Golden State Blazers Win Battle of Attrition at Redlands as Fount Displays Dominance, Crowning Shafi in Finale

Redlands, California (April 14, 2025) – The 39th Edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic served up several changes for its 40th year of bike racing in Southern California. The race has certainly proved its worth for many up-and-coming talents looking to be noticed by big programs across the ocean. The traditional opening Highland Circuit stage was out, as was the Oak Glen Yucaipa stage, experimenting with several new circuits to see how riders would respond.

The Oak Glen climb highlighted many that would later pave their path in Europe; most notably Sepp Kuss, and more recently Natalia Gontova and AJ August, who, after winning Oak Glen at 17 years of age, finished just seconds behind Tyler Stites on GC. All three are currently racing in Europe.

The 2025 edition was set to kick off with the Lake Perris time trial, adding circuits to the Onyx Summit stage on day two, and debuting an exciting Crafton Hills circuit which included a new 250 meter gravel section on day three before the race would settle in Downtown Redlands for the traditional crits and Sunset Loop finale.

The first big stage race of the season also saw the peloton for both the pro men and women missing familiar team colors and faces that had dominated the circuit in recent years. Both DNA Pro Cycling and CSVelo closed their programs last season, while the power squad Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty28 had conflicting objectives at the Pan American Track Championships that kept them from returning to California.

Who could guess who would emerge victorious by the end of the week? There were plenty of favorites among the crowd, but with new teams, junior talent eager to test themselves, and the challenge of new courses ahead, racing fans would have to wait and see.

Racing got underway at Lake Perris for the 11.7-mile time trial to establish the first GC standings. The course started on the dam, with riders heading down the starting ramp for the scenic loop around the lake before a short trek up to the finish stretch. Blue skies and climbing temperatures greeted the riders, with a few surprise flyovers courtesy of the US Airforce Thunderbird aerial stunt squadron practicing nearby.

Fount Cycling Guild wasted no time, sweeping the podium with Alia Shafi besting her second place podium finish last year. She finished in 25:04, taking the win with her coach and Fount co-founder Jennifer Wheeler finishing just behind in second, and Majorie Rinaldo in third. Wheeler had chosen to make a return from retirement to further help Shafi’s development, racing alongside her. The podium sweep would begin a winning momentum for the team that had been fighting for similar success in past seasons.

In the men’s race, Joe Laverick, who was third overall last year, powered to a 21:50 victory and became one of only two men that would clock in at under 22 minutes, earning the first yellow jersey of the week. He knocked Project Echelon’s Hugo Scala Jr. down to second, after Scala had spent most of the day in the hot seat with a time of 21:58. Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Cycling) finished third.

Day two served up the 29-mile Onyx Summit climb on the menu, with an added circuit as an appetizer. Race organizers had wanted to further challenge the riders with the change, after seeing a group finish in the men’s race in its debut last season.

Laverick was guest riding for Good Guys Racing, and though his team last season had won the stage, this would be the first test defending yellow for his new squad, who had previously focused their efforts in crits. Project Echelon had several cards to play, having defended yellow the year prior. Scala was their GC hopeful in second place, but after an unfortunate crash mid-way up the climb that forced him to abandon, the team had to regroup on the fly. Richard Arnopol then launched an attack out of the lead group midway up the climb, with Canel’s-Java rider Alex Gil responding. The two rode away from the break, eventually gaining up to a 4-minute gap on their chasers.

Many riders had arrived in California from cooler temperatures up north, facing a shock to their system as temperatures rose. Gil, who had been struggling to keep Arnopol’s wheel, eventually came to a dead stop because he was suffering leg cramps, and finally finished outside the top 20 on the stage. Losing his breakaway companion left Arnopol to fight on his own in the final kilometers–he was caught with the finish in sight by Owen Cole of Team Winston Salem who would take the stage victory, along with the GC lead. Arnopol led the King of the Mountain jersey, but could not hide his disappointment after coming so close to victory. Luke Elphingstone of Kelly Benefits Cycling finished third, leading the Best Amateur Jersey classification.

In the women’s race, the peloton made it through the opening circuits with little fanfare, before Fount Cycling Guild put their tactics into play, delivering Alia Shafi to a second consecutive stage victory at the summit. Shafi had been in a battle with Kira Payer (SpeedBlock p/b Terun) who had attacked what was left of a reduced peloton before Shafi countered. Payer earned the first Queen of the Mountain jersey at the finish, celebrating a return to form after a difficult battle with Long Covid had sidelined her in 2024. 17-year-old TaG Cycling’s Sidney Swierenga had been in a solo chase, finishing third and extending her lead in the Best Young Rider classification.

The race hits the gravel

After two days of racing, there was little respite for the tired legs in the peloton. The men’s GC was within 1:24 between the top three. Fount held a strong advantage over their rivals in the women’s race; but facing the unknown circuit and the dreaded gravel sector, anything could happen.

Right from the gun, the course took the riders down a quick descent before a sharp turn that led them through undulating hills with little room for recovery. Fighting for position was key before another short descent, after a sharp, near 180-degree turn to face the gravel sector for the first of six laps. Riders later praised the race organization for clearing the sector of any major obstacles, allowing them to escape mechanicals or major mishaps. Half a world away, cycling aficionados were celebrating another Paris-Roubaix, while at Redlands riders slowly emerged from the cloud of dust that had kicked up–as if they had been transported to France, rather than racing through the valleys of Southern California.

Fount drove the early pace, splintering the field and allowing for Shafi and her teammate Ellexi Snover to establish the break of the day. Team Winston Salem were active, along with CCB p/b Levine Law Group, but this time Snover crossed the line for victory just ahead of Shafi, with CCB in third. Shafi further buffered her time on GC and Snover would take over the points classification from L39ion of Los Angeles’ Kendall Ryan.

In the men’s race, Golden State Blazer’s Eder Frayre was hovering just outside of the top three on GC after a solid time trial. He had faced disappointment atop Onyx, just missing the podium trying to catch the break. The two stages left him within close reach of taking the lead. Meanwhile, Project Echelon had been splintered since losing their GC hopeful and missing the Onyx stage victory. Team Winston Salem’s Owen Cole had a 1:34 gap ahead of Frayre on GC, but racing with a new team defending yellow left Cole vulnerable against the veteran squads at Redlands.

Blazers went to work, launching Frayre into the winning move alongside Quinn Felton of CycleSport.com. Felton was the 2024 winner of the Best Amateur Jersey, holding sixth on GC at the start of the day. Luckily, they too would escape any mishaps in the ten laps through the gravel sector. Teams began to hold their breath as the group grew closer to the final circuit, consulting tech guides to review time bonuses and the GC. It was a toss-up between Felton and Frayre for the GC lead, depending on who would ultimately have the legs for the stage victory. Frayre had done most of the work setting the pace for the break, knowing they needed to keep the gap above two minutes, while Felton was content to stick to his wheel.

As they rounded the corner for the final stretch up to the finish, Felton jumped to take victory ahead of Project Echelon’s Kieren Haug, followed by Frayre, who was clearly spent crossing the line. Felton and Frayre waited in earnest as the officials calculated the time bonuses for GC. Moments later, Frayre was rendered speechless as the Blazers erupted in celebration. He held an 8-second lead leading into the Downtown Redlands crit and the nail-biting Sunset Loop finale on Sunday.

Saturday’s Downtown Crit provided another year of fan festivities, with a record 800 participants in the kid’s school duel race in the morning, plus a plethora of community activities that celebrated the 2025 Redlands Bicycle Classic.

The pro races took to the stage in the late afternoon, 40 minutes later than scheduled due to the success of the early morning events. Racing fans lined the 9-corner circuit for another thrilling show. Both races escaped any major crashes, with the women’s race seeing the yellow jersey once again attack the field after Fount had fought L39ion of Los Angeles to control the race, allowing Shafi to attack and finish the final two laps in a solo breakaway to celebrate another dominating victory.

In the men’s race, L39ion put on another display of what they do best, catapulting their once-rival Danny Summerhill to a thrilling sprint victory. In the race for GC, Blazers had snatched second in the intermediate time bonus, giving Frayre another 2-seconds on GC with one day remaining.

Barring any major mishap on Sunset, Alia Shafi would confirm her overall title on GC. As racing got underway, several teams did their best to light things up for the final stage, including Team Winston Salemand the Best Young Rider, Swierenga, who attempted a solo breakaway before she was soon caught once again by the field. After such a demanding race, many were content to finish within the time limit to earn their placing, while the front group descended down Sunset to the finishing downtown circuit.

Fount was hoping for another stage win to complete their domination, but it was Holly Breck of L39ion of Los Angeles who posted for victory in her first year reaching the downtown circuits.

The women had given a powerful week of performances, getting through a diverse course for the 39th edition. Emerging talent Swierenga (TaG Cycling) would shake off her strong performance as another fun week of racing, winning the Best Young Rider Classification. Kira Payer made an incredible return to form, overcoming the challenges she faced both physically and mentally to finish third overall–and winning the Queen of the Mountain classification for her new SpeedBlock p/b Terun squad. Finally, Fount Cycling Guild celebrated their first Redlands Bicycle Classic title with Alia Shafi, who only begun began to race a few years prior. The team ended the week by taking the Points Classification with Ellexi Snovar, along with the team classification.

For the men’s finale, the GC was seeing one of the closest margins in Redland’s history. After a few presentations ahead of the start, including awarding Frayre the Carol King Sportsmanship award, racing got underway. Blazers went in with a solid plan thanks to Tyler Williams, controlling the field and allowing the eventual break to establish.

CycleSport.com rode their best, but in the end, could not break the Blazers’ strategy. As they entered the final circuits, the break maintained a minimal gap, ultimately finishing just meters ahead of the yellow jersey group. Scott McGill outsprinted his breakaway companions, L39ion’s Robin Carpenter and Kelly Benefit’s Nathan Cusack, to take the final stage win for Project Echelon. Moments later, Frayre crossed the line just ahead of Felton to confirm his GC win, becoming the first Mexican in Redlands history to win the overall title. The team also took the points classification and overall team classification to boot.

The 39th edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic had concluded, adding yet another important milestone to its extensive history. The race proved yet again how important it continues to be in the landscape of North American professional bike racing; and how the race organization is not afraid to evolve to remain successful.