The San Dimas Stage Race will kick off its 13th year on Friday, and while last year's elite winners Ben Day and Amber Neben will not be on the start line, both fields are packed full of talent, guaranteed to provide intense competition.
For the first time, portions of the race will be available for viewing via live streaming video for portions of all three stages.
The elite women's event has attracted many of the top riders in North America: Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong and her Exergy-Twenty12 team will try to duplicate their success shown in the Merced Classic earlier this month, but will face strong competition from Specialized-lululemon's Clara Hughes and Ina Teutenberg.
The elite men's champion for the previous three years, Ben Day, has moved onto the Pro Continental UnitedHealthcare team, but the 2012 runner-up, Matt Cooke (Exergy), will be back, as will 2006 winner Heath Blackgrove (Elbowz Racing).
