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Women's Pro Challenge cycling race is expanding |
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Thursday, January 12, 2012 09:19 |
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Kristin Armstrong
By Dorothy Atkins, The Aspen Daily News
The Aspen/Snowmass Women’s Pro Challenge is moving up in the world of professional cycling.
The race, planned to coincide with the men’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge which returns to Aspen in August, is expanding from a three- to four-stage event and will only be open to women who have elite or pro status.
Last year, the three-day women’s stage race was held in Aspen and Snowmass leading up to the finish of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge’s Queen Stage, partly in an attempt to introduce men’s cycling fans to women’s racing, said Justin Todd, president of Team Ajax, a nonprofit that sponsors racers and has adopted the role of race organizer.
The three stages included a time trial to the Maroon Bells, a circuit race around Snowmass and a criterium stage in downtown Aspen.
This year, the women’s race is going to be four days and race organizers hope to attract 80 women pro cyclists. Last year 40 cyclists raced.
The race will begin Aug. 20 with a prologue time trial. The second stage is a 35-mile circuit race around Snowmass and the third stage will be similar to last year’s criterium held in downtown Aspen.
The final stage will be a road race and hill climb from Aspen to the top of Independence Pass.
The race will be part of USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar with the required $25,000 first-place prize. It's the final race on the calendar, making it a last-chance stop for cyclists to accumulate season points.
Ultimately, the idea is to bring the highest quality racers to Aspen, putting it at the same competitive level as the men’s race, said Jessica Phillips, pro cyclist who is a national champion and race organizer.
“Last year it wasn’t quite on par with the men’s race,” Phillips said. “We did have a couple world champions and gold medalists, but our biggest barrier is financial. Where the men don’t really have to cover any costs to travel to Aspen, it’s a lot harder for the women to make it here on their own dime.”
Another challenge organizers face is that the race falls between the UCI Road World Championships and the Olympics.
Still, Phillips has already received e-mails from top cycling teams like Specialized-Lululemon and Exergy Twenty12 expressing interest in competing.
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