2012 NRC rolls out Thursday with Redlands Bicycle Classic

The 2012 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar begins Thursday. (Photo by Casey B. Gibson)

The nation's premiere road racing calendar, the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC) begins March 22 with the Redlands Bicycle Classic in Redlands, Calif. The Redlands Bicycle Classic is the first of 11 races making up the 2012 NRC. For the first time, the NRC is comprised solely of road races and is separated from the criteriums that constitute the USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (NCC).

Francisco Mancebo (ESP/Competitive Cyclist Racing Team) and Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) are looking to defend their 2011 NRC overall titles. Additionally, UCI-registered teams, along with the 34 domestic elite squads, will be vying for team supremacy.

The NRC continues on April 15 with the Tour of the Battenkill in Cambridge, N.Y. The complete calendar is below:

DATE	EVENT	LOCATION	CLASSIFICATION	M/W
March 22-25	Redlands Bicycle Classic	Redlands, Calif.	2.2	W/M
April 15	Tour of the Battenkill	Cambridge, N.Y.	1.HC	M
April 26-29	Joe Martin Stage Race p/b Nature Valley	Fayetteville, Ark.	2.3	M/W
May 2-6	SRAM Tour of the Gila	Silver City, N.M.	2.2	M/W
May 24-28	Exergy Tour	Idaho	2.HC	W
June 3	Liberty Classic	Philadelphia, Pa.	1.HC	W
June 13-17	Nature Valley Grand Prix	Twin Cities, Minn.	2.1	M/W
July 17-22	Cascade Classic Stage Race	Bend, Ore.	2.2	M/W
Aug. 3-5	Tour of Elk Grove	Elk Grove, Ill.	2.3	W
Aug. 21-23	Aspen/Snowmass Pro Women's Race	Aspen, Colo.	2.5.2	W
Sept. 15	Grand Prix	Souderton, Pa.	1.HC	M

This Article Updated March 19, 2012 @ 10:27 AM For more information contact: