March 18, 2006 – The Sequoia Classic is back. Once a mainstay on the NRC calendar and a true test of early season fitness, the Sequoia Classic returned today with a demanding 30K time trial that brought riders up and over Rocky Hill only to turn around and have to go up and over again on the way back.

With Teams from Webcor, Victory Brewing and Colavita Cooking Light represented the racing was assured to be competitive and fast. In the end the fastest time of the day was posted by Victory Brewing’s Leigh Hobson who beat the early time of mtn biker turned time trialist, Beverly Harper, riding for Touchstone.

The strong earlier times did not mean that those riders could just get a quick change and head to the podium as late finishers from Colavita Cooking Light had still to make their way to the finish line. In the end Audrey Lemieux, Sima Trapp, and Sarah Tillotson each posted very strong times but Leigh Hobson proved on this day that she was the best. Sunday will see the racers lining up for a downtown favorite in the city of Visalia for a classic L- shaped Criterium.

Sequoia Classic
Women Elite 1 / 2

1. Leigh Hobson (Victory Brewing) 51:16
2. Beverly Harper (Touchstone) 52:11
3. Sarah Tillotson (Colavita/Cooking Light) 52:22
4. Chrissy Ruiter (Victory Brewing) 52:34
5. Katherine Carrol (Victory Brewing) 52:35
6 .Penny Avril 52:45
7. Sima Trapp (Colavita Cooking Light) 52:56

10. Audrey Lemieux (Colavita Cooking Light)