The Tour of Pennsylvania bicycle stage race kicks off on Tuesday in Philadelphia and ends on Sunday in Pittsburgh. In between, some of the best young cyclists under the age of 25 from around the world will travel 420 miles following historic Route 30 and passing through not only some of the state's most beautiful country, but also its most taxing terrain.
These aren't the cyclists you'll see at the Tour de France or the Olympics this summer, but just give them a few years.
In this race, the first of its kind for under-25 cyclists in the United States and a signature event of Pittsburgh's 250th celebration, 18 teams of six cyclists each will be competing for a purse of $150,000.
Versus will broadcast nightly recaps starting with Stage 2 on Wednesday, and coverage of Sunday's final stage will begin at 5:30 p.m.
People in the Pittsburgh area will have the opportunity to catch the action live during three stages - at the end of Stage Four from Bedford to Latrobe, at Stage Five from Ligonier to the South Side, and at Stage Six, a criterium that will be held downtown.
Read on for all you need to know to follow the race, whether in person or on television.
The strategy
Cycling may seem like an individual sport, but a stage race is quite the opposite.
The amount of strategy involved can be staggering, from designating a team leader to readjusting when an unexpected leader emerges, from dealing with breakaways to recovering from crashes.
Ideally, a designated leader, such as Lance Armstrong or Levi Leipheimer, will have to do as little work as possible during the race to keep them fresh for the difficult stages. It will be up to their teammates to chase down other cyclists who break from the pack and try to get ahead. It will also be up to the teammates to ride in the front of the pack, or the peloton, and let the leader draft.
"The basic idea is to keep the leader as fresh as possible so that when the race gets really hard, they have the reserves," said Chris Mayhew, a professional cycling coach with JBV Coaching. "On a particularly hard section of the course, hopefully the leader has been behind his teammates the entire time so at that point he can make a really hard attack on that hill while everyone else is exhausted."
Every rider is timed at every stage, with each day's time added up to create an overall time. The cyclist with the lowest time at the end of the race is the winner. Points are also awarded for the best climbers, who get the King of the Mountain jersey, and the best sprinters.
"On the flat stages, there really won't be big time splits, but in the middle stages with a lot of climbs, if you have a bad day you could lose an hour," said Mayhew, 32, of Mt. Lebanon. "That's when it will really start to open up."
Where to watch
The best place is the finish line. Highmark Healthy High 5 Finish Line Festivals are planned for every stage but the first, are free and will include announcers giving reports as the riders draw closer plus activities to keep spectators entertained in the meantime. The awarding of jerseys will also follow each stage completion.
Start lines are also great places to watch, particularly for autographs, photos and other access to the cyclists themselves.
Race director Dave Chauner also recommends the "feed zones," areas where team cars stop in advance of the riders and get ready to hand off bags of food.
The tops of the hardest climbs are also good places to watch.
"That's when the riders are going the slowest so you have the best chance of seeing the suffering on their faces," he said.
In Stage Four, check out the crest of Laurel Hill Summit, a two-mile climb at a 15 percent grade, or check out the sprint into downtown Latrobe at Ligonier and Alexandria Street.
Stage Five has a feed zone at the road leading into St. Vincent's College, roughly 41 miles in from the starting line at Market Street in Ligonier. The pack will later cross the Hot Metal Bridge before ending in the SouthSide Works with a loop that includes Sidney Street and Carson Street.
Stage Six is the downtown criterium, with the start and finish line at Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. For detailed route maps, including street names and estimated times of arrival, go to www.tourofpa.com and check out the race routes section.
What the jerseys mean
Leader's jersey -- The yellow jersey is the most coveted, for the overall leader.
Climber's jersey -- The polka-dotted jersey is given to the rider who has accumulated the most King of the Mountain points over the decisive climbs of the course.
Most aggressive -- This orange jersey will be awarded subjectively to the rider who shows the greatest tenacity, presented in honor of General John Forbes.
Best sprinter -- The green jersey goes to the rider who demonstrates the most raw power and great positioning, gaining the most points at the front of the pack.
Teamwork -- The blue jersey will go to the team judged to be most capable of controlling the race and its outcome from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
Best young -- The cyclist with the white jersey will be among the best in the next generation of cyclists.
Terms to know
Here's a list of some common terms, from USA Cycling:
Attack -- A sudden attempt to get away from another rider
Blocking -- When a rider tries to get in the way of other riders, usually done as part of a team strategy to slow down the main field when other team members are ahead in a breakaway
Breakaway -- A rider or group of riders who have separated themselves ahead of the main pack
Criterium -- A multi-lap event on a course usually a mile or less in length, usually of 25-75 miles overall
Domestique -- A rider who sacrifices individual honors to the team leader who is in contention to win
Drafting -- Riding closely behind another rider to save energy
Echelon -- A line of riders taking orderly turns at the lead and staggered so that each rider will get protection from the wind, also called a pace line
Field -- The main group of riders, also known as the peloton or the pack
Lead out -- An often sacrificial move where one rider begins a sprint to give a head start to another rider, usually a teammate, on his rear wheel, who then comes around at an even faster speed to take the lead
Slipstream -- The pocket of air created by a moving rider
Time trial -- An individual race against the clock, often called the "race of truth"
SIX STAGES, 420 MILES
Stage One, Tuesday -- Morning prologue time trial (10 a.m.), followed by criterium in the evening (6 p.m.). The start and finish lines for the time trial and criterium circuits is in front of Philadelphia's Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, the same ground as the 1947 National Cycling Championships. The 2-mile time trial circuit will include Martin Luther King Drive, while the 1.2-mile criterium (total of 25 miles) will take place on the Memorial Hall Concourse.
Stage Two, Wednesday -- Beginning at 10 a.m. at Green Street and E. Lancaster Pike in Downingtown, the 91-mile road race winds through Amish Country, with mostly rolling terrain and two intermediate sprints in Ephrata and Hershey. The course also will include a 2.5-mile King of the Mountain sprint at the top of Spring Hill and a final sprint to the finish line in Carlisle in front of Dickinson College. Estimated finish time of 1:15 to 2 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m.
Stage Three, Thursday -- Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Highmark Headquarters in Camp Hill, this stage is 104 miles and takes riders up and over two mountain passes. The first begins at mile 66 and climbs 3.5 miles to the top of Tuscarora Summit. The second is at mile 82 at Sideling Hill for a 3-mile climb with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet before a winding, technical descent into Bedford. Estimated finish time of 2:15 to 3 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 9 a.m.
Stage Four, Friday -- Beginning at 11 a.m. at Penn and South Juliana Street in Bedford, this 60-mile stage likely is the most difficult and should separate the leaders from the pack. The route turns uphill just 15 miles in for a climb to Bald Knob Summit, a 5.5-mile ascent with grades of 10 to 15 percent. The riders will then crest the Laurel Hill Summit at mile 40 for a 2-mile climb with a 15-percent grade before passing through Ligonier and sprinting to the finish line at Ligonier and Alexandria Street in downtown Latrobe. Estimated finish time of 1 to 2 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.
Stage Five, Saturday -- Beginning at noon on Market Street just off Route 30 in Ligonier, this 83-mile route into Pittsburgh will feature rolling terrain with a King of the Mountain sprint at mile 21 and an intermediate sprint at mile 38. The riders will roll through the East End and into the South Side with a sprint finish at the American Eagle Outfitters headquarters at the SouthSide Works. Estimated finish time of 2:55 to 3:30 p.m. Opening ceremonies at 11:30 a.m.
Stage Six, Sunday -- The race concludes at 5 p.m., opening with a 50-mile, classic downtown criterium consisting of 33 laps on a 1.5-mile course that runs along Boulevard of the Allies, Grant Street, Sixth Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The start and finish line is the intersection of Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street, with an approximate finish time of 6:50 p.m. and the awards ceremony to follow. Opening ceremonies start at 4 p.m.
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