32nd Annual Redlands Bicycle Classic Was A Success

REDLANDS >> Bike lanes were put to good use this past week in Redlands and many neighboring cities as the 32nd Annual Redlands Bike Classic kicked off the five-day event, April 6 through April 10. This is the fourth year that the Redlands Bike Classic Committee has partnered up with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Their collaboration helped expand the event in order to reach more community members, cyclists, and spectators. The first race was the women’s circuit race that kicked off at San Manuel Village in Highland bright and early Wednesday morning, April 6. The popular event attracts people from all over the world that share a common trait: the love of cycling. “Where legends are born,” said cyclist Brian McCulloch regarding the Redlands Classic. “It’s a true statement.” He shared that most cyclists get goose bumps when they ride a circuit that one of their favorite famous cyclists have ridden before. “It’s such a unique event,” he said. “The volunteers are the ones that make this happen; they work so hard to put this together. These are people that don’t even cycle and they’re supporting this.” McCulloch and his wife Joy are Yucaipa residents that own Big Wheel Coaching. They are both experienced and successful cyclists whose work includes coaching elite cyclists as well as recreational bikers. “It’s more than just a hobby,” McCulloch said. “It’s our life.” This year marked McCulloch's seventh time participating in the classic and this was Joy’s sixth. Between the two, they’ve been racing for nearly twenty years while carrying many accolades from races. They are some of the few local cyclists that participate in the event, according to McCulloch. “It’s a very international sport,” he said. Most of his teammates are from Mexico and Spain. Each team participates every single day of the five-day stage race event. McCulloch explained that every cyclist that starts must finish in order for the team to go on to the next stage. Otherwise, it would not be fair to other teams; if one member doesn’t make it to the end, he’s not as tired as everyone else is the next day. During races, teams try to stick together, but they don’t always have that luxury, he explained. “We sacrifice ourselves for the good of the team; it’s all of our jobs,” he said. “The cycling community is very different; there's such a social aspect,” he explained. Since a myriad of cyclists embark on long-distance routes, they’re out on the road together for about three to four hours at a time. “We get to talk and interact with a wide variety of people regularly,” he added. The Redlands Classic attracts the community, cyclists or not, to come together for several days out of the week to participate in all the festivities and to help cheer on all the participating cyclists. One of McCulloch’s favorite routes is the Downtown Redlands route. “It’s so exciting…everyone is right there and fans are ready to give high fives,” he added. McCulloch and his wife list the Yucaipa route as another favorite. “The start is just a 5 minute spin from our front door and the route covers some of my favorite training roads. Having the chance to race on it and share it with my friends is awesome,” she explained. “But to be honest, I love crit day.” To find all the results to the Redlands Bike Classic you can visit: http://redlandsclassic.com/results/