Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team 2007

Redlands, Calif – The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team was the only squad to place four of its riders in the top 15 during Thursday's Sun Time Trial at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

The 3.1-mile (5 km) mostly uphill prologue opened the 23rd annual edition of the race under mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 80s.

Toyota-United's Justin England (shown at right), Ivan Stevic, Chris Baldwin and Sean Sullivan all finished within four seconds of each other. England was the best placed in fifth, 16 seconds off the winning time by Svein Tuft (Symmetrics Cycling Team). Tuft covered the 3.1-mile (5 km) course in nine minutes and 29 seconds.

Stevic was 10th, 17 seconds behind, Chris Baldwin finished 12th (19 seconds behind) and Sean Sullivan was 14th, 20 seconds behind. Other Toyota-United placings were: Chris Wherry, 26th, 36 seconds behind; Burke Swindlehurst, 38th, 44 seconds behind; Ivan Dominguez 124th, 1:39 behind; and Henk Vogels, 127th, 1:42 behind.

Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said the results on the first of four days of racing are pretty much what he expected, though he had hoped to have at least one rider in the top five.

"It's going to be an interesting dynamic tomorrow," Jansen said. "We and Health Net would seem to be the ones who will go on the offensive. Symmetrics, Jittery Joe’s, BMC and Priority Health – with riders in the top five - will want to keep things together."

Friday’s Stage 1 Redlands Ford Oak Glen Road Race features a mountaintop finish at 4,819 feet after a final climb of 3.5 miles (9 km). It comes at the end of 97.3 miles (156.6 km) of racing over three categorized climbs.

“It might just boil down to the last climb,” Jansen said. “I’m not sure how it’s going to play out. It’s tough to predict how Friday’s race is going to go.”