USA Cycling’s Pro Road Tour dates announced

By clippedin

The national calendar for the 2019 Pro Road Tour will feature 18 events across 16 states, USA Cycling announced Thursday.

Spanning March to September, the PRT schedule next year will include 45 days of road cycling competitions, with 16 of the 18 events offering races for elite women and men.

The PRT is comprised of the top road race events in the U.S. and is open to both professional and amateur cyclists.

Events are a mix of criteriums, omniums, road races, stage races, and individual time trials. Individual and team champions are crowned at the conclusion of the calendar.

“The Pro Road Tour enters its fourth year, and we are proud to see a very strong and diverse compilation of road cycling events to leverage earning opportunities for our members,” said Chuck Hodge, Vice President of Operations for USA Cycling. “The calendar is structured to provide a balance for travel, as well as support long-standing races that are traditions in local communities.”

The 2019 PRT includes:

  • 18 events in 16 states
  • 45 total days of racing
  • 10 criteriums/crit omniums, six stage races (5 are UCI), 1 UCI road race, 1 UCI time trial
  • PRT events offer more than $700,000 in prize purses for men and women

The biggest changes include moving the Redlands Bicycle Classic in California from May to March and the return of the North Star Grand Prix in Minnesota in June with a women’s UCI stage race.

“Minnesota has a tremendous cycling community and progressing the North Star Grand Prix to become a UCIwomen’s event represents the strength of this community,” said North Star Grand Prix race director Brendon Hale. “We are excited to provide women the opportunity to earn valuable UCI points, and provide the opportunity for men to earn USA Cycling PRT points.”

Calendar run-down

The Redlands Bicycle Classic presented by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians will open the 2019 PRT season, with racing from March 13 to 17. Now in its 34th season, the event is longest, continuously-running invitational stage race for pros in the U.S.

The last time the Redlands Bicycle Classic was held in early spring was 2012. Hosted by the city of Redlands and surrounding communities in southern California, the five-day stage race features three road races, an individual time trial and a criterium.

The April 2019 schedule will be highlighted by the first of four UCI stage races and two criteriums.

The Joe Martin Stage Race returns to Fayetteville, Ark., April 4-7. This four-day stage race has a rich history dating back to 1978, and is the oldest stage race event in the U.S. The Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Ala., on April 13 follows and will be the first of 10 criteriums and crit omniums on the calendar.

May begins with the second UCI stage race – the 34th edition of the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico with five days of racing, May 1-5. The MVP Health Care Rochester Twilight Criterium in Rochester, N.Y., returns May 11, marking the second year in a row for the spring race. The Wilmington Grand Prix, May 18, is a new event on the PRT calendar this year. It will be the 12th year for the criterium, which is part of three days of cycling events in the capital of Delaware.

Now a tradition for Memorial Day weekend, racing will be back in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Winston-Salem Criterium will be held under the lights on May 25, and is part of the third annual Gears and Guitars Music Festival. The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, a UCI road race for men and women, will take place May 27.

The following weekend, June 1-2, offers the Armed Forces Cycling Classic presented by The Boeing Company in Arlington, Va. The three-day Saint Francis Tulsa Tough in Tulsa, Okla., will have a dedicated weekend, June 7-9. Back from a one-year absence will be the five-day North Star Grand Prix on June 12-16, which includes road races, a time trial and criterium in and around Minneapolis. It is part of the North Star Bicycle Festival.

Three events in mid-July will be on the roads of Idaho and Michigan. Friday, July 12, the only Individual Time Trial on the calendar returns – the Chrono Kristin Armstrong in Boise, Idaho. The following evening, downtown Boise will host the ASWB Twilight Criterium. In the Motor City on July 13, the Detroit Cycling Championships are the eighth criterium event for men and women.

August features the UCI stage races the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah for elite men and the Colorado Classic for elite women. The Tour of Utah will be held for a fifth year as a seven day, UCI 2.HC stage race, Aug. 12-18. The event takes place across multiple host venues in the state. The Colorado Classic will be raced across multiple venues in Colorado as a four-day UCI stage race for women, Aug. 22-25.

The final two events of the 2019 PRT schedule are criteriums – the Gateway Cup in Missouri and the Bucks County Classic in Doylestown, Pa. The Gateway Cup, a criterium omnium, returns Labor Day weekend with four distance courses through four historic St. Louis neighborhoods. It is one of the longest-running cycling events in the country, entering its 35th year, and has been part of the USA CRITS Championship Series. The Bucks County Classic in Doylestown, Pa., which in its 16th running will cap the 2019 PRT season on Sept. 8.

The 2018 PRT individual champions were Katie Hall (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling)for Elite Women and Gavin Mannion (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team)for Elite Men. Mannion also captured the 2017 men’s individual crown.

In the team standings, UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling swept titles. The UHC women scored a 211-point advantage over Rally Cycling and the UHC men finished with a 275-point margin over Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling Team.

Content provided by USA Cycling.