1980s
1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
1985 Winning Results
The winning rider: Rogers, whose name will live long in the history books of the local bicycle classic as the inaugural champion. Try as he might, winding up on the victory podium twice in the coming years, Rogers would never return to that winning form. Redlands had some up-and-coming stars. Hegg won the 4,000-meter gold medal at the 1984 Games. The rider admitted, as did other members of the U.S. team, that his performance had been enhanced by blood-boosting techniques. The practice was not illegal and the rider kept his gold medal. Hegg would eventually win a number of stages in Redlands.
Top Finishers:
1. Thurlow Rogers, Levi’s-Raleigh
2. Ron Hayman, Levi’s-Raleigh, 0:54
3. Raul Alcala, Team Dente, 1:01
Stage Winners:
– Prologue – Rogers
– Stage 1 (40-mile criterium) – Rogers
– Stage 2 (99-mile road race) – Greg Demjen, Levi’s-Raleigh
– Stage 3 (76-mile road race) – Ron Haymen, Levi’s-Raleigh
Team Champion: Levi’s-Raleigh (Rogers, Demjen, Hayman, Steve Hegg)
1986 Winning Results
Say hello to the superstars. Team 7-Eleven came with crowd favorite Davis Phinney, along with Mexican star Raul Alcala and Brooklyn native Doug Shapiro, Bob Roll, Ron Kiefel, Chris Carmichael and Olympic speed skating gold medalist Eric Heiden. It was the final race for Jeff Pierce, in Schwinn-Icy Hot colors. Pierce, who raced third overall, eventually joined the 7-Eleven dynasty, went on to race in Europe and came home with a winning Tour de France stage. There wasn’t a single cycling team in the field that could have knocked off 7-Eleven. Alcala said years later that he was strong enough to win the Classic, but was held back by team managers to allow Phinney the ultimate victory. Phinney copped a bronze medal in the team time trial for the U.S. team during the 1984 Olympics.
Top Finishers:
1. Davis Phinney, 7-Eleven
2. Raul Alcala, 7-Eleven, 0:05
3. Jeff Pierce, Schwinn-Icy Hot, 0:46
Stage Winners:
– Prologue – Raul Alcala, 7-Eleven
– Stage 1 (84-mile road race) – Davis Phinney, 7-Eleven
– Stage 2 (75-mile road race) – Doug Shapiro, 7-Eleven
– Stage 3 (30-mile team time trial) – Team 7-Eleven (Ron Kiefel, Bob Roll, Eric Heiden, Chris Carmichael)
– Stage 4 (44-mile criterium) – Davis Phinney
Team Champion: 7-Eleven “A” team
1987 Winning Results
Team 7-Eleven II. This time, European all-around star Dag Otto-Lauritzen was welcomed to both the team and the Redlands Bicycle Classic podium. Perhaps one of the most missed sights on the scene was the Team Time Trial, an opportunity for local fans to watch each team riding in tandem. Taking turns on the front end, each rider would show enough form to keep a firm hold on the lead. Rogers had returned with ICN-La Grange, but the purse was now at $21,500.
Top Finishers:
1. Dag-Otto Lauritzen, 7-Eleven
2. Thurlow Rogers, ICN-La Grange, 0:09
3. Doug Shapiro, 7-Eleven, 0:42
Stage Winners:
– Prologue – Chris Huber, 10-Speed Drive.
– Stage 1 (120-mile road race) – Dag-Otto Lauritzen, 7-Eleven.
– Stage 2 (84-mile road race) – Lauritzen.
– Stage 3 (18-mile team time trial) – 7-Eleven (Davis Phinney, Lauritzen, Doug Shapiro, Jonathan Boyer, Jeff Bradley, Ron Kiefel).
– Stage 5 (44-mile criterium) – Kiefel.
Team Champion: 7-Eleven
1988 Winning Results
Alexi Grewal made his first appearance at Redlands a victorious one. He didn’t come as a member of America’s top squad, 7-Eleven, but Team Crest was slowly making a move toward the USA’s top team. Team 7-Eleven skipped this year, but Grewal – the Olympic gold medalist on the road in 1984 – gave Redlands its headliner. He won, beating teammate Andy Paulin, who won a 57-mile stage race to Oak Glen and a 30-mile criterium in downtown Redlands. Grewal, meanwhile, prevailed in an 84-mile road race that gave him an ultimate edge over Paulin by 20 seconds. The purse was a mere $22,430.
Top Finishers:
1. Alexi Grewal, Team Crest
2. Andy Paulin, Crest, 0:20
3. David Brinton, Quick Release B.C., 0:22
Stage Winners:
– Prologue – James Urbonas, Sunkyong-SKC
– Stage 1 (57-mile road race) – Andy Paulin, Team Crest
– Stage 2 (30-mile criterium) – Paulin
– Stage 3 (84-mile road race) – Alexi Grewal, Team Crest
– Stage 4 (18.6-mile team time trial) – Team Crest (Grewal, Paulin, Tony Palmer, David Farmer, Todd Gogulski)
– Stage 5 (48-mile criterium) – David Brinton, Quick Release B.C.
Team Champion: Team Crest
1989 Winning Results
Team Crest’s Scott Moninger won over Team Crest teammate Glenn Sanders by about four seconds. That remained the closest finish in Redlands Bicycle Classic history for several years. With a purse of $30,000 up for grabs, Crest had taken on newly formed Coors Light in the first real duel of top teams. It was Alexi Grewal, Michael Zanoli, Greg Oravetz and Roland Gunther of Coors Light up against the Crest squad that included Moninger and Sanders, among others. Coors Light won the team portion of the race, but the yellow jersey went to Moninger.
Top Finishers:
1. Scott Moninger, Team Crest
2. Glenn Sanders, Crest, 0:04
3. Stephen Swart, Sago, 0:07
Stage Winners:
– Prolog – Roland Gunther, Coors Light
– Stage 1 (71.4-mile road race) – Scott Moninger, Crest
– Stage 2 (30-mile criterium) – Michael Zanoli, Coors Light
– Stage 3 (97.4-mile road race) – Zanoli
– Stage 4 (18.6-mile team time trial) – Coors Light
– Stage 5 (48-mile criterium) – Greg Oravetz, Coors Light
Team Champion: Coors Light