Watch the opening 2016 race live on Cyclingnews Saturday afternoon at 2:45 (EDT)
Dan Holloway on the men's podium. (Image credit: Gateway Cup)
The 2016 TUFMED USA Crits Championship Series will launch Saturday in Tampa, Florida with the Sunshine Grand Prix, and you can watch all the action live here on Cyclingnews.
The pro women start racing on the .5 mile, four-corner circuit at 2:45 p.m. (EDT), followed by the pro men’s 70-minute race at 4:25.
Among the elite racers scheduled to compete is defending USA Crits Series champion Daniel Holloway (GIANT Racing). The “Crit King” said he hasn’t raced in Florida in a long time and he’s thrilled to start his 2016 season in downtown Tampa.
“I am very happy to see that USA Crits is back at it again with a great schedule of events,” Holloway said. “Our team is ready to get stuck in and show yet again that we can impact races, turn that impact in to wins and those wins into a championship.”
The series will once again provide livestream coverage of the pro men's and women’s categories. New for 2016 is the addition of a dedicated livestream commentator, former professional cyclist Frankie Andreu.
“I’m honored to be the voice of one of the purest forms of bike racing there is,” Andreu said. “I have fond memories of coming to areas like these as a young guy with heavy hitting sprinters like Robbie Ventura to race the criteriums. These races are some of the most exhilarating cycling events that you could ever possibly attend.”
Celebrating its 10th year, the USA CRITS series has added title sponsor TUFMED to its line-up of supporters.
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“We’re ecstatic about this opportunity to be involved with USA CRITS,” said Dan Greene, CEO and founder of TUFMED, Inc. “Being able to reach this many elite level riders is vital to our mission to help as many athletes as possible stay healthy.”
2016 USA CRITS Championship Series: March 19 - Sunshine Tampa Criterium - Tampa, FL March 26 - Sunshine Clearwater Classic Criterium - Clearwater, FL April 30 - Charlotte Criterium - Charlotte, NC May 6 - Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Criterium - Spartanburg, SC May 7 - Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight Criterium - Athens, GA May 29 - Winston Salem Cycling Classic - Winston-Salem, NC June 4 - Glencoe Grand Prix - Glencoe, IL July 16 - Andersen/Banducci Twilight Criterium - Boise, ID August 6 - Red Bank Championship Cycling - Red Bank, NJ August 20 - 2016 USA Crits Championship Series Finals: - Iron Hill Twilight Criterium - West Chester, PA
