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(April 4, 2008)
Report filed by Health Net, presented by Maxxis

Redlands, CA –Rory Sutherland of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis stormed the climbing 5 km opening prologue of the Redlands Classic, recording a time of 9:51.7, 0:02 ahead of Aussie Ben Day (Toyota-United) and 0:09 ahead of Canadian strong man Dominique Rollin (Toyota-United) and Spaniard Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing).

“I was a bit surprised at the win,” Sutherland said. “There are a lot of big names here. But the course suits me and I was on a good day.”

The 5 km course rolls for the first couple miles before pitching upward toward the finish on Sunset Boulevard.

“Day started right after me,” the 26-year-old Australian said. “He just kept an eye on me and matched me. When I started to pull away, he just dug a little deeper to stay even.”

With Sutherland in the leader’s jersey, the team will turn to the tough task of defending the lead over the next three stages. But with time bonuses available out on the course during the first road stage on Friday, and the criterium on Saturday, the race will be difficult to control, especially with a field approaching 200 riders, and the top 25 all within 30 seconds of the lead.

“On paper, tomorrow’s stage looks hard,” Sutherland said of the 138 km route that includes over 5,000 feet of climbing. “The race could blow apart. But we have a good group of guys here who know how to handle races. We’ll see what we can do to stay in the jersey tomorrow and go from there.”

Notes
The victory marked the third consecutive stage win at the Redlands Classic for Sutherland, dating back to the final two stages of last year’s race.

Health Net Presented by Maxxis teammates Matt Crane and Matt Cooke both slotted into the top 20 today, in 17th and 18th places respectively, both at 0:27 behind Sutherland.

See the results of the 2008 Redlands Bicycle Classic prologue: Click here

For additional information regarding the Team, please visit www.teamhealthnet.com, or contact:

JEFF SOBUL, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Tel: 510.832.1616
Fax: 510.832.1618
Mobile: 510.334.3949
Email: jsobul@teamhealthnet.com