Organisers of the Colorado Classic announced Tuesday that they have cancelled the 2019 men`s race in order to focus on and expand a women`s-only stage race that will offer a harder stages, a bigger prize purse and live streaming. The race is scheduled for August 22-25. `With women`s cycling, we saw the greatest opportunity to fulfill our mission to create a world-class race in Colorado that is socially impactful,` claimed Ken Gart, chairman of race organisers RPM Events Group. `By creating one great race instead of two average ones, we can shine a bright light on Colorado and pro women`s racing while effecting meaningful social change.` The women`s event will be part of both the UCI calendar and USA Cycling`s Pro Road Tour. It will once again feature four stages, and organisers promise to host the top teams and riders from around the world. Organisers will offer more challenging routes with longer race distances, better start times and stipends for teams. It has positioned itself as a run-in to the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire in September.ADVERTISEMENT `The Colorado Classic showcases both the beauty of Colorado and the remarkable talent of these compelling athletes,` said Bob Stapleton, chairman of USA Cycling and UCI Management Committee member. `Both USA Cycling and the International Cycling Union (UCI) are proud to support this outstanding event that focuses on women who are exceptional cyclists. I applaud RPM for their commitment to building a world class event for women.` RPM Events Group hosted the inaugural Colorado Classic in 2017 with a men`s 2.HC, four-day race, which was expected to fill the gap in the calendar left behind after USA Pro Challenge folded. Top teams made the trip to participate in a block of races that included the Tour of Utah and the Tour of Alberta, a Canadian UCI race that was cancelled this year. The event drew in some WorldTour teams, including BMC, EF-Education First-Drapac, Trek-Segafredo and UAE Team Em ...
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