apart with a lap-and-a-half to go. I just did what I could.
"I was going as fast as I could, but there was no way I was going to catch Mark. I've trained with Mark before. Once he decides to go, there's not much you can really do about it."

Hamblen Wins New Hampshire International Speedway Criterium, May 15

The beautiful motorsports course at NHIS uses half of the track's popular NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series oval course with an added twisty up and down section on the hill above the 3/4 mile oval. It is the same course used for weekly S&W Bike’s Thursday night training races in the spring and summer.

However, this weekend the bike races were not held on the motorsports course because there was a motorcycle race on Saturday. Instead, the bike races were held in the hilly parking area behind the speedway on open and windy roads. The racers rode around a twisty one mile loop with three high speed ninety degree turns and a long half mile ascent to the finish line.

Both Fiordifrutta riders with the initials JH were in attendance, Johs Huesby and Jon Hamblen. There were fifty or so riders from various teams racing, with Range Rover, Ibex, and Trek having the most riders. Johs and Jon had to race tactically to avoid wasting any extra energy, being a team of only two, they were in a tough spot and it would be extremely difficult to win the race. Early in the race Johs covered many moves by the other teams while Jon picked up a few primes. The speeds were low due to the hill and wind and the majority of the field was noticeably weaker only eight laps into the twenty-eight lap race. Jon took advantage of this and launched off the front with a group of fifteen riders.

This group dwindled down to just six by the last five laps thanks to constant attacks by Hamblen, Jelly Belly's Jeremy Powers, Al Donahue from Luis Garneau, and Mike Cody of NCC. In the end it was a group of three sprinting for the win, Jon took the win for Fiordifrutta with Mike Cody in a close second place. Johs and Jon spent the remainder of the day watching the motorcycle riders crash in the switchback turn on the real race course.

Milne Wins Sterling Road Race, May 8th

After a long spring campaign with the National team in Europe, Shawn Milne made a triumphant return to New England racing with a win in Saturday’s road race in Sterling, Massachusetts. An extremely strong field took to the starting line, with fellow national team’er and Fiordifrutta rider Oliver Stiler-Cote taking the initiative to cover the first breakaway of the day that stayed away for the first 15 miles. Midway through the race, a large group containing team mates Curt Davis, Jon Hamblen, Phil Wong, Peter Hult, and Milne went up the road, and then split into a small group consisting of Davis, Hamblen, Milne, Nat Faulkner (Trek/VW), and the Jet Fuel Coffee duo of Andrew Randell and Stig Somme. These six riders worked together well to earn a sizeable time gap over the next group, and when Milne unleashed his finishing sprint, no one could come close! Phil Wong also sprinted well from the second group to earn a 10th place finish. You can see great photos of Milne and Hamblen at Jonathan McElvery’s site.

Milne Takes Lime Rock Circuit Race, May 9th

With the team confident in Milne’s sprinting ability, Sunday’s plan was to keep the race together and deliver Milne to a field sprint victory. With a full team from Holland in attendance, the race was very aggressive from the start. The course ran counterclockwise around the Lime Rock car racing track, and with only a slight hill and no slow corners no groups were able to jump away to a big advantage. Phil Wong covered a Dutch attack in the last five laps, and when that was caught, Peck, Huseby, Hamblen, Davis, and Hult led Milne out for the victory!

Fiordifrutta Wins Team Time Trial, May 9th

The late afternoon event at the Lime Rock track was a 5-man team time trial where the Fiordifrutta boys took on three laps of the 1.5 mile circuit. The event was particularly challenging in that teams were required to finish with all 5 riders, putting an emphasis on smooth teamwork and communication. Our boys were up to the challenge, and put 18 seconds on the Dutch team to take the win.

Peter Hult Wins Whitcomb Hill Road Race, May 2

Hult put his 39x26 low gear to good use in this new race on the calendar in western Massachusetts which featured over 8000 ft of climbing in just 52 miles. Hult, Curt Davis, Phil Wong, Johs Huseby, and Chris Peck lined up at the start for Fiordifrutta, with Peck going with the first attack of the day which occurred in the first 100 meters of the race. The resulting four man group including Alec Donahue (Louis Garneau), Nat Faulkner (Trek/VW), and Kevin Miller (Jet Fuel Coffee) stayed away until the 40 mile mark when an elite group of ten climbers made it across to the group. Amid a flurry of attacks, Donahue jumped away to a 1 minute gap, which put his team leader Kevin Bouchard-Hall in a position where he did not need to work. Peck and Miller immediately went to front and pulled for the next 10 miles, bringing down the gap for climbers Wong and Hult. Hult was able to catch Donahue and out climb everyone else on the three kilometer finish climb, with Wong putting in an excellent ride for fourth.

Jiminy Peak Road Race, May 1

With a full eight man quad in attendance, Fiordifrutta put in a good showing but was not able to pull off the win. Don Mills covered the first break of the day which stayed away for 2 of the 5 laps in this 90 mile event. With Curt Davis and Phil Wong present in the next move which included 15 riders, Fiordifrutta was still not happy with the odds and with help from Chris Peck and Dan Cassidy, the team sent Peter Hult across to the front group. Unfortunately Davis and Hult were caught out in the next split, but Wong showed the strength to take on a solo bid for the victory which lasted almost 20 miles. But he was caught by the finish and went on to climb to 11th on the day, with Dan Cassidy soloing in for 12th.

Dietrich 3rd at Bisbee Time Trial, 6th Overall

You can check out a photo from cyclingnews.com here

La Vuelta de Bisbee, April 23-25, by Mike Dietrich

Phil Wong and I headed out to Bisbee for a 4 stage three day event. We both knew it was going to be tough with 2 time trials, and two difficult road races.

Prologue- What a great course! 3 miles all uphill that started in the center of the town and wound through town before you climbed out of the town to the finish line. It felt very Euro. I managed a 7th place while Phil put in a good 14th place only about 6 seconds back.

Stage 1 - Phil and I decided it would be best to sit in and let the teams do the work and I would try to sprint at the end. All worked out well as Monex chased down the breaks at the end. I was in good position coming up the final climb waiting to sprint. As we took the final corner I got boxed in and a Navigators rider sat up right in front of me. I only managed to get 6th, while Phil finished in the field as well.

Stage 2 - This was an 8 mile TT and I knew it was going to be tough. Phil and I did not have TT bikes out here, and Phil did not even have aero bars. We were not able to check out the course before hand so we were riding it blindly on only what people had told us. I started out very hard and began to realize the course went down for 4 miles and came back up so I settled in, and after the turn around, started to really push. I managed a 3rd place which was a nice surprise and moved me into 6th overall. Phil who had no aero equipment still managed 41st.

Stage 3 - This was the big one, 90 miles with a lot of climbing at the end of the race. Once the main break got away the field slowed. The gap got up close to 4 minutes, then Monex began their chase. They caught the last rider with about 10 miles to go. Both Phil and I were there in a group of about 13 as the field split on a climb. We descended and then started the final climb. The group came down to 8 riders and attacks were going on the climb left and right. A Navigators rider made a big attack and no one responded. Six of us were left and started the steep part of the climb with the lead rider not far ahead. I ended up getting 7th, the last in our group, while Phil came in 9th and moved into 12th place!! I managed to hold on to 6th place overall and we were both pleased with the weekend.

Peter Hult Sprints to 2nd at Monson Road Race, April 24

The Monson Road Race in Massachusetts was held on a beautiful sunny spring Saturday. With a plenty of Canadians looking to make good on a favorable exchange rate, the race was filled with attacks on all 7 of the 8 mile laps. Johannes, Rob Hult and Curt Davis kept an eye on the front while the budding star of spring Peter Hult (last year’s winner) patiently waited. After a fast lap 4 the stage was set for a well timed attack by Peter who formed the final break with nine other riders. Fiordifrutta workhorses Rob and Johs covered every attack in the last 10 miles to ensure the break’s success. In the finale Peter Hult set himself up perfectly for a repeat performance for the uphill sprint but was nosed out by a Canadian in the final meters to take home second place.

Palmer Library Road Race, April 25

Another sunny day for New England racers proved that history repeats itself. With the team strategy to “watch the early break,” Don Mills did just that. From mile 1 of the 80 mile event, Cat 1 racer Don Mills pulled through tirelessly in a break of 12 riders. This left the rest of the team to cover attacks from the field in hopes of getting a free ride to the break ahead or deterring other team from strengthening the move. Again Johs covered countless moves while Peter waited to see the fate of the breakaway. But…with 20 miles to go and a gap of only 1 min the break seemed doomed, with an increased sense of urgency the Fiordifrutta boys stayed attentive during the final uphill kilometers only to see the break split in the last kilometer and 6 of the attendees stay away. With the help of Johs and Curt, Peter was well placed and led himself out for a powerful sprint that put him just outside the top ten in 11th. Don Mills’ attentiveness and strong riding put the team in position of strength today, therefore he receives the Fiordifrutta Strawberry Jam rider of the day award- congrats Donny!