HIGH ROAD RIDES GIANT TO SEVERAL VICTORIES!

(April 7, 2008) Team High Road, riding the prototype Giant TCR Advanced SL bicycle, rode to multiple victories over the April 5 – 6 weekend.

HIGH ROAD WOMEN IN REDLANDS, CA
High Road’s youngest rider, Emilia Fahlin (19) from Sweden took the biggest win of her career winning stage three of the Redlands Classic in California on Saturday.

The win came inadvertently as Fahlin’s aim for the day was to protect the lead of Mara Abbott and take time bonus seconds away from the opposing GC riders.

“It wasn't really our plan to go for a stage win as we were more concerned about the time bonuses and keeping Mara in a good position going into the final stage,” explained Fahlin. “But it ended up in a bunch sprint so I had to go for it to try to take the bonus seconds. For me it’s really exciting. It’s my biggest win so far.”

Fahlin has spent the last two months in California taking advantage of the good weather and heads back to Sweden now with four victories to her name.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I don’t want to leave,” said Fahlin. “We’ve done some great racing and I’ve learned a lot. I think it’s been a really good experience for me.”

The race was fast from the start leaving no room for breaks to stay away. Fahlin took the time bonus sprint at the half way mark and then again at the finish.

Going into Sunday’s final stage, High Road’s Mara Abbott held the overall lead but wound up placing second in the GC at the finish, only :01 behind Alex Wrubleski of the Webcor team. Mara’s team mate, Kim Anderson, placed 5th in the GC, and claimed the climbers’ jersey.

HIGH ROAD WOMEN IN FLANDERS
Daunting weather conditions in the Tour of Flanders could not prevent High Road's Judith Arndt from out sprinting Kristin Armstrong to seize High Road’s first World Cup win of the season.

The former World Champion broke away with Armstrong with six kilometres to go before beating her rival at the finish. Amazingly, Arndt's victory is High Road women’s team’s 20th win of 2008!

Widely recognized as the toughest one-day Classic on the women’s calendar, Flanders succession of steep cobbled climbs were rendered even more difficult by freezing temperatures, as well as incessant rain and hail showers before the race.

Tactically High Road played an aggressive game in the 114 kilometre event, with Arndt tearing across to a lead group containing three team-mates after attacking with Briton Nicole Cooke on the dreaded Mur de Grammont climb.

She then went clear with Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) before out sprinting the American for an emphatic victory, a good two bike lengths in the final sprint. Kirsten Wild of the AA-Drink Cycling team finished third in a 14-rider group of chasers with Arndt’s teammate Oenone Wood finishing in fourth.

“It all came down to great team-work.” Arndt, whose previous World Cup win was in Montreal in 2006, said afterwards, “At first I didn’t go for it, because we had riders ahead. Then when we bridged across, High Road had a numerical advantage, which was what we wanted. It really was a perfect race by the whole High Road squad."

Team Director Ronny Lauke explained that from the beginning “everything went to plan. Starting with the work Kate Bates did in the early part of the race to help into the technical sections of the race and having Chantal Beltman in the break all day, we were really happy. We are very excited about this win and particularly the way the girls raced so well together as a team. I think we’ll have a nice celebration tonight.”

HIGH ROAD DUO TAKE ONE-TWO IN THE NETHERLANDS
A gutsy day-long break by High Road’s Adam Hansen and Tony Martin culminated in a remarkable victory for Martin in the Hel Van Het Mergelland one-day race in Holland on Saturday. Hansen and Martin broke away after just 15 kilometres of racing and the duo stayed away, with no other riders in the move, for the entire day.

They crossed the line together a six minutes ahead of a leading chase group of four, and around 11 ahead of the main bunch of 20. The two had such a large lead that Martin waited while Hansen’s flat tire was replaced with 10km to go. That’s when the pair decided that Martin would cross the finish line first.

“Adam and me attacked, found there was just the two of us out there and decided to keep going. For a good 50 kilometres we had to really fight to convince the bunch to let us go,” Martin recounted. “Then afterwards the bunch cracked and the gap just grew and grew. We had no idea whether we would stay away or not, so we just hoped.”

Weather conditions were far from favorable for the duo. Heavy rain early in the day made the roads treacherous, but the two persevered nonetheless.

More details and photos can be found at the Cyclingnews.com website by clicking here.

HIGH ROAD MEN IN FLANDERS
George Hincapie of Team High Road placed fifth in the Tour of Flanders, a 260 kilometer one-day race that played out in rain, hail, a little snow, and eventually finished in sunshine. Hincapie hung with eventual race winner Stijn Devolder of the Quick Step squad for most of the day, but lost contact in the last 30 km due to the famed brutal hills of the classic race. “I had good legs, but I wasn’t great on the hills,” Hincapie told VeloNews. Hincapie and Devolder rode together in 2007 on the same Discovery Channel team.

With his fifth place finish, Hincapie’s aim now is a podium for next weekend’s Paris-Roubaix.

Hincapie’s team mate, Bernard Eisel, finished the Tour of Flanders in 11th place.