Worrack, the 2015 champion, missed last year's race and is hungry to return to the happy hunting grounds of America's wets coast with five motivated teammates.
"I've only raced the tour here once but I have nice memories. The crowds are great, the race organisation and volunteers put in a lot of work, and the area is beautiful for bike racing. After missing some racing in 2016, I feel now after the spring that I'm in good shape and I look forward to our team racing to see what we can do next week," said Worrack.
One of Worrack's teammates for the four-stage race is American Alexis Ryan with the 22-year-old particularly excited for the WorldTour race as she explained.
"Most WWT events are in Europe, with the exception of this race in California and Tour of Chongming Island in China. Being one of only two events outside Europe, Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women's Race empowered by SRAM holds prestige on the professional circuit. It captivates a global audience with the talented riders it attracts and brutal, yet stunning, routes," said Ryan. "I remember being in awe of the team two years ago, winning and sacrificing for each other. They were one unit moving through the peloton. By far the most humorous moment was during the Sacramento stage when Trixi changed her shoes at 45 kph."
In 2016, Megan Guarnier (Boles Dolmans) won stage 1 of the race and held the leader's jersey right through to the conclusion of stage 4 for the overall win. However, with a changed parcours Ryan expects it will be a more open and exciting brand of racing on display at the race.
"For me, I'm aiming for opportunistic success. There's quite a variety of courses, and since the format has changed again this year there's no saying what will happen. The first and fourth stages are the same as last year. The second and third are new, with stage two looking like a climbers race and stage three a sprinters race. But, a breakaway can easily upset those predictions," said Ryan.
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While Worrack and Ryan are ready to roll the dice, the aggressive squad is completed four other versatile riders in Alena Amialiusik, Hannah Barnes, Tiffany Cromwell, and sprinter Barbara Guarischi.
"We have a healthy mix of strong and savvy riders for this year's race that I believe will prove to be a recipe for success. Alena and Hannah are our strongest climbers and GC contenders. Barbara, Trixi, Tiff, and I are wild cards, so expect a lot of wildness next week," added Ryan.
Canyon-SRAM for the Amgen Women's Race: Trixi Worrack, Alena Amialiusik, Hannah Barnes, Tiffany Cromwell, Barbara Guarischi and Alexis Ryan.
