Women's classification podium (L to R): Shayna Powless (DNA Pro Cycling) in the green points jersey, Austin Killips (Amy D Foundation) in the red overall winner's jersey and Nadia Gontova (Roxo Racing) in white best young rider jersey.(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Nadia Gontova (Roxo Racing), in the white best young rider jersey, celebrates with her teammates as the best team(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Men's overall GC podium (L to R): second-placed Óscar Sevilla (Team Medellín-EPM), overall winner Alex Hoehn (Above and Beyond Cancer Cycling) and third-placed Torbjørn Røed (Above and Beyond Cancer Cycling)(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Above and Beyond Cancer cycling team celebrating their GC win(Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
The 2023 Tour of the Gila returns for a 36th year, taking place April 26-30 across the foothills of the Pinos Altos Mountains around Silver City, New Mexico. As one of only two UCI 2.2 road races in the US this year, the Tour of the Gila provides five days of racing for men and women and also offers categories for two or more days for amateurs.
The pro women will cover 396.6km over the five stages while the men will take on 510.2km, with both categories using the same route for stage 3’s uphill individual time trials.
The race kicks off on April 26 with the Mogollon Road Race, known for its steep finishing climb to the ghost town. The Stage 2 Inner Loop Road Road Race takes riders through the rugged terrain of the Gila National Forest, a 76.2-mile loop for men with 5,781 feet of climbing and a 74.1-mile loop with 5,854 feet of climbing for the women.
The third day offers the 16.15-mile time trials in the village of Tyrone, which uses an out-and-back course with 1,000 feet of climbing. Stage 4 is a criterium that takes place in the historic downtown of Silver City on a traditional four-corner course.
The fifth and final day of racing is the Gila Monster stage, which is often the deciding factor in the race. Similar to stage 2, the course does a reverse loop through the Gila National Forest and ends in Piños Altos with a narrow, seven-mile ascent. The men cover 100.6km with 9,131 feet of climbing, while the women cover 65.9 miles and 5,610 feet of climbing.
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Tour of the Gila contenders - women
Emily Ehrlich (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24) won the ITT at Redlands Bicycle Classic and the GC title in 2023 (Image credit: SnowyMountain Photography)
Like the vast, high desert terrain in New Mexico, the GC title is a wide open canvas for the women’s field this year. Absent are the two dominant riders from a year ago, Lauren De Crescenzo (Cinch Rise) and Krista Doebel-Hickok (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), as their teams are racing elsewhere. It is a smaller field with 12 teams, but not small on the competitive level.
DNA Pro Cycling has a stacked roster of climbers, so look for two-time Colombian road champion Diana Peñuela in the overall, as she had a pair of fourth-place finishes on climbing stages in 2022. She will be supported by teammates who can also win stages such as Holly Breck, who won the sprint classification at Redlands, and Mexican time trial champion Anet Barrera, who won the best young rider classification last year.
Emily Ehrlich brings momentum for Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24 as she captured the overall title at Redlands Bicycle Classic, along with a win in the individual time trial and a second place in the criterium. Her teammate Marlies Mejías won the opening circuit race and was second in the criterium in California, while Melisa Rollins and Laurel Quiñones were on the podium in the ITT with Ehrlich for a team sweep. It is a well-rounded squad for five days of racing.
Roxo Racing will debut Nadia Gontova at the New Mexico stage race, having signed the Canadian just days before. Gontova won the stage 2 Oak Glen climb at this year’s Redlands Bicycle Classic riding for Red Truck Racing. The team will be without Emily Marcolini, however, who won the Gila Monster stage last year for Team 3T Q+M, as she recovers from fractured ribs sustained in a crash on stage 1 at Redlands.
Marcela Prieto will lead Patobike for GC hopes, as she was second overall at Redlands. The Mexican rider scored four top 10s at Tour of the Gila last year. She will find support from Lorena Villamizar and Valeria Leon.
Amy D Foundation returns with Austin Killips, who was the bronze medalist at US cyclocross nationals last December. It is her first road race of the season, but she did finish third overall in the Tour of the Gila in 2022 so don't count her out.
Tour of the Gila contenders - men
Miguel Angel López of Team Medellin-EPM won the GC at the 2023 Vuelta a San Juan (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
The five days of UCI 2.2 racing in the foothills of the Pinos Altos Mountains in the desert southwest of New Mexico should be a playground for climbing by the Team Medellin-EPM in the men’s division. The Colombian team will see threats from other Continental programmes Project Echelon Racing and Toronto Hustle among the field of 19 teams.
Foremost is the one-two punch of former WorldTour rider Miguel Ángel López and climbing veteran Óscar Sevilla for Team Medellin-EPM. López is the reigning time trial champion of Colombia and last weekend won the silver medal at the ITT Pan-Am Championships. The versatile rider has 23 race days in his legs already, bringing to New Mexico a pair of stage race GC victories from the Vuelta a San Juan and Vuelta al Tolima, plus the mountain classification title from Vuelta Bantrab. Sevilla last raced at Gila in 2019 where he was second overall.
Project Echelon Racing won three stages last year and said that every stage is a target this time out. Tyler Stites finish 10th overall a year ago and returns as the team leader, coming with good form having won a second title at Redlands.
Toronto Hustle will be led by Matteo Dal-Cin, who rode in the leader’s jersey for two days and finished second overall last year. He was second in the Redlands time trial earlier in April.
The CS Velo squad returns but will be without GC winner Sean Gardner, who is still away from racing this spring to recover from a serious concussion suffered in February. They expect to bring riders contesting for stage victories, such as climber Drake Deuel, who had a pair of top 10s last year.
Also watch on the climbing stages for Torbjørn Røed (Above + Beyond Cancer Cycling), who took victory on the opening mountaintop finish of the Mogollon Road Race last year.
