A "Virtual Tour of the Gila" stage race is planned for this upcoming Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 22 through May 24.

This virtual Tour of the Gila is made possible by Project Echelon Racing, which has created this unique event. Project Echelon Racing is a veterans non-profit organization that educates, equips and empowers veterans through physical activity. The team helps makes physical activity; especially cycling, running and multisport; more accessible to veterans which helps them to develop skills to overcome post-traumatic stress, addiction, and suicide. You can learn more about Project Echelon Racing and donate to this organization by visiting www.projectechelon.org .

Project Echelon has partnered with Zwith Community Live to bring this event to us.

The virtual Tour of the Gila will see 24 men's teams with 157 riders and 11 women's teams with 73 riders. Most of the teams competing will be domestic US teams, but there will also be 4 teams from England, a Canadian team and a Puerto Rico team competing.

The virtual Tour of the Gila will have three stages. Men and women will compete on the same courses and the same distances.

The Team Time Trial (TTT) will be the opening stage, being held on the Sand to Sequoias Watopia course. The women's teams kick off racing on Friday evening at 5:45PM Mountain time with the men following at 7:00PM Mountain time.

The second stage will be a 67.4km circuit of the Big Foot Hills in Watopia with an early bonus sprint at 2.6km. Further bonuses are two KOM/QOM points at 22.5km and 35.2km and a second sprint at 50km. The course is reminiscent of the Inner Loop Road Race with a fast, flat finish at Fort Bayard. The men start things off on Saturday at 10 a.m. Mountain time and the women's race will begin at noon Mountain time.

Stage 3 is a 72.6km race on the Medio Fondo course with a KOM/QOM finish – similar to our queen stage finish in Pinos Altos. There will be a bonus sprint at 13.6km and KOM/QOM points will be awarded at 19.5km and at the finish line. The start times on Sunday will be 10:00AM Mountain time for the men and noon Mountain time for the women.

Project Echelon has created a Free All Access website for the virtual Tour of the Gila. Here is the address for the website, www.projectechelonracing.com/virtual-gila.html  This website will give you an inside look at the event, the riders and the teams. The website also includes embedded live streams for each stage, race bible, start lists, results, and rider/team interviews.

You can also watch the virtual Tour of the Gila via Zwift Community Live on YouTube, simply go to www.youtube.com  and search for Zwift Community Live. And one last thing, all live viewers will have an opportunity to win prizes during the broadcast from Saris, AMO Human, and other event sponsors.