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San Francisco, USA - 6 May, 2015 - Velocio-SRAM will race the first edition of the Women's Amgen Tour of California, from 8 to 10 May. The UCI 2.1 race has fielded international teams including German squad Velocio-SRAM and Italian team Ale Cipollini. Hot off an amazing sweep at Gracia Orlova Tour in Czech Republic that finished on 3 May, the team is ready to stamp their authority in California.
Team Director Sportif Beth Duryea says the team is bringing a strong roster to the three-day stage race. "The team rode incredible at Gracia Orlova Tour last week. Four stage wins from five stages, first and second on the overall, and a clean sweep of all jersey classification. The team atmosphere at the moment is fantastic."
That doesn't mean the squad will be taking things easy in the in augural edition. "We certainly will be one of the favourites in the race, but we won't be taking anything lightly. For the US based teams this is by far their biggest stage race of the year so naturally they will be desperate to win. Our team is arriving just one day before the tour starts, but I am sure the riders will find their legs quickly enough," said Duryea.
Velocio-SRAM's racing in recent weeks has seen a string of impressive results. ITT World Champion Lisa Brennauer took out the overall at Energiewacht Tour in The Netherlands ahead of team mate Trixi Worrack in early April. While later in the month, French woman Elise Delzenne won the UCI 1.1 Dwars Door De Westhoek in Belgium.
The first ever Amgen Women's Tour of California will start in spectacular fashion around Lake Tahoe. Known as the "Jewel in the Sierra" the race is set to have a stunning backdrop. Here we take a look at what is expected for each stage:
Stages
Friday 8 May, Stage One - Lake Tahoe Road Race, 119.5km
Stage One is a 120 kilometre scenic lap around the stunning Lake Tahoe. The clockwise loop will see the riders take on two small QOM climbs, with twisting descents and fast straights. The stage finishes on a steep but short QOM climb to Heavenly with a maximum gradient of 15%. There is just one intermediate sprint for time bonuses and interestingly there are no time bonuses on the stage finish. This will be a test for riders to see who can best cope with the finish climb.
Saturday 9 May, Stage Two - Pioneer Circuit Race, 79.4km
In Stage Two riders will complete two laps of a 40 kilometre circuit. The race will head out of South Lake Tahoe and on offer for the climbers are two QOM climbs on each ascent of Apache Avenue, a short 1.2 kilometre climb with average around 5.1%. There is one intermediate sprint for bonus seconds, while stage two offers bonus seconds on the finish. The stage again finishes up the short steep climb to Heavenly.
Sunday 10 May, Stage Three - Sacramento Circuit Race, 54.7km
After two days of a taste of climbing, Stage Three gives the sprinters a chance to shine. The flat circuit race is set to be fast and furious. A maximum of 19 bonus seconds will be on offer between three intermediate sprints and the finish, providing the potential for the overall classification to chance significantly in an exciting final stage.
The roster for Velocio-SRAM for the Amgen Tour of California Empowered with SRAM will be Trixi Worrack, Alena Amialiusik, Loren Rowney, Lisa Brennauer and Karol-Ann Canuel. Follow the team's Twitter account @velociosports for live action and updates!
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| Alena Amialiusik recently took a clean sweep of all jersey classifications at the Gracia Orlová Tour. ©BellXOne Photography |
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