The National Race Calendar resumes this weekend with the Sequoia Cycling Classic in Central California. The town of Exeter will be the start of Saturday’s Yokohl Ranch Exeter Time Trial, a 40-kilometer out-and-back course with two significant climbs, and neighboring Visalia will host Sunday’s Visalia Criterium.

The race began in 1987 as a single-day race, and has evolved into a multi-day event under various names and sponsors, making for an impressive history. In its heyday in the early 90s, it attracted the likes of Davis Phinney, Jonas Carney, and Thurlow Rogers. Later, youngsters Lance Armstrong and Bobby Julich graced its ranks.

After struggling to maintain sponsorship, the race was discontinued, but was resurrected as the 2006 Quad Knopf Sequoia Cycling Classic. In 2007, under the leadership of director Sheri Clark, the race was put on the National Racing Calendar, instantly gaining notoriety by offering equal prize purses for men and women — $10,000 per event (time trial and criterium).

Tough decision

When USA Cycling increased the amount of prize money required for NRC this year, Clark’s organizing committee was faced with some tough decisions.

Meeting the new requirements for a men’s and women’s NRC event — while still maintaining the mens'-women's parity that the race was known for — would mean an automatic $20,000 budget increase.

The organizing committee decided to focus on a women’s-only NRC event.

"This wasn’t a matter of women running the event,” Clark specified. “There was actually a majority of men in that decision-making process that said, ‘No, we have a place in the cycling community as an event that has recognized women as being important in the cycling industry, and we want to keep that spot.”

Their commitment to women’s racing is not going unnoticed. After a recent article on cyclingnews.com in which Clark was quoted, she received an e-mail from Simeon Green, a cycling journalist in France who races for a Bouygues Telecom-affiliated team.

“I just wanted to shoot you a quick e-mail to congratulate you … for leading the way and trying to improve women’s racing ... As men we have plenty of races and options around the world. Congratulations on your choices,” he wrote.

Competitors take note

Of course, female racers have noticed, too. Teams headed to the Valley this weekend include Team High Road, Aaron’s, ValueAct Capital, America’s Dairyland, Colavita/Sutter Home, Team Tibco, Webcor, and Proman.

Like a number of other teams, Cheerwine is sending its full roster, including last year’s NRC champion, Laura Van Gilder.

"I really applaud them [the promoters],” Van Gilder said. "The riders feel strongly that we put on a good show and that we’re audience friendly. We’re out there training, putting in our time, but often, [when promoters are faced with financial constraints] they cut the women’s races, and I think it’s a sad thing.”

And the women are prepared for the stiff competition that the large prize purses will bring. Canadian Leigh Hobson (Cheerwine) won the time trial in 2006, placed second last year, and said it’s more competitive each year.

Cheerwine has high goals for the coming weekend, though. Besides her quest for a third year on the time trial podium, Hobson said, “We have Ann Samplonius [Canadian national time trial champion] on our team now, so I think she hopes to win this race. And then in the criterium, of course, we have Laura [Van Gilder] and Kelly Benjamin, our second sprinter, so we hope to win that race as well.”

And to add to the stakes, the races this weekend will conclude the “99 Series,” a new three-weekend points series.

Clark reported a number of additional improvements to this year’s Sequoia Classic. Highlights include a live webcast of all races by iBN Sports, as well as an on-site JumboTron screen at each venue. The ibnsports.com feed will be archived on their website for a year, making delayed viewing of the races possible.

History in the making.