SILVER CITY, New Mexico — The Tour of the Gila will kick off on Wednesday, and ahead of the start of the five-day stage race, the list of UCI women’s and men’s teams has been announced.
The women’s peloton will see some international flavor with the inclusion of Argentina’s ITAU Shimano Ladies Power and UAEM Grassi Pro Cycling Team from Mexico.
“We are very excited to be part of the Tour of the Gila in its first UCI-sanctioned race for the women. For the UAEM-G pro Cycling Team representing Mexico, it will be an honor,” said team manager Siddharta Camil. “Gila will be the start of our USA racing calendar that also includes the Tour of California, Winston Salem Cycling Classic, and the Philly Cycling Classic.”
Omer Kem, manager of BMW-Happy Tooth Dental Group said, “Premier Sports Group is incredibly excited about the announcement of the Tour of the GIla women’s UCI event. We feel a growing excitement around women’s professional cycling in the U.S. and this is shown as more teams and events are investing in UCI licensing. Premier Sports Group is committed to the growth of cycling in the U.S., both professional men and professional women. Our hope is that more and more events invest in UCI sanctioning in coming years.”
UCI women’s teams
Team TIBCO-SVB
UnitedHealthcare
Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
BMW-Happy Tooth Dental Group
Twenty 16-Sho-Air
ITAU Shimano Ladies Power
UAEM Grassi Pro Cycling Team Mexico
DNA Cycling
Fearless Femme-Haute Wheels Racing
Australia’s Drapac, Orgullo Antioqueno, Lupus racing, Intermountain Livewell, Isagenix, Team Superissimo, Altovelo-Seasucker, and Amore-Vita-USA will all be making their first trips to the Gila.
Confirmed UCI men’s teams
Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
Silber
H&R Block
UnitedHealthcare
Hincapie Racing
Orgullo Antioqueno
Drapac
Lupus
Team SmartStop
Jamis Hagens Berman
Jelly Belly-Maxxis
California Giant-Specialized
iRT Racing
Canyon-Shimano
Intermountain Livewell
Axeon
Isagenix
Incycle-Cannondale
Airgas-Safeway
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