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Vande Velde captures Redlands Classic; Armstrong nonth in stage one of Paris - Nice

For the fourth consecutive year, the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team delivered at the Redlands Classic.

Christian Vande Velde finished in the lead group of riders in yesterday's sixth and final stage en route to the overall victory at 15th Redlands Classic, America's largest stage race. Vande Velde became the fourth different U.S. Postal Service rider to win the Redlands Classic in the last four years. Vande Velde's final winning margin was 39 seconds over Saturn's Frank McCormack. Vande Velde's USPS teammate and last year's race champion, Jonathan Vaughters, finished the race in fourth place, 1:37 back.

Vande Velde took control of the race following his performance in Friday's fourth stage, a 93 mile road race that featured a mountain top finish. Vande Velde finished second in the decisive stage to Vaughters, as the teammates crossed the finish line hand-in-hand. The USPS duo dropped the rest of the competition, including pre-race favorites McCormack and Volvo-Cannondale's Cadel Evans, on the climb to Oak Glen. From the base of the five-mile climb, Vaughters set tempo and only Vande Velde was able to remain on his wheel, with Evans finally coming off in the final kilometers. Vande Velde's effort moved him from third place, 15 seconds back of McCormack, into first, 19 seconds up on Vaughters and 1:04 up on McCormack. Saturday's fifth stage, a timed 90-minute criterium in downtown Redlands, unexpectedly shook up the four places below Vande Velde, as a four-rider breakaway, including Vande Velde and McCormack, finished 1:20 on the field. Due to a mid-race time bonus and a second place finish in the stage, McCormack closed to within 46 seconds heading into yesterday's final stage - an 88-mile circuit race.

However, just as they did for Vaughters last year, the USPS team - this time led by Benoit Joachim, Dylan Casey and David George - rode at the front of the peloton for nine of the 11 6.5-mile circuits in support of Vande Velde. The race came together over the last two laps and once again Vande Velde made the winning breakaway. While McCormack went on to win the stage, Vande Velde rolled across the line a few seconds later with his hands in the air, confirming his winning ride.

Meanwhile at Paris-Nice, the U.S. Postal Service's Lance Armstrong placed ninth in yesterday's first stage, a nine kilometer time trial. Armstrong turned in a time of 10:34, 14 seconds off the pace set by stage winner Chris Boardman of Credit Agricole. The race was Armstrong's first since his crash near the end of the first stage of the Tour of Valencia on February 23. Armstrong led four U.S. Postal Service riders in the top 30, as George Hincapie (23rd, at :25), Frankie Andreu (28th, at :27) and Tyler Hamilton (30th, at :28) all turned in solid rides.

Today's second stage, a 184 km race from Nangis to Sens was won by Lotto's Andrei Tchmil from a small group that included seven members of Rabobank. Tchmil took the stage in 04:42:24 and now leads the race by two seconds over Stuart O'Grady of Credit Agricole. Armstrong, Hamilton and Marty Jemison followed in a large group of riders at 1:52. In the overall classification, Armstrong holds 21st place, at 2:19, with Hamilton in 22nd, at 2:23.

Paris-Nice continues tomorrow with the third stage, a 203 km race from Sens to Nevers. The event concludes on Sunday in Nice.