La Vuelta de Bisbee | Cyclingnews

The 28th edition of La Vuelta de Bisbee Stage Race (LVDB) will be held from April 28-30 in Bisbee, Arizona, USA. The three-day, four-stage event features an uphill time-trial prologue, two road stages and a time trial. The senior men, Pro 1-2, riders will cover more than 175 miles (280 km) of racing and 10,000 feet (3000 m) of climbing. The senior women and master men riders will cover slightly less distance and climbing.

The high-desert terrain of Southeastern Arizona with its rural highways that run through mountainous desert canyons and slope down and away from the historic mining town has drawn racers to Bisbee since 1976. LVDB boasts past winners such as Greg Lemond (who won as a 16-year old in 1978), Bob Cooke (1977, 79), Alexi Grewal (1992), Scott Moninger and Jeannie Longo (2002) and most recently, Clemente Cavaliere and Brooke Ourada (2005).

LVDB opens with an uphill time trial that gains 837 feet of elevation in just 2.8 miles. The course records are: Men - 9:18 by Malcolm Elliot in 1993; Women - 10:33 by Leslie Schenk in 1987; Master Men - 10:37 by Doug Loveday in 2003. The three stages that follow will test competitors climbing, sprinting, and time-trialing skills. If this race has not sorted itself by Sunday, the final stage features an extended uphill finish with two category 3 climbs in the last 15 miles.