Yesterday the UCI announced the American racing calendar for 2012, the press release stated that both the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and the Tour of Elk Grove have been upgraded to 2.HC and 2.1. Both of these several day stage races will be going into their second year as classified events under the UCI. Together the two races form part of a six race professional calendar in the United States. The six race calendar makes up quality, but lacks quantity in the U.S.

The U.S hit a major “jackpot” at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge where all three men from the Le Tour de France podium participated in the multi day stage race. Not only were there top quality riders at the first year American race, but hundreds of thousands, even a million fans were estimated to be on the roads during the stage race.

The upgrade to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will only change the successful American race slightly, but the Tour of Elk Grove organizer, Steve Hansen hopes that the upgrade to 2.1 and a place to the American tour calendar will attract several of the WorldTour teams to the small stage race.

“We applied last year for 2.1 status in our first year as a UCI race, but we started as 2.2,” Hansen told Cyclingnews. “We worked hard to do a good job for the UCI knowing we’d apply for 2.1 in 2012. “We’re hoping that, with Utah the week after our race, the WorldTour teams will stop in Chicago and use our race as a warm-up.”

Image: tourofelkgrove.com

By Luke Allingham