The 2017 road cycling season kicks off to a start for the Amy D. Foundation with Tour of the Gila (April 19-23), followed closely by Redlands Bicycle Classic (May 3-7).
2017 marks the third year of Amy D. Foundation road cycling programming, and if the number of requests we receive from riders for the opportunity to participate is any indication of the program’s effectiveness, then it should be fair to say that objectives are being met and surpassed!
Amy D. Road Cycling is a developmental racing program that increases opportunities for talented and driven women to compete at the elite level of road cycling in a supportive and structured environment. The program focuses on team cycling events and pairing up-and-coming athletes with seasoned veterans. Through the oversight of experienced members of the Amy D. Foundation and on-the-ground support from a professional staff, the members of the Amy D. Road Cycling team are united by common goals that facilitate growth through breakdown of personal limitations.
The primary objectives of the Amy D. Road Cycling program are: (1) to build greater opportunities for driven women in the sport who may not otherwise have the ability to participate due to an inherent lack of support, and (2) to create a constructive cycle of positive personal development by bringing up-and-coming talented athletes together with experienced competitors and managers in order to facilitate direct mentoring and coaching. For example, the UCI mandates that all participants at sanctioned cycling events be members of a registered team, which thereby inherently leads to the exclusion of individual registrants. If a team lacks the financial resources necessary to field a team of riders at a particular event (which commonly occurs at the highest level of women’s professional cycling), then the individual riders’ only hope of participating in the event is by “guest riding” on another team in attendance. Therefore, the Amy D. Road Cycling program creates opportunities for women by organizing teams with open rosters that may vary from event-to-event. Furthermore, given that the Amy D. Foundation covers the direct expenses associated with participation in an event, the program creates opportunities for individuals and teams that otherwise would not have the financial resources to participate in a particular event.
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