Event organizers announced on Tuesday that beginning next summer, the, Colorado Classic will become a women’s-only event.
As such, it will be the sole exclusively-women’s stage-race cycling event in the western hemisphere on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar and on USA Cycling’s Pro Road Tour.
Event organizers hope the move will “raise the bar” for pro women’s cycling around the world.
Event organizers also announced that RPM Events Group LLC will offer “unprecedented” financial support to female athletes at the 2019 event, including a prize purse nearly four times the 2018 women’s purse and more than the men’s 2018 purse, along with stipends to support team travel and expenses.
“With free live video streaming coverage each day of the race, the Colorado Classic will put women’s cycling and Colorado on a global stage,” the event’s press release said. “The live stream and on-demand replays will be syndicated to fans around the world through cycling and partner websites as well as though Facebook Live and the race’s Tour Tracker mobile app.”
The third annual Colorado Classic will be a 4-stage road race Aug. 22-25. The course and host communities have yet to be announced.