First Podium of the Season at Tucson Bicycle Classic Stage Race (Race Recap)
The 2022 edition of the Tucson Bicycle Classic was a return for the race, which last took place in 2019 in the seemingly far away times pre-Covid pandemic. For most of the team it was the second weekend of racing down in Arizona, but was the first weekend of racing for returning team member Tayne Andrade, and new signing Liam Flannery. Just like at Valley of the Sun, this race was an opportunity for the team to get to know each other on and off the bike in order to meet and exceed our goals later in the season.
The race began with the classic 6km TT, however this year took place on a new (and crucially not bumpy) road. The day was defined by gusty +20mph winds with gusts of 30mph that changed as the Pro-1 field took off. The wind became more favorable as riders took off, with times falling below 7 minutes, setting a record for the new course. Tayne Andrade and Tyrel Fuchs were our top finishers in 22nd and 25th despite poor wind conditions.
Stage 2 brought the first road race of the weekend, with the opportunity for the team to get in some breaks to move up on GC and contest the stage win. Tayne, Peter and Tyrel were active early on trying to get a break established in the cross winds on the rolling course. The first break to stay away had Tayne in it with another rider from Team Skyline, but was brought back after half a lap. What followed was a series of attacks across the hills of the course to establish the main break of the day, that both Tayne and Tyrel made it into along with representation from most of the field. Unfortunately, CS Velo kept the break in check to protect their overall position, as their rider in the break was their worst placed rider on GC. Tyrel tried to drive the break on the last lap to hopefully set up for Tayne at the finish, but were all brought back on the last lap. The team then pivoted to lead out duty for James, with Liam bringing him up to the top 20 wheels on the climb to the finish, after which Tayne brought him to the end of the Project Echelon train. James was able to spring to 3rd (after a relegation for CS Velo), snagging our first podium of the year!
Stage 2 Finish Line Photo - James Hilyer 3rd Place
Going into Stage 3, we were down 2 riders, with Alex succumbing to back pain the day before, and James getting food poisoning during the night. With our sprinters gone, we went all in for trying to establish a breakaway, with the hopes that it would stay away, and at the very least collect some bonus seconds for either Tayne or Tyrel to move up on GC. By lap 4, Tayne was able to form a break along with a rider from Trek Landis (Joey Bacala) and Cinch Elite Cycling. The largest gap they saw was 1.5 minutes, and was kept in check by CS Velo and Project Echelon aiming for another stage win. Tayne was able to collect bonus seconds on lap 6, moving up into 14th on GC. Once caught on the last lap, the team once again tried to shift to lead-out out duty to give new rider Liam the opportunity to sprint at the finish. But in a hectic and fast run in to the finish, Liam had to navigate it alone to finish 22nd in the bunch.
The 2022 edition of TBC ended up being a great introductory race for our riders, and gave us a glimpse of what the team can achieve when they are in perfect sync. Next up we have our team camp up in Fort Collins, CO, which will bring the entire team together for the first time in 2022!
Written by Tayne Andrade