Stage wins bookend successful Gila for UnitedHealthcare, Canyon-SRAM name six for Women's Tour de Yorkshire
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The pro women's race gets underway at the Lake Bluff Criterium(Image credit: Ethan Glading)
Race leader Taylor Wiles (UnitedHealthcare) gets called to the start line for stage 4 at Tour of the Gila(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Katie Hall (UnitedHealthcare) wins the opening stage at the 2017 Tour of the Gila(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Hannah Barnes at Gent-Wevelgem(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Lisa Brennauer (Canyon-SRAM) wins(Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)
Organisers of the Colorado Classic today announced the 12 women's teams that will take part in the inaugural edition of the race scheduled for August 10-11, with all nine US UCI-registered teams signed on along with three elite amateur teams.
Colavita-Bianchi, Cylance, Hagens Berman-Supermint, Rally Cycling, Sho-Air Twenty20, Team Illuminate, Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank, UnitedHealthcare and Visit Dallas DNA will represent the UCI ranks, while Colorado-based ALP Cycles and Amy D Foundation, along with Fearless Femme, will make up the amateur contingent.
The first-year race will run in tandem with the inaugural men's addition and the Velorama entertainment festival in Denver.
The men's Colorado Classic will take place August 10-13, with stage 1 in Colorado Springs, the second stage in Breckenridge and the final two stages starting and finishing in Denver's River North Art District. The two stages of the women's Colorado Classic will be Thursday, August 10, in Colorado Springs and Friday, August 11, in Breckenridge.
"Colorado has a tremendous legacy for hosting world-class women's cycling that dates back to the '80s," said Women's Race Director Sean Petty. "The strong response we've received from the top US women's teams honors that legacy and we expect great racing from some of the best riders in the world."
The men's and women's stages of the Colorado Classic are part of USA Cycling's Pro Road Tour. Organisers will reveal further information about individual riders, men's teams and courses later this spring.
2017 Colorado Classic Women's Teams:
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Alp Cycles Women’s Racing Team Amy D. Foundation Team Colavita-Bianchi Cylance Pro Cycling Fearless Femme Team Hagens Berman-Supermint Rally Cycling Sho-Air Twenty20 Team Iluminate Team Tibco - Silicon Valley Bank UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling
Stage wins bookend successful Gila for UnitedHealthcare
The UnitedHealthcare women capped off a successful week at the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico last week with an impressive podium sweep on the final day and a one-two finish in the general classification.
Tayler Wiles took the overall crown with a consistent performance that saw her finish second on three of the US Pro Road Tour race's five stages, taking the overall lead in the stage 2 Fort Bayard Road Race and then hanging on through the next three days.
Overall runner-up Katie Hall won the first and final stages, leading the UHC podium sweep of the final Gila Monster stage ahead of Wiles and Ruth Winder, who was fourth overall behind stage 3 time trial winner Leah Thomas (Sho-Air Twnenty20).
"This win means so much to me because of how incredible our team raced," Wiles said. "Everyone put their whole heart into every stage. We trusted each other and had confidence every step of the way. I've always dreamed of winning this race, and winning as one team was perfect."
Other stage winners this week in New Mexico include Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank's Lex Albrecht, who beat Wiles and Scotti Lechuga (Hagens Berman-Supermint) in a three-up sprint in Fort Bayard at the end of stage 2, and downtown Silver City criterium winner Emma White (Rally Cycling). UnitedHealthcare also won the team competition, with Hall taking home the QOM jersey for her week's work and Winder collecting the jersey for best young rider. Rise Racing's Jamie Gilgen won the sprint jersey.
Winder, who won three stages and the overall at the Pro Road Tour-opening Joe Martin Stage Race then followed it with a win at the McClellan Road Race, extended her lead in the season-long series. She now leads Wiles by 127 points, with Tibco's Lauren Stephens in third, 129 down. Hall is fourth, 159 back, with Rally's Sara Bergen, who crashed out of the Tour of the Gila during the time trial, in the Pro Road Tour's fifth spot, 200 points down.
Canyon-SRAM name six for Women's Tour de Yorkshire
Canyon-SRAM will line up for the Women's Tour of Yorkshire on Saturday with a six-rider roster headlined by reigning British road champion Hannah Barnes, who is expecting boisterous crowds for the inaugural one-day race that coincides with stage 2 of the three-day men's race.
"It's a different course to last year, and I think it's going to create a great race," Barnes said. "I'm really looking forward to racing on home soil. I know some of the roads, so I know what to expect on Saturday and we're really keen to have a successful race. We'll have some amazing support from the fans roadside, and being televised is great for everyone else to be able to watch too."
Joining Barnes on the Canyon-SRAM roster for the 122.5km UCI 1.1 race will be Lisa Brennauer, Tiffany Cromwell, Barbara Guarischi, Mieke Kröger and Alexis Ryan.
The race starts in Tadcaster, heading north through the scenic roads of North Yorkshire before an uphill drag to the finish in Harrogate. New for this year is the climb of Côte de Lofthouse at 60km. The 4.5km climb averages a six per cent gradient and should "make things interesting", Barnes said.
Canyon-SRAM for Tour de Yorkshire: Hannah Barnes, Lisa Brennauer, Tiffany Cromwell, Barbara Guarischi, Mieke Kröger, Alexis Ryan
