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Armstrong headlines S.F. Grand Prix

By Bryan Jew, VeloNews Senior Writer
Published: Sep. 6, 2001
Armstrong headlines S.F. Grand Prix
Armstrong headlines S.F. Grand Prix
Armstrong
Armstrong
Photo: VeloNews file photo

Three-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will close his season with his only U.S. racing appearance of the year this weekend. Armstrong will head a field of 131 riders at the inaugural San Francisco Grand Prix, to be contested in the streets of San Francisco on Sunday. The 125-mile race will be contested on a 10-mile circuit in the Financial District, North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Marina and Pacific Heights in the famous city by the bay.

Armstrong will be joined by a full U.S. Postal Service squad, including Ghent-Wevelgem winner George Hincapie, Olympic time trial champion Viatcheslav Ekimov and American Tyler Hamilton, making one of his final appearances for the Postal Service team before he switches over to the CSC-Tiscali squad for next season.

While Armstrong and his squad will have the biggest mass appeal, they’ll have to contend with all of the top American professional squads that have been battling out the U.S. Pro Cycling Tour all season long. San Francisco will be the 10th of 13 events in the series that also includes the First Union USPRO Championship and the BMC Software Grand Prix. Saturn’s Trent Klasna holds a commanding lead in the Pro Cycling Tour, with Navigators Vassili Davidenko in second place.

Back in June, Klasna battled Hincapie and Fred Rodriguez for the USPRO title in Philadelphia, with Rodriguez taking the stars-and-stripes jersey. Rodriguez, a Bay Area resident, will be on hand in San Francisco as well, riding for the composite Dinardi Pasta Montegrappa-Domo team.

Team Mercury will be led by an on-form Scott Moninger and Chris Wherry, who placed second at the Tour du Limousin in France last month, while 7UP-Colorado Cyclist, the winners of the last round of the Pro Cycling Tour, hope that their late-season charge will continue. They bring John Lieswyn and Clark Sheehan as their two big threats.

Sunday’s race begins at 9 A.M. at Embarcadero and Market St. in San Francisco. The riders will do 10-laps of the main 10-mile circuit, which includes two main climbs. The first climb, on Filmore St., is three-blocks long, with a maximum grade of 18 percent. The second climb is located at Columbus Ave. and Taylor St.. After 10 laps of the main circuit, the race will conclude with five-laps on a five-mile finishing circuit, with the finish back at Embarcadero and Market.

For a complete race roster, click here

VeloNews.com will have a complete race wrap-up on Sunday following the race.

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