Special classifications announced for Tour of Connecticut

Yale University heads list as title of Best Young Rider prize

In a direct nod to its Tour de France inspiration, the Tour of Connecticut from Friday, May 20-Sunday, May 22, will award three special competition race leader jerseys. The Best Hill Climber, Best Sprinter and Best Young Rider leader jerseys will complement the Yellow Jersey of overall Tour leader, sponsored by the Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau. The distinctive jerseys are awarded at the finish of each of the three days of racing with the overall winners crowned after the final stage in Litchfield Hills/Torrington.

Yale University will be the sponsor of the Best Young Rider White Jersey, awarded to the leading rider in the race born in 1983 or later. Yale's support is the culmination of three years of efforts by a trio of Yale alumni, cycling fans and New York City residents: Tom Kempner, current sponsor of the Yale Cycling Team, David Williams, who doubles as sponsor of the Williams Trading Best Hill Climber Jersey, and Doug Ellis, a supporter of developmental cycling.

Cycling fans will easily recognize the bright red and white polka dot jersey of the Williams Trading Best Hill Climber jersey, awarded to the top scorer in a series of hilltop finish lines. The grueling terrain of northwest Connecticut will insure that only a worthy champion will don the jersey by the end of the three-day race in Torrington.

The Best Sprinter jersey sponsored by Champion System, the official technical wear supplier of the Tour of CT, will be bright orange in a departure from the traditional green used at the Tour de France. This is the prize for the flatlanders, the sprinters of the racing world, who will contest a series of flat sprints for points during each of the stages of the Tour of Connecticut, which unfolds as follows:

Stage one is a 40-mile race in New Haven around the famed Green. Start time is 6:00 pm.

Stage two is a grueling 62-mile race on a four-mile circuit within the city limits of Waterbury. It has been called the hardest race in North America. Start time is 12:00 pm.

Stage three covers 137 miles through the hills and valleys of Litchfield Hills with the start and finish in Torrington. A recreational ride for weekend warriors and children's races are part of the day's family activities. Start time is 11:20 am with children's races and the final laps of the men's race beginning at 3:00 pm.

For more information please go to: www.tourofct.com