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 Special feature: the new Quattro road pedal |
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Wachovia Cycling Series
USA, June 1-6, 2004
2003 Results Preview The Races Team list
All set for a wild week of racing
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336 miles of twists, turns and speeding straightaways through Lancaster, Trenton, and Philadelphia - this is the Wachovia Cycling Series, the most prestigious cycling event in America for the last 20 years. It's a week packed full of serious competition with three men's races and one women's race up for grabs, the queen event of the series being the USPRO Championship over 156 miles/250 kilometers to determine the 2004 US Professional Road Champion and wearer of the coveted star and stripes jersey.
On June 1, the Wachovia Invitational kicks off the first leg of the series in Lancaster, PA. Riders will cover 91 miles/147 kilometers, riding 13 laps through Lancaster's streets and Central Park. The course begins on Queen Street before heading onto Duke Street, continuing along Williamson and Rockford Road, passing the "Feed Zone" in Central Park before returning to the start/finish on Queen Street. The challenging course is deceptively tricky as it winds through Lancaster with many sudden short hills and tight turns, where racers reach average speeds of 30 mph. CSC will no doubt be looking for another win with last year's winner Jakob Piil returning to defend his title.
Next up is the Wachovia Classic on Thursday June 3, held over the same 91 miles/147 kilometer distance as the Wachovia Invitational and the same enticing prize purse of 20 thousand dollars, celebrating its 16th year of racing through the streets of Trenton, New Jersey. Known as one of the fastest races in the world, Trenton provides high drama for spectators as the field strings out and races back and forth on a 6.5 mile loop, crossing the start/finish lines in both directions over 14 laps. The event starts and finishes in front of the New Jersey State Museum on State Street, where riders will wind their way around Cadwalader Park through the turns of Barrack, Front, Warren and Livingston streets. Last year, CSC made it two out of two with New Zealander Julian Dean taking line honours. With Dean absent in 2004, expect an equally fast - or faster - sprinter crossing the line first in State Street.
A double dosage of racing begins at 9am June 6 with the 11th annual Wachovia Liberty Classic. Over 100 elite, international women cyclists will compete in the 57.6 miles/90.56 kilometer race consisting of four laps of a 14.4-mile circuit through Philadelphia with steep climbs up the grueling Manayunk Wall. The Wachovia Liberty Classic is part of the Women's Pro Cycling Tour and will feature national, world and Olympic champions as well as numerous stars on both the domestic and international pro women's circuit, all vying for the $52,000 prize purse. An in-form Lyne Bessette has brought with her a solid team to defend the title she won last year, but T-Mobile has the strength and numbers to steal the show in 2004.
Over the same course on the same day, the 2004 Wachovia USPRO Championship celebrates its 20th year of world-class professional cycling with more than 200 of the world’s top professional cyclists descending upon the streets of Philadelphia. The USPRO Championship is the longest running and richest single-day cycling race in the U.S. and one of six official events on the 2004 Pro Cycling Tour. Riders will compete on a 14.4-mile circuit in front of an estimated crowd of more than half a million spectators, with the race determining the Wachovia USPRO National Road Champion.
The 156 mile/250 kilometer race begins and ends at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and makes its way through Kelly Drive. The course then turns steep and slow into the hilly Manayunk community, where the ultimate winner must endure and conquer the infamous 17 percent Manayunk Wall each lap to get his hands on the lion's share of the $135,000 in prizemoney up for grabs.
The Races
- Wachovia Invitational - June 1: Lancaster, PA, 13 laps, 91 miles/147km
- Wachovia Classic - June 3: Trenton, NJ, 146km - 14 laps of 6.5 miles, 91 miles/147 km
- Wachovia Liberty Classic - June 6: Philadelphia, PA, 14.4 mile circuit, 57.6 miles/90.56km\
- Wachovia USPRO Championship - June 6: Philadelphia, PA, 14.4 mile circuit, 156 miles/250 km
The Teams
