Acevedo headlines field at Bucks County Classic

Janier Acevedo of Jamis-Hagens Berman headlines the New Hope to Doylestown road race today at the Thompson Bucks County Classic.

The Colombian is the current leader of the UCI America Tour, which crowns the top racer of the North, South and Central American racing circuits. Acevedo has enjoyed a stellar season, with third overall at the Amgen Tour of California and the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah plus stage wins in both California and Colorado's USA Pro Challenge.

Race Director John Eustice says the 27-year-old arrives in Pennsylvania with the capability of dominating a challenging Bucks County race course - a 166km parcours starting in New Hope at 10:30am on Saturday and finishing in Doylestown later in the day.

"Acevedo will certainly be in the Tour de France next year," Eustice said. "So it will be a rare treat for racing fans to see a ProTour-level Colombian ripping it up on our Pennsylvania climbs."

A peloton full of challengers will also take the start, including 2010 Thompson Criterium of Doylestown winner Jesse Anthony of Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies, the Hincapie Sportswear Development Team - with its stable of future stars - and the Pro Continental UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team, led by another Colombian, Carlos Alzate.

The New Hope to Doylestown road race is one of only seven UCI-ranked road races for men in the United States and one of only three that have additionally been awarded the highest-level National Racing Calendar (NRC) ranking by USA Cycling.

"We've compressed the action of the Tour de France - with sprints, hill climbs, great starts and finishes - all into one spectacular day of racing," Eustice said. "It's a chance to experience true European-style racing, but designed in a much more spectator-friendly manner."

The grand finale of the weekend is Sunday's Thompson Criterium of Doylestown. The 35-lap, 78.4km race will encircle the Arts Festival, which is expected to be lined with packed house parties and thousands of spectators. A day-long slate of activities includes the Central Bucks Family YMCA heading the children's races that shares the finish line of the pro race and the Cyclosportif 100K, a 60-mile recreational ride.

For more information, go to: www.buckscountyclassic.com.

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