PRESS RELEASE – (DENVER, CO—July 31, 2019) – The 2019 Colorado Classic® presented by VF Corporation today released its most international and competitive roster of riders in the race’s history, including past Colorado Classic champions, Olympic medal winners and world champions.
“This is the deepest field and certainly the field with the most international riders,” said Sean Petty, Colorado Classic Race Director. “There are riders who have major international results and accolades behind their names. We have our two previous Colorado Classic champions with Katie Hall and Sara Poidevin who’ve proven their ability to climb well and win at this altitude in Colorado. And the sprint finishes expected in stages 1, 3 and 4 will feature some of the fastest women in the world. It should be a really exciting race with an extremely high level of racing.”
Headlining the field are defending champion, Katie Hall (USA) of the U.S. National Team; 2009 World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Tatiana Gudzero (ITA) of BePink; Amber Neben (USA) of Cogeas Mettler Look; 2017 Colorado Classic champion, Sara Poidevin (CAN) of Rally/UHC; and track super-star and multiple-time world champion, Chloe Dygert-Owen (USA) from Sho-Air Twenty20.
At least 96 world-class riders are expected for the four-stage, UCI 2.1 category race which will run August 22-25 through challenging courses in Steamboat Springs, Avon, Golden and Denver.
“I think [the Colorado Classic] is a step forward for us,” said 2019 Colorado Classic competitor and 2018 stage-winner, Kendall Ryan (USA) from TIBCO-SVB. “It’s amazing that they want to create races just for women. And I think it’s really special that it’s happening in the U.S. And Colorado is smack-dab in the middle and it’s really special that they’re creating that platform for us.”
Star cyclists to watch at this year’s race include:
- Katie Hall (USA) from the U.S. National Team- Hall is the 2018 Colorado Classic winner and 2018 Amgen Tour of California winner. In 2019, Hall has already placed second at the Amgen Tour of California and 7th at the Giro Rosa, the toughest women’s stage race featuring the best riders in the world.
- Tiffany Cromwell (AUS) from Canyon/SRAM- Cromwell is a longtime UCI pro who has won stages at the prestigious Giro Rosa. Cromwell won the Belgium Classic: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
- Amber Neben (USA) from Cogeas Mettler Look- Neben is a two-time world time trial champion, two-time national road race champion, three-time national time trial champion, two-time Pan-American time trial champion, and one-time team time trial world champion.
- Omer Shapira (ISR) from Canyon/SRAM- Shapira is a two-time Israeli national road racing champion.
- Tanja Erath (GER) from Canyon/SRAM- Erath won the Zwift challenge in 2017 and was awarded a pro contract for 2018.
- Tatiana Gudzero (ITA) from BePink- Gudzero was the 2009 road race World Champion and the bronze medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in the road race. She was also second in the road race at the 2004 World Championships and third in the road race at the 2018 World Championships. She is a 2004 European time trial champion and an 8-time national champion in the time trial and track disciplines.
- Chloe Dygert-Owen (USA) from Sho-Air Twenty20- One of America’s biggest rising stars, Chloe has already set various world records on the track, has five UCI Track Cycling World Championship titles, and pocketed a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. On the road, she won the junior road race and time trial at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships.
- Jennifer Valente (USA) from Sho-Air Twenty20- As part of the successful American team pursuit squad, Valente has amassed numerous medals including three UCI Track Cycling World Championship titles, and a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. As a junior racer, Valente has won 12 national titles, one world junior title and three world championship medals.
- Sara Poidevin (CAN) from Rally/UHC- Poidevin is the winner of the 2017 Colorado Classic.
- Ayesha McGowan (USA) from ALP Cycles Racing – McGowan’s goal is to become the first African-American pro road cyclist.
- Edwidge Pitel (FRA) from Cogeas Mettler Look- At 52, Pitel is the oldest woman in the Colorado Classic. She won the climber’s jersey at the 2018 Tour of the Gila and won the French National Roadrace Championships in 2016. Pitel was also the winner of the 2003 ITU Duathlon World Championships.
- Krista Doebel-Hickok (USA) from Rally/UHC – Doebel-Hickok has turned in an impressive year so far, finishing fourth overall at the 2019 Tour of the Gila and top-10 in two Women’s UCI WorldTour races – seventh overall at the 2019 Amgen Tour of California and 4th at the 2019 Santos Women’s Tour Down Under to start the season.
- Emma White (USA) from Rally/UHC- Cyclocross racer with a rising road and track career. In June, White became the youngest woman to win the U.S. Pro Women’s Criterium national champion title. At the 2018 U23 national championships, she won the stars-and-stripes jersey in the road race, criterium and time trial. As a junior, she won seven national champion jerseys and two silver World Championship medals.
- Allison Beveridge (CAN) from Rally/UHC- Beveridge was part of the highly successful Canadian team pursuit track team. Beveridge has amassed numerous accolades including a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, four medals at the track world championships, a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American games in the team pursuit, six medals at the Pan American track championships, and a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American games in Toronto on the roads.
- Anet Barrera (MEX) from Swapit/Agolico – Barrera is the 2019 Mexican national road race champion.
- Brodie Chapman (AUS) from TIBCO-SVB- Chapman is the Australian national road race champion.
Colorado cyclists to watch include:
- Erica Clevenger (USA) from Sho-Air Twenty20
- Abby Mickey (USA) from Rally/UHC
- Liza Rachetto (USA) from Hagens-Berman/Supermint- Rachetto was born in Colorado
- Heather Fischer (USA) from DNA Cycling
- Hannah Shell (USA) from DNA Cycling
- Melanie Beale (USA) from DNA Cycling
- Amy Charity (USA) from DNA Cycling
- Charlotte Backus (USA) from LUX/Flexential
The roster of 16 teams for the 2019 Colorado Classic will bring five international and four top-20 UCI women’s elite teams as well as the top-four domestic teams in USA Cycling’s Pro Road Tour rankings. This year’s international field includes riders from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Colombia, Chile, Russia, Uzbekistan, New Zealand, Switzerland, France, Finland, Cyprus and several other countries.
The team roster for the 2019 Colorado Classic includes:
- ALP Cycles Racing (USA)
- Amy D. Foundation (USA)
- BePink (ITA)*
- Canyon//SRAM (GER)*
- Cogeas Mettler Look Pro Cycling (RUS)*
- DNA Cycling (USA)
- Durango-Specialized-IED (MEX)
- Fearless Femme (USA)
- Hagens Berman / Supermint (USA)*
- LUX/Flexential (USA)
- Point S Auto/Nokian Tyre
- Rally/UHC (USA)*
- Sho-Air Twenty20 (USA)*
- Swapit Agolico (MEX)*
- TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank (USA)*
- U.S. National Team (USA)
* Indicates UCI registered women’s team
The Colorado Classic and USA Cycling have also partnered to form this year’s U.S. National Team providing an opportunity for rising stars from the USA Cycling Collegiate Program to compete in the 2019 race. The U.S. National Team will be led and mentored by former college champion and Colorado Classic champion, Katie Hall.
The Colorado Classic has become increasingly important on the women’s world race calendar and demand for team and rider entry into the race has been highly competitive. The race earned a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.1 category designation, one of only 13 women’s races in the world to do so, which enables riders to earn points for team and individual UCI rankings and country qualification for the upcoming Olympics. The race is also on the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour (PRT), which showcases the premier domestic road calendar events in the U.S.
More than a race, the Colorado Classic is also a movement, helping to create opportunity in female professional cycling. RPM Events Group LLC, organizers of the Colorado Classic, is offering unprecedented financial support to female athletes at the 2019 event, including a higher prize purse, along with support for team expenses. With start-to-finish live video streaming coverage each day of the race, the Colorado Classic will put women’s cycling and Colorado on a global stage like never before. The live stream and on-demand replays will be syndicated to fans around the world through cycling and partner websites as well as though Facebook and the race’s Tour Tracker mobile app.
To learn more about the Colorado Classic presented by VF Corporation, visit coloradoclassic.com or follow @coloradoclassicpro on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates.
