After a successful Virtual Redlands Classic, Project Echelon Racing will follow up with the Virtual Tour of the Gila, a second opportunity for elite North American and international men's and women's teams to compete and promote themselves to sponsors amid the coronavirus pandemic ... This invitation-only race will take place May 22-24 and will feature a unique feature: a virtual team time trial.

Eric Hill, director of Project Echelon Racing, hopes to build on the success of the Virtual Redlands Classic, which brought together 20 top North American teams and approximately 100 riders to the virtual starting line.

"Not only did this event attract some of the nation's top talent, but it also inspired cycling fans around the world to continue pursuing their passions and sharing their stories on social media, no matter the circumstances," Hill said in a press release. zwift The live stream, produced by Community Live's Nathan Guerra and Dave Towle, was viewed by over 25,000 people.

The Virtual Tour of the Gila is open to national elite teams, UCI pro teams, and USA Crit teams registered with USA Cycling, and unlike other Zwift races, riders must complete all stages to start the next day, and the race are not allowed to use power-ups. Riders are photographed and weighed on a scale before the stage and weighed again after the stage.

Team time trials will utilize a third party Zwift Power; Zwift time trial bikes will prevent riders from getting behind other riders, so riders will use their regular bikes to allow for drafting in the virtual area. Teams are given a specific start time and communicate verbally via voice chat. The app will count down to 30 seconds, during which time riders will not be able to pedal. Times are measured by the fourth rider to cross the finish line, just as in the real world.

The team time trial is the opening stage on the Sand to Sequoias Watopia course. The women's team will start at 6:45 p.m. Central Time and the men's team will start at 8:00 p.m. Central Time.

The second stage is a 67.4 km course around the Big Foothills of Watopia. Two additional KOM points at 22.5 km and 35.2 km will provide bonuses, with a second sprint at the 50 km mark. The course is reminiscent of the Fort Bayard stage of the Tour of the Gila, with a fast, flat finish.

Stage 3 is a 72.6km mediofondo course that finishes at the top of the Epic KOM. There will be a sprint at 13.6 km into the stage, with KOM points at 19.5 km and at the finish on the summit of Epic.

Both men and women will compete on the same course and over the same distance, with the men racing first at 11:00 CDT on stages 2 and 3 and the women at 1:00 PM CDT and streaming on Zwift Community Live.

"Project Echelon Racing is excited to offer such an event to elite women's teams across North America, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents and represent their sponsors and causes just as well as the men. Their presence will bring the cycling community even closer together and help ensure the growth and sustainability of our unique and beloved sport."

After USA Cycling suspended all races, camps, and clinics until May 31, forcing races to be canceled or postponed until later in the season, the team faced a conundrum: how to provide value to sponsors. Hill runs Project Echelon Racing and its affiliated non-profit organization, Project Echelon. Project Echelon aims to empower veterans and help them recover and improve their health by promoting physical activity, and he has had to get creative to continue to fulfill both missions.

The team was sponsored by Saris, which also supports the professional iRacing team Saris-The Pro's Closet, and that relationship and friendship with Nathan Guerra of Zwift Community Live on the Hill helped to bring the virtual Redlands and helped to put together this Tour of the Gila in just a few weeks.

"Putting these events together was not easy, but the effort was certainly worth it," Hill said. "It was inspiring to see the cycling community come together in such a unique way and help bridge the gap between eSports and 'In Real Life' competition. It is always good to be nimble and think with an open mind. I truly believe that if we do this right, cycling has a chance to come out on top in the current COVID-19 climate."