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Ted Huang crosses the line for victory at the Districr RR Championship. Photo: © Steve Hill

Ted Huang earned a well-deserved victory on the windswept dunes of the old Fort Ord Army Base in Monterey. On a brutal course that saw only 15 of 60 riders finish the race, Huang forced the pace for much of the day and still had power in the tank when it mattered most.

On the final lap of the race, a strong solo move by Sterling Magnell, that would ultimately earn him the U-23 District crown, kept the pressure on and the pace high. Ted played it cool and attacked the dwindling group the last time up the Barloy "wall" and opened a gap that he would hold all the way to the finish.

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The team sent a five-man team to contest the Cascade Calssic in Bend, Oregon and James Mattis had a solid ride to finish 9th overall. Bernard Van Ulden fresh off his bronze medal at time trial national championships had a strong ride in the stage three time trial. Bernard took out eighth place, with a paltry 3 seconds separating him from a top-five finish. After a solid week or racing in the high desert of eastern Oregon, the team looks to build on its succes at Altoona and finally at the SF Grand Prix in September.

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Charles Dionne crossed the line first in Kamloops, British Columbia to win the Canadian National Criterium Championship. After getting stellar support in the last ten laps from his Quebec teammates, Charles came out the slipstream with 250 metres go to win the sprint emphatically.

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Bernard Van Ulden claimed the bronze medal at time trial national championships on Antelope Island in the midst of the Great Salt Lake outside Salt Lake City, Utah. Bernard's ride was certainly one of the fastest of the day as he was beaten into third place by a scant 0.3 seconds, prompting him to vow to have his eyebrows in 2006!

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Charles Dionne scores an emotional win in his hometown at the Tour de Beauce. Photo: © Beth Seliga

Charles Dionne scored a dramatic victory in the final stage of the Tour de Beauce in Quebec riding for the Canadian National Team. After a week of cold, windy, and rainy days the peloton was tired and beaten down. Dionne, however, was a motivated man knowing that the final stage went through his hometown.

On his day of glory, he attacked early and got away by kilometer 5, ultimately reaching the final lap of the 125 km race with a pair of other riders, an Italian Amore&Vita rider and a Russian from the Navigators squad.

Reminiscent of his race-winning move in San Francisco last September, Charles hit the afterburners on the final steep pitch, leaving his companions behind and soloing to a 12-second victory. “The thrill of winning in front of a such a large and partisan crowd was overwhelming,” Charles said, thinking back to his time in the podium spotlight.

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Lucas Euser enjoys the view from the podium . Photo: © Beth Seliga

With solid riding throughout the race, Lucas Euser took home the best young rider jersey at the Tour of Connecticut, May 20-22.

In particular, solid riding during the demanding Waterbury circuit on stage two saw Euser finish in an elite group just 30 seconds behind the winning group of four.

Lucas held on to his lead with more strong riding during the final stage that turned into an epic battle against Mother Nature and the steep hills of New England. Ineed, the stage saw the race whittled down to a group of just 30 riders that contested the finale where Euser crossed the line 11th to secure the jersey.

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Representing Canada, Webcor's speedster Charles Dionne claimed second place, and the accompanying silver medal, in the road race at the Pan American Games in Mar Del Plata, Argetina.

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The team travelled to the warm and windy Southwest to tackle both the Vuelta de Bisbee and the Tour of the Gila. In the rarified air of Silver City, New Mexico, James Mattis avoided the illness that befell a number of teammates and rode a consistently strong race to take 9th overall at the Tour of the Gila – his personal best NRC stage race finish. David Clinger continued his run of podium placings with a 3rd in the Stage 3 road race. A week earlier, in the Southern Arizona desert, David Clinger capped off strong teamwork to finish on the podium in both road race stages, one flat and windy, the other hilly and windy, at La Vuelta de Bisbee, a mainstay on the US racing calendar.

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The team headed down to Laguna Seca Raceway in nearby Monterey, CA for the Sea Otter Classic. With a slew of sponsors on hand to witness the excitement, David Clinger did not disappoint. Clinger made it into the decisive move of the day, a 17 rider split that went away early in the 27 lap race. As the race wore on, Clinger continued to hang with the lead group of seven until he initiated the race-winning move, going clear with three other riders including Chris Wherry and Doug Ollerenshaw (HealthNet). David made a bid for victory halfway through the last lap that came back and had to settle for third in the sprint at the line.

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With an NRC event taking place in nearby Southern California, the Webcor Builders squad took the starting line in Morgan Hill at the reincarnated Morgan Hill Grand Prix. The team came ready to roll on an epic course just a stone's throw from sponsor Specialized's headquarters. In addition to Specialized's sponsorship of the event, Webcor Builders had come in to make some emergency repairs to a bridge that featured prominently in the course. Once the racing got underway, it didn't take long for the Webcor boys to make a race of it. David Clinger, John Kelly and Marc Hagenlocher made it into an early seven rider break containing David Zabriskie (Discovery Channel) and helped drive the break clear. Despite their best efforts, Zabriskie proved too strong on the day as Clinger and Kelly came home in 4th and 5th spot to round out the podium.

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The team was active in covering the breaks in both Saturday’s criterium and Sunday’s circuit race. When a three-man break was threatening to go the distance in the criterium, Webcor took up chase along with Colavita to set up their respective sprinters, Charles Dionne and JJ Haedo. The leading trio was caught just before the finish and Haedo just took the win over Charles. Sunday’s tough, hilly circuit race, whittled the front group down to just 30 men. Webcor was well represented with David Clinger, James Mattis and Charles Dionne in the final group. Dionne once again made the podium, second to Colavita’s JJ Haedo in a repeat of the prior day’s result. With strong rides on Sunday and at Oak Glen on Friday, James moved up to a solid 13th in the final overall classification.

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San Dimas, CA was home to the next stop on the NRC schedule, hosting the aptly named San Dimas Stage Race. The race got underway with a 4.8 mile uphill time trial and Lucas Euser, riding in the first NRC stage race of his career, shocked both his teammates and his opponents with a blistering ride to finish in 5th. Lucas capitalized on his remarkable time trial to snag 7th overall in the event, after a slew of time bonuses up for grabs in the remaining two stages saw him slip slightly in the overall standings. Not to be outdone, Charles Dionne landed on the podium again, this time inching closer to the first win of the season by taking second in the 98 mile second stage. In the final stage of the race, the team was active with both James Mattis and Bernard Van Ulden in promising breakaways. In the end, however, everything came back together for the finish and Charles snuck in to grab 4th on the day.

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The Central Valley Classic in Fresno, CA was the next stop on the NRC circuit in 2005 and the Webcor Builders team headed to the heart of the central valley for a weekend of fast, flat racing. In Saturday's 105 mile road race, Charles Dionne just missed the podium, grabbing 4th in the field sprint. In Sunday's criterium, however, things fell into place again, with Charles taking third spot. A missed move early in the race, however, might have cost Charles the race win as the team was forced to hit the front and drag back the dangerous break. Coming into the closing three laps, the team was spent from its work on the front and Charles had to freelance in the finale.

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Another year, another podium spot for the Webcor Builder's at the McLane Pacific Classic. The team has had a history of solid performances at the opening NRC event of the year, and 2005 was no exception. After a technical and hectic finale saw him grab 6th on Saturday's criterium, Charles Dionne hit the podium in Sunday's road race, nailing down third place on the day. The race, a 120 mile jaunt through the gently rolling terrain east of Merced, CA, came down to a wild and fast field sprint. After a day of hard work from the team protecting Charles, Bernard van Ulden helped position Charles near the front of the chaotic group with 1 kilometer to go, and Charles did the rest. With a cold Canadian winter to overcome, Charles' result and good form are certainly signs of good things to come.

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The Webcor Builders Professional Cycling Team has selected Specialized bicycles and equipment for their riders in 2005, adding a US presence to their European connection with Gerolsteiner next season. In its third year of sponsoring a UCI-registered pro team, Webcor Builders' star riders will include two-time winner of the T-Mobile International, Charles Dionne, and David Clinger, who already has familiarity with Specialized bicycles after riding with Mario Cipollini's Domina Vacanze squad this season.

"When we looked at racing in the States, Webcor topped the list," said founder and president of Specialized, Mike Sinyard. "The fact that we're both based in the [San Francisco] Bay Area will allow us to closely collaborate on a number of R&D projects, which is an added plus."

Webcor will race upon S-Works Tarmac road and Transition TT bicycles, Decibel helmets, Specialized Optics, and a wide array of accessories from Specialized. Sinyard also told Cyclingnews that "the Webcor Tarmacs will have a few graphic tweaks but will very close to stock colors."

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The Webcor Builders are proud to announce the signing of both Charles Dionne and David Clinger for the 2005 season. Charles' contributions to the team in 2004 are well known with his crowning achievement victory in last year's T-Mobile Invitational. David Clinger, meanwhile, joins the team after riding alongside super-sprinter Mario Cipollini on the Domina-Vacanze team last year.

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