“Personally, I always thought it was the best race of the year,” says Cristhian Ravelo, who is Director Sportif of CS Velo raced at Tour of the Gila every year from 2016 through 2022, including the virtual Tour of the Gila in 2020. “I had some of the craziest race experiences at [Tour of the] Gila, but those experiences taught me the most about racing culminating with our overall team win at Gila in 2022. When they told us we had won, I remember all the days I worked my butt off to help our leaders and make sure CS Velo took the red jersey home. It made all the sacrifices worth it.”

In 2024, CS Velo aims to take home the leader’s jersey again and top the team classification. “We won the red jersey in 2022 and we are looking to take it back!”

Their strategy: Bringing a team full of “mountain goats and amazing domestiques willing to shell themselves every day,” Cristhian says.

Tour of the Gila is one of the few races in the U.S. that allows a team of strong climbers to shine, with courses and terrain unmatched by any current U.S. race. “It’s the closest we come to UCI level racing that matches European competitions,” Cristhian says.

And, as one of the few true multinational team events in the U.S., Tour of the Gila has worldwide recognition as a race teams can use to advance their programs to the next level. “It’s the best and toughest stage race in the United States. Performing well at Gila can be a launching pad for a cyclist’s cycling career.”