Race Report: Between A Rock and A Hard Place in Manhattan Beach

Escuela sprints to a 2nd place finish and Cody O'Reilly rounds out the top 10

June 29, 2008

In an exciting three-up sprint finish, Ricardo Escuela earned 2nd place at the 47th Annual Manhattan Beach Grand Prix this weekend.  
Charging to the line after the infamous 180 degree final turn, Escuela of Team Successful Living was nipped at the line by Rock Racing's
Rahsaan Bahati. Cody O'Reilly recovering from a recent crash finished 9 th gaining more valuable NRC points for the team.  

With three laps to go, Rock Racing with eight riders formed their train to setup their sprint star Rahsaan Bahati. A mad scramble to the final turn rocketed out Brad Huff (Jelly Belly), Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living) and Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing) for the last 150 meters.
Escuela held the lead until the last fifteen meters where he was overtaken by Bahati.  Even though Ricardo’s season started late due to
Visa issues, since his arrival in late May he has consistently earned numerous podium spots and top ten finishes.  

“I’ve been truly impressed by Ricardo’s ability to jump into the schedule mid-season and get some great results,” commented Team Director
Steve Hegg. “It’s safe to say that he is just getting warmed up.”

Next stop, Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend Oregon. This race last year marked one of our NRC wins on the mountain top by Ricardo
Escuela.

  1. Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing)              
  2. Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living Pro Cycling Team)            
  3. Charles (Brad) Huff   (Jelly Belly Cycling Team)            
  4. Jonathan Cantwell (Jittery Joes)            
  5. Antonio Cruz (BMC Racing Team)            
  6. Hilton Clarke (Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team)            
  7. James Esser (Southern California Velo)            
  8. Kyle Gritters (Health Net Professional Cycling Team p/b Maxxis)
  9. Cody O'Reilly (Successful Living Pro Cycling Team)            
  10. Cody Stevenson (Jittery Joes Pro Cycling Team)