Colorado Springs, Colo. (October 10, 2008)—Featuring 34 events and more than $1.3 million in overall prize payouts, the 2009 National Racing Calendar (NRC) was announced today by USA Cycling. The NRC enters its 13th season as the nation’s premier Pro-Am men’s and women’s road cycling circuit and will visit 21 states from February through September as it highlights the United States’ best domestic teams and athletes.
Up one race from a year ago, the 34-event calendar will feature 27 women’s races and 29 men’s races.
The calendar kicks off with the $25,000 Amgen Tour of California Women’s Stage Race, Feb. 14-16. Expanded from a single-day criterium in 2008, the three-day event provides women with a major opportunity to showcase their talents as the race is held in conjunction with the men’s Tour of California – a major nine-day international stage race on the UCI calendar that will mark Lance Armstrong’s return to racing on U.S. soil.
After the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Stage Race, the NRC takes a six-week hiatus until late March when the traditional season opener – the Redlands Bicycle Classic (Mar. 26-29) – returns to Southern California as a four-day stage race for men and women.
Another month off ensues before the calendar’s first new addition takes place. The Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling on April 26 is the first stand-alone criterium on the calendar and marks the first of 11 consecutive weekends of NRC racing.
One of the peloton’s favorite stage races, the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, N.M., returns from April 29 to May 3, while sprint specialists will head south for two days of criterium racing at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Ala. on May 2 and the Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium in Georgia on May 3.
Two more stage races follow with the Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas, May 7-10 and the Oregon Pro Cycling Classic (formerly the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic), a seven-day, $50,000 event May 11-17.
Five single-day events east of the Mississippi highlight the calendar next – the Bank of America Wilmington Grand Prix in Delaware (May 16), the Kelly Cup in Baltimore (May 17), the Tour de Leelanau in Michigan (May 24), the Tour of Somerville in New Jersey (May 25) and the CSC Invitational in Arlington, Va. (May 30).
With the third-biggest prize list on offer at $110,000, the three-day Tulsa Tough in Oklahoma will take place May 29-31.
Tied for the richest one-day women’s race on the calendar and arguably the most prestigious single-day event for women in the U.S., the $25,000 Liberty Classic will take over the streets of Philadelphia on June 7.
The peloton will next move to the Midwest for the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota, June 10-14.
On June 21, another new addition to the calendar is featured with the Tour de Winghaven in O’Fallon, Mo., followed by the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix in California on June 28.
Running over its traditional spot during the Fourth of July weekend, the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic in Massachusetts is scheduled for July 2-5 and marks the last of 11 consecutive weekends of racing.
Racing resumes with the International Tour de ‘Toona, July 13-19 in Pennsylvania. With more than $114,000 on the line, the International Tour de’ Toona is the second-richest race on the calendar and features the largest women’s prize purse at $57,000.
While the country’s stage race specialists are in Pennsylvania, the sprinters will be in Idaho at the Boise Twilight Criterium on July 18.
Oregon will host its second major NRC stage race of the year with the Cascade Cycling Classic, July 22-26.
Attention will then shift to Illinois for the men’s-only Chicago Criterium on July 26 and the three-day Tour of Elk Grove, July 31-August 3. At $150,000 the Tour of Elk Grove’s prize list is the calendar’s richest.
Racing next heads back to North Carolina for a pair of citeriums – the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational on Aug. 8 in Charlotte and the Hanes Park Classic in Winston-Salem on Aug. 9.
After an open weekend, the men’s-only Tour of Utah will take place Aug. 18-23, while a pair of new single-day events will make their NRC debut that same weekend – the Marion Classic Riverwalk Criterium in Indiana on Aug. 22 and the ING Direct Capital Criterium powered by Cycle-Life in Washington D.C. on Aug. 23.
The following weekend the peloton heads to Upstate New York for the Chris Thater Memorial in Binghamton on Aug. 30, followed by another new addition, the San Francisco Twilight Criterium on Sept. 5.
The men’s calendar then concludes with the U.S. 100K Classic in Atlanta on Sept. 7, while the women’s calendar will extend an additional weekend with the Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic presented by Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Sept. 12, followed by the season-ending Priority Health Ann Arbor Cycling Classic presented by Saint Joseph Mercy Medical System on Sept. 13.
At the conclusion of the 2008 NRC, Tina Pic (Buford, Ga./Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light) claimed her fifth-career overall title, while Australian Rory Suterland of the Health Net presented by Maxxis squad won the men’s championship. Team titles went to the Health Net presented by Maxxis team on the men’s side and the Cheerwine Professional Cycling Team on the women’s.
In conjunction with the 2009 NRC, every race promoter whose bid was accepted will be invited to the first-annual NRC Promoters Summit in Colorado Springs, Nov. 14-16. For more information on the event, click here.
Additional 2009 NRC Notes & Observations:
· Of the 34 events on the 2009 NRC, 19 are criteriums and 11 are multi-day stage rages. The calendar also features two road races, one circuit race and one omnium.
· The calendar features eight newly added events compared to the 2008 NRC – the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling, the Tour de Winghaven, the Chicago Criterium, the Tour of Elk Grove, the Marion Classic Riverwalk Criterium, the ING Direct Capital Criterium powered by CycleLife, the San Francisco Twilight Criterium and the Priority Health Ann Arbor Cycling Classic presented by Saint Joseph Mercy Medical System.
· The 2009 NRC features 22 events that will offer both men’s and women’s racing. The calendar also features five women’s-only events (the Amgen Tour of California, the Tour of Leelanau, the Liberty Classic, the Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic presented by Spectrum Health and the Priority Health Ann Arbor Cycling Classic presented by Saint Joseph Mercy Medical System) and seven men’s-only events (the Kelly Cup, the Tour de Winghaven, the Boise Twilight Criterium, the Chicago Criterium, the Tour of Elk Grove, the Tour of Utah and the ING Direct Capital Criterium powered by CycleLife).
· The overall prize list for the 2009 NRC is $1,378,660. Of that, $954,330 is up for grabs to the men, while the overall women’s purse is $424,330.
· With $150,000 in prize money on the line, the men’s-only Tour of Elk Grove is not only the richest men’s race on the 2009 NRC, but also the richest race overall.
· With $57,330 up for grabs, the International Tour de ‘Toona offers the largest women’s prize purse.
· Three women’s events on the 2009 NRC are also on the UCI international calendar – the Oregon Pro Cycling Classic, the Tour de Leelanau and the Liberty Classic.
· Two events on the 2009 NRC – the Amgen Tour of California and the Tour de Leelanau – feature NRC points for women, but the men’s races are on the 2009 USA Cycling Professional Tour.
· The NRC includes five Category-1 events – the Oregon Pro Cycling Classic, the Liberty Classic, the Tour de Leelanau, the Nature Valley Grand Prix and the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational.
2009 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar:
Feb 14-16: Amgen Tour of California Women’s Stage Race – California (women only)
Mar. 26-29: Redlands Bicycle Classic – California
Apr. 26: Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling – California
Apr. 29-May 3: Tour of the Gila – New Mexico
May 2: Sunny King Criterium – Anniston, Ala.
May 3: Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium – Georgia
May 7-10: Joe Martin Stage Race – Arkansas
May 11-17: Oregon Pro Cycling Classic –Oregon
May 16: Bank of America Wilmington Grand Prix – Delaware
May 17: Kelly Cup – Baltimore, Md. (men only)
May 24: Tour of Leelanau – Michigan (women only)
May 25: Tour of Somerville – New Jersey
May 30: CSC Invitational – Arlington, Va.
May 29-31: Tulsa Tough – Oklahoma
June 7: Liberty Classic – Philadelphia, Pa. (women only)
June 10-14: Nature Valley Grand Prix – Minnesota
June 21: Tour de Winghaven – O’Fallon, Mo. (men only)
June 28: Manhattan Beach Grand Prix – California
July 2-5: Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic – Massachusetts
July 13-19: The International Tour de ‘Toona – Pennsylvania
July 18: Boise Twilight Criterium – Idaho (men only)
July 22-26: Cascade Cycling Classic – Oregon
July 26: Chicago Criterium – Illinois (men only)
July 31-Aug. 3: Tour of Elk Grove – Illinois (men only)
Aug. 8: Presbyterian Hospital Invitational – Charlotte, N.C.
Aug. 9: Hanes Park Classic – Winston-Salem, N.C.
Aug. 18-23: Tour of Utah – Utah (men only)
Aug. 22: Marion Classic Riverwalk Criterium – Indiana
Aug. 23: ING Direct Capital Criterium powered by CycleLife – Washington, D.C. (men only)
Aug. 30: Chris Thater Memorial – New York
Sept. 5: San Francisco Twilight Criterium – California
Sept. 7: US 100K Classic – Atlanta, Ga.
Sept. 12: Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic p/b Spectrum Health – Grand Rapids, Mich. (women only)
Sept. 13: Priority Health Ann Arbor Cycling Classic p/b Saint Joseph Mercy Medical System – Michigan (women only)
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization and sanctioning body, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ members, including 57,000 competitive cyclists, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 350 professional cyclists, and 200 certified mechanics. USA Cycling also sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive organized cycling events throughout the United States annually, as well as 1,800 clubs and teams. Associations of USA Cycling include the United States Cycling Federation (road, track & cyclo-cross), the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), the BMX Association, the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the United States Professional Racing Organization. USA Cycling is also responsible for the identification, development, support and promotion of American cyclists through various athletic initiatives and programs including the USA Cycling National Development Team, the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, the USA Cycling Junior Development Team, Talent Identification and Regional Development Camps, domestic and international race calendars, direct athlete funding and support programs, and educational camps and seminars. USA Cycling also fields and supports U.S. National Teams for various international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Continental Championship and World Cups across all levels and disciplines of competitive cycling. USA cycling further supports grass roots and locally-based initiatives through its 32 Local Associations and comprehensive network of licensed and certified coaches and officials. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts National Championship events for amateur and professional cyclists, awarding more than 600 national titles annually to men and women in junior, U23, masters, elite, professional and paralympic categories throughout the various disciplines of competitive cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org. For media-related or general inquiries, please contact USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867 or alee@usacycling.org.
