Tour of the Gila is the stage race where ambitious athletes can show off their potential and work their way through the ranks. It’s common for riders to set goals and plan their seasons around Tour of the Gila, where results attract the attention of top teams. An example of this lies in the 2024 Tour of the Gila UCI men’s champion Tyler Stites, who got picked up by Caja Rural-Seguros RGA for 2025. So fans look to Tour of the Gila for clues about rising talent.

And while athletes that are already well on their way to being discovered participate in the UCI races, often, the place to look is in amateur races at Tour of the Gila. One trio of riders exemplified this in 2024. Orion, Asa and Rowan Child are up and comers in the domestic road racing scene.

The Child brothers finished Tour of the Gila 2024 in third, fourth and fifth overall in the Men 2, 3 race. Orion Child finished 7:43 back, claiming a spot on the podium, while brothers Asa and Rowan had times within 30 seconds of him. “Me and my younger brother loved the cat 2/3 race and we were able to get our cat 1 upgrade,” Orion told us recently. “Looking forward to racing in the pro race this year!”

Giving this interview ahead of the Tour of the Gila 2024 Downtown Silver City Criterium, the three brothers discuss their passion for mountainous stage races. Three-time Tour of the Gila competitors, they claim Tour of the Gila as their favorite race of all time. “We need more climbing races in the U.S.” Orion says. “–and more stage races!” his youngest brother Rowan adds.