“I don’t know why, but for some reason, the average speeds at the Tour of Alberta are always crazy fast,” says the race’s technical director Jeff Corbett. “You compare them to the average speeds on stages at the Tours of Utah and California and the USA Pro Challenge, it’s nowhere close. Part of that is terrain, but I can’t necessarily fully explain it.” In 2013, the first year of the UCI 2.1-level stage race, organizers had to delay a few starts to make sure things finished at the right time. This year, WorldTour teams and top North American squads are sure to ride fast and hard in the fourth edition of Canada’s biggest race.

RELATED On the riders at the 2016 Tour of Alberta

Stage 1

September 1

Lethbridge

106.9 km (9 laps of 11.8 km)

The City of Lethbridge made its Tour of Alberta debut in 2014 with a circuit that took riders down and up the valley carved by the Red River. That year the stage was cold and wet. The conditions were so bad that the riders weren’t sure who won the final sprint. It was German rider Ruben Zepuntke who prevailed. For 2016, Corbett has shortened the circuit from 24 km to 11.9 km. “The route only had one really good climb. It didn’t have a whole lot of impact because there was so much time to regroup. So, we’ve cut off the southern portion of the loop, leaving the northern, hilly portion,” Corbett says. The hill tops out at 1.5 km from the line. Daring riders could use the ascent to try to gain an advantage over the group. If someone gets to the top with 10 seconds on the bunch, it might be possible to hold that right to the end.

Stage 2

September 2

Kananaskis to Olds

182 km

Riders will start in Kananaskis Country, an area on the edge of the Canadian Rockies, and head down to the Town of Olds. While the stage is generally downhill, riders can’t freewheel it the whole way. There’s 1,500 m of climbing, including a good ascent in Cochrane. The pack could also face serious wind on the later, flatter section. Likely, it will be a finish for the fast men in Olds with a sprint for the line.

Stage 3

September 3

Rocky Mountain House to Drayton Valley

181.2 km

The Tour continues to head north on its third stage. In the beginning, however, riders will go east a bit at the start to a 7-km section of dirt road, which then leads to a KOM. Sprinters gunning for the win will have to have their race craft and handling skills honed. The finale in Drayton Valley features a 4-km circuit that riders will see three times. Corbett says the circuit is probably the most technical that the race has ever seen. It has nine turns; three in the last kilometre are 90 degrees.

Stage 4

September 4

Edmonton

12.1 km (time trial)

Edmontonians will be treated to a lot of on-bike action this day. The Tour of Alberta and the International Triathlon Union’s World Triathlon Series will share a venue, and a beer garden, in William Hawrelak Park. The triathletes will wrap things up at around 3 p.m., roughly two hours before the Tour’s time trial stage gets underway. The distance is pretty short, 12 km, to ensure the race won’t be decided on one stage. “We wanted a short time trial,” Corbett says. “The way the race is set up, we expect time gaps to be small and that people would be racing for time bonuses. So, you don’t want to throw in a 40-km time trial, which people are going to win by minutes. Then the race is over. But if you keep the time trial short and the gaps small, then there’s still a chance for the non-time triallist. It’s not an automatic win for a time triallist who would just have to sit in for the first three stages.”

Stage 5

September 5

Edmonton

124.1 km (11 laps of 11.3 km)

The race heads across the North Saskatchewan River to familiar roads on the final day of the Tour. As with the 2014 and 2015 editions, the event will conclude with a circuit race in the provincial capital. The stage has two intermediate time bonuses and more to gain at the line for a total of 16 seconds. In 2013, Daryl Impey of Orica-GreenEdge was able to edge out Tom Dumoulin (then of Giant-Shimano) for the overall win by one second thanks to bonuses. There’s the challenging first KOM on Bellamy Hill Road NW that has a roughly 160-degree turn before its start. “You hit it with no momentum,” Corbett says. “It’s not like you’re bombing down one hill in a tuck and rolling halfway up the next climb.” Riders are always active on this stage as even general classification contenders get into the breaks looking for victory.