Velonews.com Features Photo of Wong on Homepage

Today’s Velonews.com has a great shot of Phil Wong from the Mt. Washington Hillclimb posted in conjunction with an article on the access road to the top of the mountain. Enjoy!

2004 Season Review

Happy holidays from the entire Fiordifrutta Cycling Team. The year 2004 has been a successful one for the squad, with our ranking jumping as high as 2nd among all the amateur teams in the country according to the July 7th release of the National Racing Calendar standings. The thirteen members of our team combined for 27 wins in 2004 and visited the top three steps of the podium on 53 occasions.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for allowing us to represent their companies, and we appreciate all the support and equipment that makes our racing possible. The team for 2005 will be announced soon, and we are particularly grateful to Rigoni USA’s Claudio Mucci whose line of Fiordifrutta organic food products return for a third season of title sponsorship.

Team veterans Jon Hamblen and Mike Dietrich both had stellar seasons, working together for 4th and 6th at the Elite National Road Race Championships, with Hamblen posting an amazing 14 wins for the year. Newcomers Peter Hult and Phil Wong also brought considerable strength to the team with Hult finishing in 4th place as the top amateur at the Green Mountain Stage Race, and Wong providing fantastic support throughout the entire year and capping off his season with a second place at the Mt Washington Hillclimb.

Another team veteran, Shawn Milne, raced with Fiordifrutta when he was not in Europe with the US National Team, and Shawn had an outstanding ride at the Tour of CT winning the amateur points competition jersey and placing 2nd on the 120 mile-plus stage 1. We are happy to announce that Shawn has signed with the Navigators Professional Cycling Team in 2005. He joins the following former Fiordifrutta riders who have moved into the ranks of professional cycling: Jonathan Page (Prime Alliance, Cervelo), Mike Jones (Healthnet), Justin Spinelli (Saeco, Navigators), and Matt Svatek (Sharper Image/Mathis Brothers).

Please sit back with a cup of cocoa and a Clif Bar and enjoy the below highlights from 2004.

January / February / March

The new year started with a bang as Jon Hamblen took advantage of the racing in his new winter training home of North Carolina as he won four January races in the winter cyclocross series. In early March Shawn Milne posted a win at the Trofee Disputation Alicante in Spain during his travels with the national team. Back in the states, Mike Dietrich combined racing with schoolwork in Tucson, Arizona as he took 3rd place in the stage 1 time trial of the Tucson Bike Classic Stage Race.

April / May

April saw the start of racing on the east coast with Hamblen winning the Rock Hill Criterium in South Carolina, Phil Wong taking 3rd at the Adelphia Grand Prix, and Peter Hult sprinting to a pair of 2nd places at the Tufts Criterium and Monson Road Race in Massachusetts. In Arizona, Dietrich continued a strong start to the season with podium finishes at the Vuelta de Bisbee Time Trial, Superior Criterium, Mt. Humboldt Road Race, and Collosal Cave Road Race.

May welcomed a win for Hult at the Whitcomb Hill Road Race, where the team led him to the final climb where he was able to turn his 39x26 gear for the victory. The final lead up weeks before the Tour of Connecticut saw Shawn Milne post a pair of wins at the Sterling Road Race and Lime Rock Circuit Race. The team also won the team time trial event at Lime Rock on the same day! Hamblen warmed up for the Tour of CT with a win at the New Hampshire International Speedway Criterium.

The Tour of CT in the team’s home state was a top goal for the season, and the squad delivered Shawn Milne to victory in the amateur point’s competition with a second place on stage 1, and a 5th place on the last day which was good for 3rd spot in the overall results.

Huseby and Hamblen ended the month with a pair of 3rd places at the Downtown Claremont Criterium in NH and the Hartford Criterium in CT, while team co-manager Curt Davis got into the action with a win at the Wachusett Circuit Race in MA.

June / July

The team’s winning streak continued in June with Hamblen taking the Lake Auburn Road Race in Maine, and a pair in Rhode Island at the Ninigret Criterium and Cox Criterium where he also picked up an $853 crowd prize! The squad traveled to Redding, California in June for the Elite National Road Race Championships where the team put old men Curt Davis and Chris Peck in the early break to set the stage for the arrival of strongmen Hamblen and Dietrich who ended up in 4th and 6th place.

June also saw a win by the team’s longest standing member, Don Mills, as he sped away to take the Cyclonauts Road Race in MA. Mike Dietrich continued his hot streak at the Tour of Ohio as he won two stages and ended up 2nd overall with strong support from Josh Gewirtz, Johs Huseby, and Phil Wong. June ended with another win for Hamblen at the Exeter Criterium and he continued his good form into July where he placed 4th on the Mt Wachusett stage of the Fitchburg- Longsjo Stage Race. Fiordifrutta put four riders (Hamblen, Dietrich, Wong, and Hult) in the top twenty of the overall classification in this National Racing Calendar event!

July finished off with two podium spots for Hamblen with a win at the Yarmouth Clam Festival in Maine and a second place is one of his favorite races, the North Jersey Cycling Classic where the steep hill makes this 50 minute race a strongman’s event. At The International Tour de Toona, Fiordifrutta finished as the top amateur team in the standings, with guest rider Jon Page filling in for Dietrich who had unfortunately broken his collarbone.

August / September

The month of August began with a podium spot at the Tour of Hilltowns in Massachusetts for Peck and continued with a 2nd place for Wong in one of the world’s most difficult hill climb events at Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Johs Huseby began his preparations for cyclocross by winning a short track mountain bike race in Wompatuck State Park in Massachusetts.

September was the traditional fall stage race in the Green Mountains of Vermont, and Fiordifrutta came through with a fourth and seven place overall results for Peter Hult and Dan Cassidy. Hamblen returned to North Carolina and promptly won the Winston-Salem Criterium and Huseby started the New England Cyclocross Series with a 3rd place in Northfield, Massachusetts. Johs Huseby’s cyclocross exploits were rewarded by team sponsor Michelin who used a photo of him from 2003 on the back cover of their 2005 catalog.

October / November / December

Most other road teams end their season in September, but the Fiordifrutta boys keep up the racing and results well into the cold months of the year. Peter Hult won the Mt Greylock Hillclimb in Massachusetts, and Jon Hamblen started a string of three wins in the North Carolina Cyclocross Series. Hamblen and Huseby also made podium appearances at UCI cyclocross races in NY and Ohio. Huseby finished off the season at the Cyclocross National Championships with a second place in the Mens 30-34 race and a 17th place finish in the Elite race.

Complete highlights from 2004 can be found below:

1st Tour of Connecticut, Amateur Points Competition
1st Tour of Ohio, Stage 3
1st Tour of Ohio, Stage 5
1st Cox Charities Cycling Classic, RI
1st Exeter Criterium, NH
1st Sterling Road Race, MA
1st Lime Rock Circuit Race, CT
1st Lime Rock Team Time Trial, CT
1st Whitcomb Hill Road Race, MA
1st Yarmouth Clam Festival, ME
1st NH International Speedway Criterium
1st Rock Hill Criterium, SC
1st, 2nd Wachusett Circuit Race, MA
1st Lake Auburn Road Race, ME
1st Ninigret Criterium, RI
1st Cyclonauts Road Race, MA
1st Land Mine Classic Mountain Bike Short Track, MA
1st Winston Salem Criterium, NC
1st Mt Greylock Hill Climb, MA
1st Salisbury Cyclocross, NC
1st Cary Cyclocross, NC
1st Crossing the Creek Burlington Cyclocross, NC
1st BRC/Slick Willy Cyclocross, MA
1st Winter Cup Series Cyclocross #1, NC
1st Winter Cup Series Cyclocross #2, NC
1st Winter Cup Series Cyclocross #3, NC
1st Winter Cup Series Cyclocross #4, NC

2nd Cyclocross National Championships, 30-34 Men, OR
2nd Tour of Connecticut, Stage 1
2nd Mt. Washington Hillclimb
2nd Tour of Ohio, Overall GC
2nd,3rd Bio Wheels UCI Cyclocross, OH
2nd North Jersey Classic
2nd Monson Road Race, MA
2nd Mt Humboldt Road Race, AZ
2nd Collosal Cave Road Race, AZ
2nd Tufts Criterium, MA
2nd Canton Cyclocross, MA
2nd Greensboro Cyclocross, NC

3rd Tour of Connecticut, Overall GC
3rd Tour de Toona, Sprint Classification, PA
3rd Tucson Bike Classic Stage 2
3rd Whitmore Landscaping UCI Cyclocross, NY
3rd Downtown Claremont Criterium, NH
3rd Adelphia Grand Prix, MA
3rd La Vuelta de Bisbee Stage 2 TT, AZ
3rd Superior Criterium, AZ
3rd Hartford Criterium, CT
3rd Tour of the Hilltowns, MA
3rd Competitive Edge Cyclocross, MA

4th, 6th Elite National Road Race Championships, CA
4th Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, Stage 3, MA
4th Tour de Toona, Stage 4, PA
4th Tour de Toona, Stage 6, PA
4th Tour de Toona, Team GC (top amateur team)
4th, 8th Green Mountain Stage Race, Overall GC, VT
4th, 7th Green Mountain Stage 3, VT
4th Veryfine Grand Prix, MA
4th Perry Roubaix Time Trial, GA
4th West Hill Putney Cyclocross, VT

5th Tour of Connecticut, Stage 5
5th Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, Overall GC, MA
5th Tour de Toona, Stage 2, PA
6th Superior Road Race, AZ
6th La Vuelta de Bisbee GC, AZ
7th Tour de Toona, Stage 5, PA
7th Marblehead Circuit Race, MA
7th Green Mountain Stage 4, VT
8th WE Stedman Cyclocross, RI
9th NYC Amateur Cycling Championships
12th Bank of America Invitational Criterium, NC – 1st amateur
17th Cyclocross Elite Men National Championships, OR

Johs Huseby put in some great rides at US Cyclocross Nationals with a 2nd place in the Masters 30-34 and a 17th in the Elite race. You can read his race reports below and see some great photos on cyclingnews.com here and here, and also an image by Matthew Moses on his website.

Cyclocross Nationals - Masters 30-34

I found out half way through this cross season that they were allowing those that turn 30 in 2005 to race in the 30-34 Masters race at Nationals. I was shocked, but intrigued at the same time. I decided I'd do it. I knew it would be very competitive as there are many people in this age group that are quite competitive in the Elite races already. I arrived in Portland on Thursday afternoon and waited for new teammate Matt White to show up and then we were picked up by Pedro's Outside Technical Support Rep - Rob Scott. Rob and his fiancé were putting us up for the weekend as well which was great. As I was grabbing a couple of burritos for Matt and I, Matt had checked my bikes out in the bike bag...broken! The airlines must have dropped the case very hard and cracked the seat stay. It was a good thing Matt and I ride the identical bike. Phew.

We pre-rode the course on Friday and it was sloppy, very muddy, and not much that was rideable. It was sure to be a challenge the next day. It rained Friday night and cleared up on Saturday morning, but was still wet everywhere with lots of mud. I didn't get a call up as they were calling up based on last years results and this was my first year in this category. I still got second row and knew I'd have to fight to get up there. I was able to maneuver my way into the top three immediately and my good friend Justin Robinson and I got a bit of a gap on the rest of the field. We kept it up and he was powering on in front of me to the point where I couldn't hold his wheel any longer. There was a lot of running on the course - maybe even 1/3rd! I was feeling good on the runs even though my bike seemed to weigh twice as much with all the mud I was carrying around as well. With one lap to go, Justin snapped his rear derailleur and I was catching him fast. He got a new bike in the pit as I was getting close and was able to open up the gap once again and finish a bit in front. I held onto second for the day for which I was pretty pleased.

Cyclocross Nationals - Elite Race

Over night we had no rain and it was very windy which dried the course out. It had changed completely. One could ride almost the whole course. I felt good, and well rested. I got a call up to the 3rd row and had a solid start. I was in the top fifteen for almost the whole race and got caught with a lap to go by two guys and ended up 17th. Jonathan Page once again scored the win - third year in a row! I was happy with my result as I had been feeling tired and not well recovered several weeks before but with some well planned preparation felt more and more like my old self. Curt and Matt were in the pit for me working hard making sure I had a fresh bike every time I came through. It was so nice knowing I had nothing to worry about as I came into the pits. These guys had it dialed!!! Often time's people forget the importance of a good pit crew. As they say in Nascar - we couldn't have done it without the team!

Johs Huseby did some New England races as part of his final preparation for Nationals and came up with a win in Lowell.

Huseby Wins BRC/Slick Willy Cyclocross - Lowell, MA , Dec 5th

This was a first time event and very close to home. I had told myself that I was only going to race today if I felt good when I woke up. I did! I drove to the race with my friend and competitor Adam Hodges Myerson. We got there and there was a very small field signed up for our race, but nonetheless, the course was laid out and we came to race. The course was twisty, technical, and rolling, but mostly dry.

We started slowly so we could let the other guys stay with us for a little while. We didn't want to ride by ourselves the whole race. We slowly separated ourselves from the rest taking one guy with us. We then once again separated from him and road a few more laps at a high tempo. We then eased up and he caught us once again. He stayed with us for a bit and then we saw 4 laps to go. Here I lit it up for a lap and a half and Adam stayed with me. I was then waiting for him to take his turn, but he clearly did not want to get in front. I slowed down once again and we took it easy for another lap and he then got on the front.

With a lap to go, we went through the start finish, with me on his wheel - we did a short loop around and then started approaching one of the more challenging portions of the course - a steep long run-up. I attacked very hard 150 feet from the barrier at the bottom and sprinted up the hill and kept going hard. I took a U-turn and saw that I had a comfortable gap and pushed the pace to the finish feeling great - coming up with a win! Nationals is next week and I feel like I am in the right place.

Huseby 8th at WE Stedman Grand Prix, South Kingston, RI, Dec 4th

This was the final race of the Verge New England Championships Cyclo-cross Series. The night before we had our team Christmas party where all sorts of savory Italian delicacies were served. There was plenty of fuel in the tank from the previous night's dinner to keep me going today. I had won this race before and really like the venue. It was a solid field and the temperature was cold. The course was mostly dry which meant we most likely would not have to be changing bikes. The start was fast and Jeremy Powers - just back from Belgium took the hole shot and was really driving it up front. Before too long, a small group of us joined him at the front.

I was able to stay there for a little while and then slowly settled in unable to hold their wheels. I ended up in a small group of 3 and took several turns at the front and then made some efforts to attack to separate it out. I was only able to shed one and it left us with two of us fighting for 8th and 9th. As we were making our way around on the last lap, we saw Adam Craig going slowly - a flat (second one in two weeks) and this was the opportunity to gain another spot and more UCI points. I was unable to catch the rider in front of me, and clinched 8th spot.