Hincapie and Basso headline Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix

The Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix in San Francisco, USA, will feature a very strong line up of US and international riders when it kicks off on Sunday, September 4 at 10:00 am in San Francisco.

George Hincapie (Discovery Channel), the only rider to ride with Lance Armstrong in each of his seven Tour de France victories, will lead the field. Hincapie won the inaugural SF race in 2001, and finished 14th overall in this year's Tour while winning Stage 15, the Tour's toughest mountain stage.

Ivan Basso, who has finished second to Lance Armstrong in the 2005 Tour de France, and third in 2004 will lead Team CSC. Basso's American teammate David Zabriskie will also compete, after wearing the yellow jersey in the early stages of this year's Tour.

The Canadian superstar Charles Dionne and only two-time winner of the San Francisco race, will be back in full force to lead team Webcor Builders, which is based in the San Francisco area. Chris Horner, another 2005 Tour de France competitor (finishing 33rd) and winner of the 2003 San Francisco Grand Prix, will represent Saunier Duval Prodir. Horner placed third in the Wachovia USPRO Championship in Philadelphia in June.

California will be represented by Levi Leipheimer, who finished sixth in the Tour de France, won the Tour of Germany, and will ride for his German-based Gerolsteiner team. "Fast Freddy" Rodriguez, three-time USA National Champion and Tour de France finisher, will also be on the start line as a key member of the United States National Team.

"These are seven of the top bike racers in the world right now," said David Chauner, president of race organisers Threshold Sports. "And with the exception of Ivan Basso, they are all Americans who have proven that our country produces some of the finest athletic talent in the world. To see them race in San Francisco on a world class course is truly awe-inspiring."

Chris Wherry, the current USPRO Champion and current NRC (National Racing Calendar) leader, will compete on the HealthNet Maxxis team. Wherry will be joined by his teammates who won all three races of the Wachovia Cycling Series in June.

The Barclays Global Investors Grand Prix will be held over a very challenging 108 mile (173 km) course, featuring 18 laps, nine of which include both the formidably steep Fillmore and Taylor Street climbs. A purse of $50,000 will be awarded to the top finishers.