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Preview of Tour of the Gila in Silver City, N.M.

April 30, 2014
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2014JerseysOn Wednesday, the Tour of the Gila, a five-stage USA Cycling NRC race, kicks off in Silver City, N.M. The parcours will be demanding. The mountains are relentless and the high altitude makes riders feel as if they are breathing through straws. It is a race of tactics and brute strength. Typically, the winner is able to a little of everything: climb, time trial and sprint. It’s also the final opportunity many riders to fine tune their form ahead of the Tour of California later in May.

Stage 1 begins in Silver City and heads northwest toward the old mining town of Mogollon. In previous edition of Gila, the climb to Mogollon set the stage for a GC battle that would shape the rest of the week. At 8-km long with maximum gradients of 19 per cent, the climb is a big test. The women will race 117 km and the men will race the same course, except they will turn right in the town of Cliff to do an extra loop before continuing on to Mogollon for a total of 150 km.

Stage 2 is called the Inner Loop Road Race. Beginning just outside of Silver City in Fort Bayard, the peloton will head west along Highway 180 back into Silver City, before turning toward Pinos Altos where they will race toward the first KOM of the day. The groups will race up the Sapillo then loop around Lake Roberts before heading back to Fort Bayard where the race finishes. Both the men and women will race the same 120-km circuit.

Stage 3 is the Tyrone Mine time trial, an absolute test of strength and technique. The rolling 21-km course is either going uphill or downhill. Given the desert parcours, the entire stage is exposed to a heavy pounding of wind. It’s always a question of what equipment to use: chain ring size or whether or not to use a disc wheel. The climbs are substantial, however, so are the downhill sections. At times riders are going relatively slow, while at other points the speed is high. Typically, the GC changes a lot after the time trial. The men and women will race over the same course.

Stage 4 is the downtown Silver City criterium. Perhaps it is the easiest stage of the entire race; however, the pace is typically relentless and a sprinter, or criterium specialist who has made it to Saturday wins the day. The men will race 70 km, while the women will race 44 km. It’s a short stage, yet it will likely be extremely fast with the many local fans in attendance to watch and cheer the race on.

Stage 5 is the ultimate day of racing, which features the famous, or infamous, Gila-monster climb. The women will race 110 km, effectively racing the reverse of the Inner Loop Road race of Stage 2. The circuit features the back side of the Sapillo, a merciless ascent, before arriving in Pinos Altos where the stage will finish. The men will race 166 km, and unlike the women, they will turn right at the base of the Sapillo to climb the front and back side of the Gila monster. Effectively the group will ride to the Cliff Dwellings, then turn around and ride back up the Gila Monster, the Sapillo then onto Pinos Altos for the race’s finish. This stage is undoubtedly the toughest of the entire race.

Canadian women who will ride in the Gila include Laura Brown (Colavita-Fine Cooking) and Jasmin Glaesser (Tibco/To the Top), who both had strong performances at the recent Joe Martin Stage Race. Lex Albrecht (Twenty16 Pro Cycling) will also be in the mix. On the men’s side, there’s Bruno Langlois (5-four Energy powered by Kenda) Ryan Aitcheson (Astellas Cycling Team), Will Routley (Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies), and Zach Bell and Rob Britton (both of Team SmartStop) There are also two Canadian teams at the event: UCI continental team Silber Pro Cycling Team and Team H&R Block. Silber has Canadians Jean-Michel Lachance, William Blackburn, Benjamin Chartrand, Nicolas Masbourian, Robert Ralph, Oliver Delaney, Derrick St. John and Aurélien Passeron of France. H&R Block is stocked with Garret Mcleod, Adam de Vos, Christopher Prendergast, Kyle Buckosky, Ryan MacDonald and Fererico Marchiori of Italy.

Full information can be found at the Tour of the Gila.