Thomas Danielson is an American retired professional road racing cyclist who competed professionally between 2002 and 2015 for the Mercury Cycling Team (2002), the Saturn Cycling Team (2003), Fassa Bortolo (2004), Discovery Channel (2005–2007) and Cannondale–Garmin (2008–2015). He had been suspended twice for doping in his career.
Christian Vande Velde is a retired American professional road racing cyclist of Belgian descent, who rode professionally between 1998 and 2013. Vande Velde competed for the U.S. Postal Service, Liberty Seguros, Team CSC and Garmin–Sharp squads. He has been a cycling analyst for NBC Sports since 2014. He is the son of cyclist John Vande Velde.
The 2013 Tour de France was the 100th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on the island of Corsica on 29 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 21 July. The Tour consisted of twenty-one stages and covered a total distance of 3,403.5 km (2,115 mi). The overall general classification was won by Chris Froome of Team Sky. Second and third respectively were Nairo Quintana and the Team Katusha rider Joaquim Rodríguez.
Tejay van Garderen is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2021 for the Rabobank Continental Team, HTC–Highroad, BMC Racing Team and EF Education–Nippo. Following his retirement as a cyclist, van Garderen became a directeur sportif for UCI WorldTeam EF Education–EasyPost.
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge, also known as USA Pro Challenge, was an annual multi-day professional road bicycle racing stage race that first took place in Colorado in 2011. Originally announced on August 4, 2010 by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Lance Armstrong as the Quiznos Pro Challenge, the event carried on the state's cycling legacy, which was most notably highlighted by the Coors Classic that ran from 1980 to 1988. On February 4, 2011 Richard E. Schaden, former owner of Quiznos and the event's co-chairman, announced the investment of an initial $10 million to secure the initial growth and longevity of the race. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was one of only three current 2.HC rated races in the United States, and was considered one of the most important pro cycling races in the U.S. After the 2015 edition, Schaden was unable to find a title sponsor for the 2016 edition, and subsequently left as an investor. The organizers were hoping to find a new investor to bring the race back for a 2017 edition, but the race folded after the 2015 edition.
Benjamin T. King is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2008 to 2022.
Rafał Majka is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates. He is known as a strong climber, and rose to prominence at the 2013 Giro d'Italia, where he finished 7th overall, and 6th one year later; he has taken fifteen victories during his professional career.
The 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge was the second edition of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage race. The race took place from August 20–26, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. The race began in Durango, wound its way through the Rocky Mountains at heights of up to 12,000 feet (3,700 m), and finished in the streets of downtown Denver.
Alex Howes is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional in 2007 and from 2012 to 2022, spending his entire career with Garmin–Barracuda. Howes turned professional on a full-time basis in 2012. In 2023 he became a cycling coach at Team EF Coaching and a gravel racer.
Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski is an American former road racing cyclist who competed professionally from 2011 to 2023. In his career Dombrowski competed for Bontrager–Livestrong, Team Sky, EF Education First, UAE Team Emirates and Astana Qazaqstan Team.
The 2013 season for the BMC Racing Team began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2013 Amgen Tour of California was the eighth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 12–19, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. It began in Escondido and finished in Santa Rosa.
Janier Alexis Acevedo Calle is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI Continental team EPM.
The 2013 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is the tenth edition of the Tour of Utah. Once again, the race was included on the UCI America Tour, with a UCI classification of 2.1. As such, the race is only open to teams on the UCI Pro Tour, UCI Professional Continental and UCI Continental circuits. The race took place between August 6–11, 2013 as a six-day, six-stage race, with some major differences to the prior editions, such as the elimination of the prologue, individual time trial, or team time trial. The 2013 Tour of Utah was one of six UCI-ranked stage races in the United States in 2013.
The 2014 season for the BMC Racing Team began in January with the Tour de San Luis. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.
The 2014 Volta a Catalunya was the 94th running of the Volta a Catalunya cycling stage race. It started on 24 March in Calella and ended on 30 March in Barcelona, and consisted of seven stages. It was the fifth race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season.
The 2014 USA Pro Cycling Challenge was the fourth edition of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage race. Once again, the race was included on the UCI America Tour, with a UCI classification of 2.HC. As such, the race was only open to teams on the UCI ProTour, UCI Professional Continental and UCI Continental circuits. The race took place between August 18–24, 2014 as a seven-day, seven-stage race, traversing the state of Colorado. The 2014 USA Pro Cycling Challenge was one of six UCI-ranked stage races in the United States in 2014, and one of two that attracted multiple UCI ProTeams to compete.
The 2015 Paris–Nice was the 73rd edition of the Paris–Nice stage race. It took place from 8 to 15 March and was the second race of the 2015 UCI World Tour following the Tour Down Under. The race was a return to the traditional format of Paris−Nice after an unorthodox course in 2014. It started in Yvelines, west of Paris, with a prologue time trial; the course then moved south through France with several stages suitable for sprinters. The decisive part of the race began on stage four with a summit finish at the Col de la Croix de Chaubouret; stage six also had a mountainous route. The race ended after seven days with the climb of the Col d'Èze outside Nice.
The 2015 Tour of Oman was the sixth edition of the Tour of Oman cycling stage race. It was rated as a 2.HC event on the 2015 UCI Asia Tour, and was held from 17 to 22 February 2015, in Oman. The race was organised by the municipality of Muscat, in collaboration with ASO and Paumer. Chris Froome, the defending champion from 2013 and 2014, was not present to defend his title.
