| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | June (commonly on Father's Day) |
| Region | Nevada City, California, United States |
| Organiser | Charlie Allert |
| History | |
| First edition | 1961 (1961) |
| First winner |  Bob Tetzlaff (USA) |
| Most recent | Gavin Murray (USA) |
| History (women) | |
| Most recent | Eleanor Velez (USA) |
The Nevada City Classic (previously: Tour of Nevada City; Father's Day Bicycle Classic), was a one-day road cycling race held in Nevada City, California. Established in 1960, the Nevada City Classic commonly occurs on Father's Day and brought thousands of visitors to Nevada County. While the first race brought out approximately 1,500 spectators, the numbers have swelled to 15,000 spectators in recent years. Sponsored by the Nevada City Chamber of commerce, the schedule included Women's, Junior's, and Master's races, in addition to the Men's main event. Past winners include Greg LeMond.
Course
The 90-minute race included 40 laps on a twisting, hilly 1.1 mi (1.8 km) circuit with over 300 feet of climbing. The course, basically unchanged since its advent, was considered by experts to be the toughest one-mile criterium in the United States.
History
Established in 1960, the Nevada City Classic was the largest and oldest bicycle race on the West Coast, as well as the second-oldest bicycle race in the country. It was initiated by Charlie Allert, a native of Dresden, Germany, who had been a bicycle racer and master lithographer before arriving in Nevada City by way of San Francisco. With a course laid out by Allert, the first race was held on Father's Day 1961.
The 1961 and 1962 races were won by Bob Tetzlaff, a Los Gatos school teacher. Starting in 1963 when he was 18 years old, Bob Parsons from Pasadena won the race the next five years. John Howard won in 1970. Greg LeMond was the winner for the three consecutive years of 1979-81 and he was subsequently honored when the Nevada City City Council proclaimed August 11, 1986 as "Greg LeMond Day". Todd Gogulski (1986, 1988), Scott Moninger (1994, 1997, 1999, 2006), Alexi Grewal (1993), and Levi Leipheimer (1998) also took the top spot. Having participated in the race 19 years earlier, Lance Armstrong returned in 2009, and won using illegal drugs and methods, and has been disqualified with the result voided It was hailed at the time as the first victory of his comeback as it preceded his return to the Tour de France. Ian Boswell was the winner in 2010.
In 1997, the race was designated a National Classic Pro Points Race, and thirteen years later, in 2010, its course became the starting point of the Stage 1 of the Tour of California.
The race was cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and never resumed because of declining attendance in years prior.
Winners
Men
Women
References
- ^ "Lance Armstrong Wins Nevada City Classic". CBS 13. June 21, 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- "Nevada City Classic Bicycle Race". nevadacityclassic.com. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ^ Wyckoff, Bob (June 14, 2010). "Father of the Nevada City Classic". The Union. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- "Armstrong takes Nevada City". ESPN. June 22, 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ Matthews, Wil. "Bissell goes 1-2 at 50th Nevada City Classic". Velonews. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ "June 19th Nevada City Bicycle Classic 45th Year". historichwy49.com. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- "Nevada City Bicycle Classic". Nevada City Chamber. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ Hamilton, Brian (June 16, 2010). "Past masters of the Nevada City Classic". The Union. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- "Lance Armstrong: Governing body strips American of Tour wins". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- Moore, Richard (22 June 2009). "Lance Armstrong wins Nevada City Classic". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- Giesin, Dan (June 20, 1997). "Chain of Events Moves Race / Nevada City Classic brings cyclists to foothills on Sunday". SF Gate. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- "Amgen Tour of California: Tour of California Stage 1 Nevada City, CA". Nevada City Chamber. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- Writer, Jennifer Nobles Staff (2023-05-25). "Down but not out: Father's Day bicycle race tradition canceled for 2023". The Union. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ "Nevada City Bicycle Classic - Sunday June 13, 1999 - Results". bikecal.com..
- ^ "Results and Reports for June 24-25 - 40th Anniversary Nevada City Classic". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
- ^ "Results and Reports from the USA - Nevada City Classic". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
- ^ "Nevada City Classic - NE". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
- ^ Josh Kadis (18 June 2006). "46th Nevada City Classic - NE". autobus.cyclingnews.com..
- "47th Nevada City Classic - NE". autobus.cyclingnews.com. 17 June 2007..
- ^ "Toyota-United's Justin England takes his second Nevada City crown". velonews.com. 20 June 2008..
- Bruce Hildenbrand (22 June 2009). "Nevada City Classic 2009: Men Results". cyclingnews.com..
- ^ Mark Deterline (21 June 2009). "Armstrong wins Nevada City in solo break". velonews.com..
- ^ "Bissell goes 1-2 at 50th Nevada City Classic". velonews.com. 21 June 2010..
- ^ "Nevada City Bicycle Classic • Jun 19 2011". road-results.com..
- ^ "53rd Annual Nevada City Bicycle Classic • Jun 16 2013". road-results.com..
- ^ "54th Annual Nevada City Classic Bicycle Race • Jun 15 2014". road-results.com..
- ^ "Nevada City Bicycle Classic • Jun 21 2015". road-results.com..
- ^ Kael Newton (21 June 2016). "CYCLING: Saltzman wins 56th Nevada City Classic, adds to event's storied past". theunion.com..
- ^ Walter Ford (18 June 2017). "CYCLING: Riekert wins mens pro race at 57th annual Nevada City Classic". theunion.com..
- ^ Elias Funez (24 June 2018). "Riding on; Nevada City Classic bounces back from dismal year". theunion.com..
- ^ Kael Newton (2 June 2019). "59th Nevada City Classic: a day of tough racing, hard falls and hope for the future". theunion.com..
External links
39°15′50″N 121°01′08″W / 39.2640°N 121.0190°W / 39.2640; -121.0190
Categories: