“America’s Toughest Stage Race” is not false advertising, says Team Type 1 Assistant Director Gord Fraser.
“I think that’s a fair assessment, judging by the course profiles and taking into account the elevation,” Fraser said. “It’s going to be our hardest race of the year.”
The six-day National Racing Calendar (NRC) event begins Tuesday and features a prologue and five stages that include 30,000 feet of climbing.
Dugan, 22, is new to the team. The 5-foot-4, 125-pound native of Pittsfield, Mass., does not have Type 1 diabetes. Last month, he won the sprint competition at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic while finishing third on the race’s second stage. He also won the 2008 USA Cycling National Collegiate Cyclocross Championship last December.
“I haven’t seen him race in person but I hear he’s a scrappy rider,” Fraser said. “We could use a bit more grit on the team. So we’re glad to have him.”
Team Type 1 is one of 20 teams competing in the race that features two mountaintop finishes (Stage 2 Thursday and Stage 4 Saturday), a 9.2-mile (14 km) time trial (Friday) and a 90-minute criterium (Sunday).
“We don’t have the quantity, but we certainly have the quality to win the race,” Fraser said. “I think Darren Lill has the best chance. But we have Chris Jones, who has been riding really consistently in the stage races. So look for more top 10 results from him.”
