The Tour Of Alberta starts today in Canada.
This 2.1 race, now in its third year, comprises of six stages with the first a team trial in the City of Grande Prairie which is 19.6kms long.
Then, it is on to the road racing with a 171.6km stage in the County of Grande Prairie, followed by a 181.8km stage from Grand Cache to Jasper National Park, a 162.1km stagw which starts and finishes in Jasper, the longest stage of the race at 206.2kms from Edson to Spruce Grove before the final 124.1km stage in Edmonton.
Confirmed names from provisionary rosters include current U.S. professional champion Matthew Busche, 7th place finisher in this year’s Tour de France Bauke Mollema, rising star and current Luxembourg road race and time trial champion Bob Jungels, all of Trek Factory Racing; Michael Matthews, one of the hottest riders on the international circuit this year with wins at Tour of Switzerland, Pais Vasco, Paris-Nice and two stages at Tour of Italy, and Adam Yates, the recent winner of the San Sebastian World Tour race, both of Orica GreenEdge Cycling; 2015 Tour de France stage winner Simon Geschke of Team Giant-Alpecin; three-time Czech time trial champion Jan Barta and Sam Bennett, a stage winner in several major tours this year, both of Bora-Argon18; Davide Formolo, a stage winner of this year’s Tour of Italy and Janier Acevedo, the 3rd place finisher at the 2013 Amgen Tour of California, and 2013 Tour of Alberta KOM jersey champion Tom Jelte Slagter, all of Team Cannondale-Garmin; and Hincapie Racing Team’s Toms Skujins, a stage winner and three-day race leader of 2015 Amgen Tour of California.
Nearly all the world’s top Canadians will be racing in this year’s race including previously-announced Ryder Hesjedal, the 2012 Tour of Italy champion from Team Cannondale-Garmin; Svein Tuft, three-time Canadian time trial champion and silver medalist in the 2008 World Championships in the time trial riding with Orica-GreenEdge Cycling; current Canadian national champion in road race Guillaume Boivin, two-time Tour of Alberta presented by ATB Financial Pomeroy Inn & Suites Best Canadian jersey winner Ryan Anderson, and Michael Woods, a recent stage winner and podium finisher at Tour of Utah, all of Team Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies; and past Canadian national champions in road race Ryan Roth of Silber Pro Cycling, and Zach Bell of Team SmartStop.
“This truly is an incredible field that is being assembled,” said Tour of Alberta presented by ATB Financial CEO, Duane Vienneau. “The quality of the riders is a strong indication that the event has continued to build momentum in only three short years. Plus, we are so thrilled to include so many of the world’s top Canadians this year.”
For more information, please visit www.TourofAlberta.ca.