Bicycle racers from across the Western Hemisphere and beyond look toward the iconic North American UCI race in southwest New Mexico

By Rebecca Reza, RadioTour

 Silver City, NM — The high-altitude mountains of Southern New Mexico are set once again for an explosive week of road racing. The Tour of the Gila celebrates its 37th edition with five days of competitive cycling in and around the mining town of Silver City, starting on Wednesday, April 24, and running through the traditional Gila Monster finale on Sunday, April 28, 2024. 

Stage 1

The Tour of the Gila 2024 racecourses remain the same as in years past, beginning with the stage 1 road race up toward the ghost town of Mogollon, sitting at 6,500 feet in altitude. The Mogollon Road Race presented by Grant County will be the first battle of many for the overall general classification. Last year, Marcela Prieto crested the hilltop finish first in the women’s race, winning the stage and earning the first red jersey. The Mexican climber will have a strong squad supporting her, including recent white jersey winner at Redlands Bicycle Classic, Cécile Lejeune.

They will need to fight to keep their rivals at bay. Women the PAS/Steve Tilford Foundation Racing team will keep a close eye on include the recent Redlands Bicycle Classic’s overall winner Nadia Gontova (DNA Pro Cycling), who was third the Tour of the Gila Mogollon Road Race last year, and Boneshaker’s Lorena Villamizar. Cynisca Cycling—their squad boosted with decorated veteran Lauren Stephens—and FOUNT Cycling Guild—making their Tour of the Gila debut—should also be in the mix.

In the men’s race, last year’s Mogollon Road Race winner, Miguel Ángel Lopez and second place Toby Røed are not racing this time around. Team Medellín is set for another edition with the return of Óscar Sevilla following a broken collarbone suffered at the Tour of Colombia in February. Other riders to watch include Heiner Parra of Canel’s-Java who finished fourth on the stage last season, and Team Echelon’s Ricky Arnopol who was third.

Both CS Velo and Team California animated the queen stage up Onyx Summit at Redlands a week ago and will be others to watch in the battle up to Mogollon.

 Stage 2

The Inner Loop Road Race presented by longtime sponsors of the Tour of the Gila, Brian & Lynn Robinson/Southwest Bone & Joint Institute takes the riders on a 93-mile National Scenic Byway passing by the vintage western community of Pinos Altos, before winding to the forested Continental Divide. Then, the riders climb up past the Freeport-McMoRan Chino mine, before returning to the starting location to what is typically a sprint finish at historic Fort Bayard. The stage is one for the sprinters but a day to remain safe for the overall GC.

In the men’s race last season, it was Canel’s-Java Nacho Prado who outsprinted his rivals Brayan Sanchez (Team Medellín), and Cade Bickmore (Team Echelon). Bickmore would eventually go on to win the points classification, this year sponsored by the Gila Regional Medical Center. All three are back at Tour of the Gila once again. Project Echelon began the season in Europe with a racing block before returning stateside to dominate the Redlands Bicycle Classic, winning four out of the five stages. This time around, they have super domestique Sam Boardman and Redlands stage winner Scott McGill.

For the women in 2023, it was Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24 Marlies Mejias who sprinted to the top step on stage 2, ahead of DNA Pro Cycling’s Maeghan Easler and Shayna Powless. As in the men’s race, all are back to contest stage victories at Tour of the Gila. DNA Pro Cycling will have their focus set on the overall, but as we saw at Redlands a week ago, cannot be counted out for other podium finishes. Cynisca’s Mara Roldan is arriving to Silver City after two confidence-boosting stage wins at Redlands following a short racing block overseas.

Stage 3

Next on the menu is the Tyrone Individual Time Trial presented by Freeport McMoRan, one of the longest running sponsors of the polka-dotted climber jersey at Tour of the Gila. The out and back, 16.15-mile course includes 1,188 feet of climbing. Oftentimes, it has come down to a choice of equipment in the battle against the clock. Wind traditionally factors into the stage victory as riders storm down the final descent to the finish line.

In the women’s race, last year’s winner Emily Ehrlich is back after two gold medals in both the team and individual pursuit in her first participation at the Pan American Track Championships earlier this month. She followed that by winning the Redlands time trial on a new, technical course. Other riders to watch include Olga Zabelinskaya of the Tashkent City Women’s team from Uzbekistan, Alia Shafi (FOUNT), and past stage winner and TT specialist Lauren Stephens (Cynisca Cycling), who has also found herself on the podium of Tours of the Gila past.

In last year’s men’s ITT, 2023 Pan American TT Champion Walter Vargas of Team Medellín took the top step. Vargas is back and a heavy favorite as he continues his work up leading to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Tyler Stites did not race Tour of the Gila last season but the three-time Redlands overall champion and TT stage winner will be racing this week—and vying to steal victory. Stites won two stages of Tour of the Gila in 2022 and has been named among the top riders to watch escalate to the World Tour level of the sport. Dark horses this spring include CS Velo’s Owen Wright and Joshua Lebo, along with Gavin Hlady racing for Aevolo. 

Stage 4

Tour of the Gila moves to Downtown Silver City for the fan favorite criterium for stage 4. Not your traditional, flat city center crit, the four-corner racecourse loops over 1.1 miles featuring an 80-foot climb on the backside and a wide, speedy descent heading into the final corner before the long sprint to the finish on Bullard Street.

Project Echelon’s Cade Bickmore bolted to the win to secure the green jersey last season. After a strong start in Europe this spring, he will once again be a competitor to beat. His sprint rivals from Canel’s-Java and Team Medellín will hope to overtake him to the line, if given the green light to fight for the stage win. Both squads may have their focus on the GC and keeping their leaders safe on Saturday. Brody McDonald of Aevolo should be in the mix, as well as newly free agent, Ulises Castillo racing for Above and Beyond Cancer. Other teams to have a go will be the navy blue jerseys of Team Expeditors and Kaler Marshall who is always keen to take a flyer off the front of the field.

In the women’s field, Emily Ehrlich took a surprise win at the Downtown Silver City criterium last year for Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24. It will be a day in the battle for the green jersey. Time will tell who will be wearing green by day 4. Marlies Mejias sprinted to easily win the points classification less than two weeks ago at Redlands and will be hungry for her first major win of the season. The Cuban powerhouse came up short there despite several valiant efforts behind Mara Roldan (Cynisca). Lorena Villamizar finished fourth last year, now back with Boneshaker presented by Orange Seal.

Stage 5

After four days of top-level racing at Tour of the Gila, riders will take on the infamous Gila Monster for the final mountain top finish in Pinos Altos. The women will race a route similar to stage 2 but in the opposite direction, while the men will take a right turn after passing Lake Roberts, heading down to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument before turning back around to face the category 1 climb back out toward the finish.

The KOM/QOM Freeport-McMoRan climbing classification will see a final battle in this last day, outside of the struggle to earn—or keep—the overall GC red jersey sponsored by New Mexico Tourism. Heinar Parras is vying for a third win in the King of the Mountains for Canel’s-Java, after securing the classification in both 2022 and last season. In the women’s field, the QOM points classification remains open with last year’s winner not eligible to race, and the 2022 QOM jersey going to current WorldTour rider, Krista Doebel-Hickok. Fount Cycling was animating the race every day at Redlands and will have plenty of options for the QOM jersey.

For the 2023 Gila Monster stage win, Óscar Sevilla took the win for the pro men after escaping in the final kilometers to the finish.

The climb out of the Cliff Dwellings with a slight respite before climbing once again to Pinos Altos has traditionally blown the field, with small groups scattered throughout the final kilometers. The high altitude and gradients of the final stage favor the climbing specialists and escarabajos of Colombia and other parts in Latin America. It will be an all-out battle on this final day of racing; one that often showcases new and upcoming talent of the like from the development squads in the field including Team California and Aevolo. 

The women are set to finish the queen stage before the men, with every effort left in the legs on display throughout the pro peloton. Racing fans will be eager to see who will climb to win the overall GC.

Only time will tell whether Marcela Prieto will realize her first General Classification title at Tour of the Gila this week or if her former teammate Lorena Villamizar (Boneshaker) will overtake her, denying Cynisca Cycling as well. Nadia Gontova will hope to continue her incredible form this year for DNA Pro Cycling, while Fount Cycling looks to upset all and take the overall win in their debut.

In the end, what is promised is that racing fans will have experienced another incredible race on some of the most technical and challenging terrain that the United States has to offer cyclists, celebrating another edition of the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, New Mexico.

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Scheduled for April 24-28, 2024, Tour of the Gila is an iconic American road cycling race that is renowned across the globe for its five challenging stages. As a UCI-sanctioned stage race, Tour of the Gila is the proving ground where pro and elite amateur racers showcase their talent. Also sanctioned by USA Cycling, Tour of the Gila attracts amateur cyclists wanting to experience southwest New Mexico’s notoriously steep and scenic roads while testing their physical limits. Since 1987, Tour of the Gila has highlighted the state’s rich history and landscape, including the region that inspired the creation of the Wilderness Act, its robust farming, ranching and mining heritage, a growing creative community, and mountains that make for a cyclist’s dream playground.