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Published: 12 April 2016 12 April 2016

Kristin Armstrong to use the race for Olympic Games preparation

April 12, 2016 (Silver City, NM) - Rising stars and veterans of men's and women's professional cycling will tackle what many call GǣAmerica's toughest stage race,Gǥ during the 2016 Tour of the Gila, May 4-8.

Celebrating its 30th edition, the race will continue the tradition of welcoming the most outstanding UCI professional teams across North America and beyond.

The five stages and one-of-a-kind terrain surrounding Silver City, New Mexico will be covered by 25 men's teams and 16 women's teams. Although the race favors Gǣgeneral classificationGǥ contenders and outstanding climbers there is a stage for every type of racer, with an individual time trial, rolling road race and criterium bookended by the climb-intensive Mogollon and Gila GǣMonsterGǥ stages.

 

It is common for professional teams to bring both their best climber and best sprinter to the race because a Gila stage win is one of the most coveted prizes in professional cycling.

Defending champions from 2015, Mara Abbott (Amy D. Foundation) and Rob Britton (Rally Racing), return to showcase their superior all-around talent. Abbott, who was a guest rider for the Amy D. Foundation last year will return with the team and Britton, who transferred in the offseason from Team SmartStop, will ride with the support of RallyG