Today USA Cycling announced the fourth edition of the USA Cycling Professional Tour, which is highlighted by an expanded calendar and two first-time UCI events.
Last year Garmin-Transitions’ rider Dave Zabriskie captured the individual title, with HTC-Columbia edging out Zabriskie's squad in the team title.
The 2010 Pro Tour features four major stage races across the country, giving spectators around the nation an opportunity to witness the sport at its highest level. Highlights of the Tour's multi-day schedule include the Tours of California, New York, Missouri and the Univest Grand Prix.
In addition to the multi-day races on the 2010 Pro Tour, there will also be six additional single-day events, that include five road races, one criterium and one time trial. In total, the calendar is comprised of 28 days of racing where the world's best will compete on US soil.
“We are excited to see the USA Cycling Professional Tour continue to expand so that our professional teams have even more opportunities to showcase their riders and sponsors and compete against some of the best teams and riders in the world,” said Sean Petty, USA Cycling chief operating officer. “We applaud and thank the communities and organizers who continue to provide the venues for these world class events.”
For the first time the calendar will kick off with the self-billed “America’s Queen of the Classics,” the Tour of the Battenkill. The one-day race will be held on Sunday, April 18 featuring rolling countryside, covered bridges and passes through the small villages of Upstate New York's Washington County. The race is a one of a kind in the US, with more that 30 miles of the event being contested on dirt roads.
The eight-day Amgen Tour of California is a main stay of the USA Cycling Professional Tour, and has historically attracted the sport’s top international teams. This year the event moves from February to May, with the later start allowing organizers to feature a more challenging course for 2010. The race will see several new stages in this edition, most notably the opening stage in Nevada City and the final stage, which is a circuit race that travels through Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills.
Next the peloton will take in the 26th edition of the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship on June 6. The race is the longest running professional race in the country. Past winners of “Philly” include the who’s who of American and international cycling over the past quarter century.
The circuit will then move to Providence, RI for the U.S. Open of Cycling on July 4. Moving west across New England, the 2.2-rated Tour de New York from Aug. 7-12 will mark the second all-new event, and the fifth overall event on the Pro Tour. The six-day stage race will begin with a short circuit race in Rochester on Saturday, followed by a 10-mile individual time trial on Sunday. The race then continues through August 12th with three road races and a circuit race. The USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championships are up next, and take place on Aug. 14. The location has yet to be determined.
Traditionally the closer, this year the Tour of Missouri (Aug 31- Sept 6) will serve as the seventh of the ten events. Many of the world’s top international teams are expected to return to Missouri again this year.
Another long-time event, the Univest Grand Prix (Sept 11-12), will bring the best back to Pennsylvania as riders look to accumulate late-season points towards an overall Pro Tour championship. The 2.2-rated event will consist of a circuit race on Saturday and a road race in and around Souderton, Pennsylvania on Sunday.
For the fifth consecutive year, Greenville, S.C. will welcome the top American road professionals for the USA Cycling Professional Road and Time Trial National Championships. This year scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19, the event will welcome the field as they gear up for the 2010 UCI Road World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
The individual and team winners will be calculated after the National Championships in Greenville.
2010 USA Cycling Professional Tour:
April 18: Tour of the Battenkill - Cambridge, NY
May 16 – 23: Amgen Tour of California - California
June 6: TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship - Philadelphia, PA
July 4: US Open of Cycling - Providence, RI
Aug. 7 – 12: Tour de New York – Rochester, NY
Aug. 14: USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championships - TBD
Aug. 31 – Sept. 6: Tour of Missouri - Missouri
Sept. 11 – 12: Univest Grand Prix - Souderton, PA
Sept. 18: USA Cycling Professional Time Trial Championship - Greenville, SC
Sept. 19: USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship - Greenville, SC
*Date Tentative, Subject to Change