Several elite ProTour riders, who have built solid reputations in the European peloton, are slated to compete Labor Day weekend in the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships. Medalist Sports confirmed that George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), Bobby Julich (CSC), Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel), and David Zabriskie (CSC) are among the athletes who will compete in one or more of the dual championship events September 1-2.

"We are very pleased to see George, Dave and Levi return along with many of the top Pro Tour riders who don't often compete in the United States. This will be a great, quality field for both the time trial and road race,” said Sean Petty, Chief Operating Officer for USA Cycling, Inc. “For some of the riders, this will be an excellent tune up for the World Championships later in the month. Dave Zabriskie's outstanding performance last year in the time trial at The Cliffs was a great prelude to his medal winning performance at the Worlds."

Other top names in domestic cycling who will compete in Greenville are: Best Young Rider in the 2003 Tour de Georgia Saul Raisin (Credit Agricole), National Racing Calendar* men's individual points leader Ben Jacques-Maynes (Priority Health presented by Bissell), former Road Race National Champion Chris Wherry (Toyota-United Pro), 2006 USPRO Time Trial runner-up Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United Pro), and third place finisher in the 2006 USA Cycling Professional Road Race championship Danny Pate (Team Slipstream).

“The prestige of the USA Cycling Professional Championships for road racing has a long tradition in America. The move from Philadelphia to Greenville last year was a huge success, for both the athletes and the spectators. We anticipate record crowds in the Greenville this year throughout the holiday weekend as there is so much to see and do -three days of festivities, two great championship events and spectacular natural beauty of the Upstate,” said Chris Aronhalt, Managing Director of Medalist Sports and Executive Director for the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships.

The first race in the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships will be held on Saturday, September 1, the USA Cycling ProfessionalIndividual Time Trial Championship, presented by The Cliffs. This 18.7-mile race against the clock will be contested from The Cliffs at Mountain Park to The Cliffs Valley, approximately 30 minutes north of Greenville. Last year was the inaugural time trial championship for U.S. professionals and it was won by Zabriskie of Salt Lake City.

The USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship will take place on Sunday, September 2, beginning at 1:00 p.m. in downtown Greenville. Over 100 competitors will battle on a 110-mile course, won last year by Greenville resident Hincapie. The USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship, a one-day road race which began in 1985, was previously held in Philadelphia, Pa. Past winners of the prestigious Stars and Stripes jersey for the road race discipline, which signifies the American champion, include speed skating Olympic champion Eric Heiden (1985), Lance Armstrong (1993), Hincapie(1998) and Fred Rodriguez (2000, 2001, 2004).

The final fields for both the Individual Time Trial and the Road Race will be confirmed the final week of August. Professionals will compete for over $60,000 in prize money, and the rights to wear the prestigious Stars and Stripes jersey for one year. The events are sanctioned by USA Cycling, the governing body for the sport of cycling in the UnitedStates, and managed by Medalist Sports.

Leipheimer, Hincapie - Leipheimer, a Santa Rosa, California resident who has raced professionally since 1997, is considered an all-around rider who can contend for both the road race and ITT titles. Racing with the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, he finished third in this year’s Tour de France and also captured his first Tour de France stage victory, winning the final time trial of the three-week event. This year he has also won the overall title at the Amgen Tour of California and two stages in the Tour de Georgia. Leipheimer finished second in last year’s USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship. He is currently second in the Tour of Germany (which ends Saturday).

"I was truly impressed with both the course and the crowds in Greenville last year and am looking forward to coming back again. The course suited me very well," said the 33-year-old Leipheimer.

Last year Hincapie edged-out Leipheimer in the final mile for his second Stars and Stripes jersey (he also won the U.S. title in 1998). A resident of Greenville, the 33-year-old Hincapie has completed 11 Tour de France races and is a four-time Olympian for the United States.

"It’s my hometown, so motivation is certainly not a factor for me. It was great to have the entire U.S. Cycling scene in my backyard. I am looking forward to racing in front of my family and friends again and I can only hope that I could repeat my performance from 2006,” Hincapie said. He is also racing in the weeklong Tour of Germany with Leipheimer.

Zabriskie and Julich - Zabriskie, one of three American members of Team CSC, is known as a time trial specialist. His biggest win was in 2005 at the Tour de France when he won the opening Prologue and wore the yellow leader’s jersey. He became the first American to win a stage in all three grand tours: Vuelta a Espana, Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France. This year, the 28-year-old Salt Lake City, Utah native has already won two time trials, at the prominent Dauphiné Libéré event in France.

“The course is very challenging because of the technical aspects of it so I have to take it very serious in order to do well. I will be back to defend (the title),” Zabriskie said.

Julich started his professional career in 1992 and has raced in the Tour de France nine times, starting in 1997. In the 1998 Tour de France, he finished third overall. He also won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in the Time Trial discipline. In late July of this year Julich finished second in the five-day Sachsen-Tour International in Germany.He helped Team CSC win the Team Time Trial this week at the Tour of Germany.

Raisin - Raisin, a native of Dalton, Ga., will return to professional cycling after a 16-month absence due to severe head injuries sustained from a crash in the Circuit de la Sarthe in France. He began his pro career in 2005 with Credit Agricole and finished 13th in the Tour of Austria and won the GE Best Young Rider award jersey at the 2003 Tour de Georgia. In 2006 Raisin won a climbing stage of the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia.

“It means more than words can describe,” the 24-year-old Raisin said about his comeback. “My official return will be when I pin on my number and line up with everyone else. It will make me feel great.

“I have been training hard for U.S. Pros and can’t believe that it will happen in a little over two weeks. I will also be visiting my family in Georgia right before the race,” Raisin said on his website.

Others - Colorado Springs native Danny Pate finished third last year in the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship. A member of Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle, the seven-year pro is a veteran who can compete in any discipline. One of his career highlights was winning the 2001 U23 Time Trial World Championship.

Ben Jacques-Maynes is a 28-year-old California speedster who races for Priority Health presented by Bissell. After winning the U-23 Cyclo-cross National Championship in 2000, he turned his attention to road cycling. He has already won five individual stages in races this year, and won the overall at the Central Valley Classic. His 32 Top 10 finishes puts him No. 2 overall (as of Aug 10) in the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar standings.

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team’s Chris Baldwin finished second to Zabriskie at last year’s USA Cycling Professional Individual Time Trial presented by the Cliffs. The 31-year-old, who lives and trains in Colorado, was only one of two Americans selected to compete in the World Time Trial Championships last year. Baldwin has a total of 19 career wins, including two national time trial championships (2003 and 1005).

Chris Wherry, another Toyota-United rider to watch, won the USA Cycling National Road Race Championship in 2005, the last year the event was held in Philadelphia. The 10-year veteran from Colorado seven total first place finishes last year, including winning Stage 1 and the overall at the Cascade Cycling Classic. This year he continues as a team leader with Toyota-United Professional Cycling team six Top Five finishes, including 4th overall at the International Tour de Toona.

Route maps and details for all spectator activities can be found at the official web site web site.

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Discovery Channel Team Makes Missouri Final U.S. Race
Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain and American Levi Leipheimer, the third-place finisher at that race, were officially announced by the Discovery Channel Team as participants in the inaugural Tour of Missouri, September 11th – 16th.

The Tour of Missouri is North America’s newest elite cycling stage race and patterned after the successful Tour de Georgia and Amgen Tour of California statewide stage races. The race will start in Kansas City, Tuesday, September 11 and conclude 600 miles later in St. Louis the following Sunday.

Contador and Leipheimer are both members of the Discovery Channel team which recently dominated the Tour de France with two overall podium places, two stage wins, and laying claim to the best young rider classification and overall team classification. Also included on the Discovery Channel roster in Missouri are: pre-race favorite and current U.S. National Champion George Hincapie of Greenville, S.C.; 8th place Tour de France finisher Yaroslav Popovych of the Ukraine; Tony Cruz of Long Beach, CA; 2007 third place finisher of the Amgen Tour of California Jason McCartney of Coralville, IA; up and coming U.S. star John Devine of Dixon, Ill., and Fuyu Li, the first Chinese athlete to compete at the elite Pro Tour level.

“To have Johan Bruyneel commit to bringing Discovery Channel’s Tour de France “dream team” to the Tour of Missouri is very special for this first-time race,” said Race Director Jim Birrell. “We will have three riders from the top eight of the Tour de France, two being from the final podium, and I look forward to hosting the entire Discovery Channel team during their swan song on domestic soil.”

The Discovery Channel team’s management company, Tailwind Sports, recently decided to disband the team at the end of the 2007 season, making the Tour of Missouri their last event in the United States.

"Having just announced my retirement from cycling I am pleased that one of my last races as a director will be at the Tour of Missouri,” said Sports Director Johan Bruyneel. “I have always enjoyed directing in the U.S. because of our success and an amazing group of fans that come to see us race. It is sad to think that this will be one of the last times I will be directing, but I am glad it will be in front of a such great fans."

The Tour of Missouri will cap off a stellar season for Discovery’s Leipheimer, who won the season’s kick off race, the Amgen Tour of California in February.

"I have had an amazing 2007 season which started out when I won the Amgen Tour of California, followed by a successful showing at the Tour de Georgia and then finishing on the podium at the Tour de France. It is only fitting to close it out my season with a U.S. homecoming at the Tour of Missouri,” said Leipheimer. “I have always said that there is nothing that compares to racing at home and it will be very special for me to have guys like Alberto, Popo and George riding next to me in my final race as a Discovery Channel Team member."

George Hincapie is the 2006 U.S. National Champion and has raced in 12 editions of the Tour de France, seven of them as Lance Armstrong’s primary lieutenant. Hincapie has won stages in the Tour de France, Tour of California, and the celebrated Dauphiné Libéré.

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BMC riders head to Beijing
BMC Pro Cycling team athletes John Garcia, Nathan Miller and Scott Nydam join the U.S. Team to the Good Luck event held on the Beijing Olympic course.

Immediately following their return, the riders join their BMC teammates for a short training camp in the mountains of North Carolina preceding the U.S. Pro Road and Time Trial Championships in Greenville, South Carolina.

“I am very happy about this opportunity for Garcia, Miller and Nydam. All three of these riders are showing a lot of promise as road racers of the future; and they are ideally suited for the Beijing courses,” said team director Gavin Chilcott.

All three riders will participate in the road race, while Nydam and Garcia will contest the time trial.

“In addition to working hard at building the BMC team organization,” Chilcott added, “we have invested a lot in these new ‘talent’ riders this year. In addition to being physically gifted athletes, these athletes are also highly motivated to take advantage of good opportunities. The results of that motivation take form in a lot of ways, ranging from Scott Nydam’s sixth place overall finish at the Tour of Georgia to the enthusiasm and seriousness with which these guys have approached the trip to Beijing.”

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Star Crossed: The First and Premier Cyclo-cross Event Of The Year
Full Speed Ahead Star Crossed presented by Gerk's Alpine Hut, the nation’s first twilight cyclo-cross race, is returning on September 22nd to KingCounty’s Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington.

Star Crossed kicks off the U.S. ‘cross season for the sixth consecutive year under the bright lights of the Group Health Velodrome. This year Star Crossed will be the firstUCI level race in the U.S. and the first UCI race in a series of top caliber cyclo-cross races on the West Coast. This combined with our already proven formula of great racing, spectator friendly course, beer garden, and music should add up to another successful and record breaking year for this event.

Renowned race announcer and VeloNews TV host, Dave Towle, states “Star Crossed has created a model that needs to be repeated around the country. The racers love it, and the spectators have a real opportunity to discover how intense and fun the sport really is. I can't wait to get the season started, and Star Crossed is the perfect way to do it. The only problem is that one of the best races of the year is the first!"

Long time sponsor Full Speed Ahead has increased their support to become co-title sponsor. “Star Crossed has been a fixture in the northwest cyclo-cross scene and it keeps getting bigger and better. It’s a great kick-off for the national season. They have created a great vehicle to get our name and our new products out in the spotlight for the season,” states Max Ralph, Marketing Manager FSA.

Local sponsor Gerk’s Alpine Hut may be new to the Star Crossed family but they are very excited about the event. “We are really thrilled to be a part of this national event that happens right in our backyard” says owner Brian Gierke “We are making a strong commitment to cyclo-cross and it’s great to see bikes we sell in action!”

Spectators will be pleased to learn of another new sponsor this year: Deschutes Brewery has come aboard as the official beer garden sponsor providing a variety of local brews. The event will also feature a live DJ, free spectator raffles and giveaways including a Ridley Crossbow frameset and expo area that has been expanded to include FSA, Raleigh, Specialized, Cycle University, Redline, Naked Juice, Gerk’s Alpine Hut, 53x11 Coffee, and other products and services.

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Nature Valley Grand Prix Highlights Program Airs (Pressrelease)
(St. Paul, MN, August 15, 2007) – TV coverage of the NatureValley Grand Prix is set to air. This stage race, ranked at the top of the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar, is part of Minnesota’s GreatRiver Energy Bicycle Festival. The 2007 Nature Valley GP included a unique mix of criteriums, road races and a time trial, and featured Stillwater’s 20 percent Chilkoot Hill, part of the “Hardest Criterium in North America.”

In the men’s race, the battle for the yellow jersey turned into a shootout between two teams. Toyota United held the Nature Valley Grand Prix lead, but HealthNet presented by Maxxis won five straight stages to try to take it away. Minnesota's pro bike race came down to the hilly last day to decide who would win the title and the jersey.

On the women's side, World Champion Kristin Armstrong (TEAm Lipton) wasn't content to sit in and wait for the win. Armstrong attacked every single day to dominate her race for the women's title.

The Nature Valley GP attracted a “Who’s Who” of U.S. racing. In addition to Toyota-United and HealthNet, the men’s field included Jelly Belly, BMC Racing, Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast, Jittery Joe’s, Priority Health, Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light and Navigators Insurance. The Nature Valley GP was also the second stop of the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series, which saw racers from TEAm Lipton, Webcor Builders, Aaron’s, Cheerwine, ValueAct Capital and Team TIBCO. These fields were complemented with international riders from the Colombian and New Zealand National Teams.

Versus (formerly known as OLN) will air the full program of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. The action is called and analyzed by legendary announcers Bob Roll and Dave Towle.

VersusSunday, August 19 at 3:00 PMTuesday August 21 at 5:00 PMTimes are Eastern Daylight Time. Check local listings.