Road construction has caused organisers of the Tour of the Gila to scrap the Mogollon climb from the opening stage of the UCI 2.2 race scheduled for April 19-23 in Silver City, New Mexico.
Stage 1 will cover the same route as years past but without the final 4.8km of climbing to the ghost town of Mogollon, finishing instead on the Whitewater Mesa below the climb. Organisers expect a sprint finish on the stage, which will include time bonuses but no KOM points as in years past.
The opening stage at Tour of the Gila has set the general classification pecking order in in the past, with both 2016 winners Mara Abbott and Lachlan Morton claiming the stage and carrying the race lead through to the end.
ADVERTISEMENT
"This is the first time in our history that we have had to alter the route," said race director Jack Brennan. "We lost 2.9 miles of climbing, which is the iconic part of Mogollon. It’s so incredible and beautiful up there, but we don’t have it this year. It’s going to change the whole dynamics of the race."
Mogollon was flooded in September of 2013, completely wiping out the roads leading into town, according to a statement published on the race website. While a few repairs were done to open the roads, the needed infrastructure was placed on hold. Several months ago, construction began with substantial repairs to the road, and the heavy equipment involved has severely damaged the tarmac on the approach.
"I think they’re building a bridge or two, so there is a lot of work going on," Brennan said. "What’s happening is the construction company building all of this is hauling these concrete blocks up to Mogollon. The weight of these blocks and the weight of the trucks are destroying the road. It’s just not wise for us to go up there and try to race.
Participating Tour of the Gila 2017 professional teams:
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/2nkA96s
No comments:
Post a Comment