Fiordifrutta Team Featured in Velonews Article

The March 13, 2006 issue of Velonews has a great story on the history of the Fiordifrutta team and our success as one of the top amateur teams in the nation. There are quotes from current and former riders, and a couple of photos of the team in action!

Timmerman Top Amateur at San Dimas Stage Race, March 17-19

Fiordifrutta sent a three man contingent to compete in some of the big California races leading up the Redlands, and Dan Timmerman writes the following race report:

In typical sunny California fashion the first day of the San Dimas Stage race was cold and raining. The Friday TT hill climb was 3.8 miles up Glendora Mtn Road. After a short flat section the course heads up hill through some tight switchbacks winding up the mountain then flattens out a bit to the finish tent.....which Chris Rozdilsky later found out, is the second blue tent, not the first.

I was the first off, going within the first quarter of the field. Next was Buck Miller, and then Rozdilsky. It was cold and wet, which made it hard to warm up at all, but I don't really do that anyway. So after riding around a bit I was called to the line and went off. I went OK but felt like I was too cold to push hard. I held pretty consistent up the climb and just about caught my minute and a half man. I ended up 18th. Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United) won with his teammates Justin England and Heath Blackgrove in 2nd and 3rd. Buck came in 46th shortly after and Roz took the jersey for best placed from snow country coming in 87th.

Saturday was the road race with 14 laps on a course with two climbs. One fairly insignificant one through the feed-zone and one steeper one after a set of turns. The steeper one can wear on you since it gets strung out through the turns and then it is long enough that you can't just sprint up it. It looked a lot like rain and was cold again. The race was mostly a battle between Toyota-United, who had the 3 top spots and Health-Net who seems to be assuming a new role this year. A four man break escaped containing former Fiordifrutta riders Phil Wong (Jittery Joe's) and Mike Jones (Health-Net). Jones soon got away and was solo for most of the race. Toyota-United spent the race chasing them back. After they brought them back, the last few laps, they sent most of the race off the back. I spent most of my energy closing the many gaps that opened, but I made all the splits. A 4 man break got away from the select group and finished 20sec ahead with Karl Menzies (Health-Net) taking the win. I finished 16th in what was left of the field which moved me to 13th on GC. Roz busted a wheel and after a slow wheel change was left for dead. Buck finished in one of the following groups. The bad news of the day is my Fiordifrutta vest was ripped off from the start/finish area and since I'm a little guy I can't get another one. If anyone sees a 2006 FDF vest size 1 on EBAY, it's mine. Apparently there is only one in existence. If found contact dntimmerman@hotmail.com.

For the crit it was the warm and sunny California we had been waiting for.....no just kidding....It was raining and cold again. Gord Fraser(Health-Net) and teammate Karl Menzies got the holeshot off the line and were away by the first corner. Toyota-United shattered the race and brought them back perfectly, on the last lap and delivered JJ Haedo to the line first. I started the race where I should be, toward the front, then drifted back a little bit until the back of the field quickly came to me.

The gaps were hard to close as guys were calling it quits in the middle of the road. The race started with around 100 racers and by the end there were only 24 left in the field. Only 42 finished. Again, I made all the splits and finished 24th on the day, which moved me up one spot to 12th on GC for the weekend. Need to spend less on closing gaps and use it for following moves.