February 25,  2004 – The official 2004 Women's Pro Cycling Tour (PCT) schedule was released  today by Threshold Sports LLC, owner of the PCT and the nation's foremost  producer of professional cycling events.  The PCT is sanctioned by USA  Cycling, the country's national governing body for cycling.

The  four-month season kicks off on June 6 with the 12th annual Wachovia Liberty  Classic, part of the Wachovia Cycling Series which includes the  20th Anniversary of the Wachovia USPRO Cycling Championship in  Philadelphia, followed by the BMC Software New York City Cycling Championship  on August 1, the PCT Rocky Mountain Classic at Vail, Colorado, September 3-5, and culminates with The T-Mobile International, presented by BMC Software  in San Francisco on September 12.

All Women's Pro Cycling Tour events  feature National, World and Olympic Champions as well as U.S. and  international stars competing for nearly $100,000 in season-long prize money.   

Races are covered live by local ABC  affiliates including WPVI (Philadelphia), WABC-TV (New York), and KGO (San  Francisco) and televised nationally via cable.

The 11th annual  women's Wachovia Liberty Classic will again be featured on the same course  and the same day as the men in Philadelphia.  Over 100  elite international women cyclists will compete for a total purse of  $52,000.  The race is a four-lap 14.4-mile circuit through Philadelphia  with steep climbs up the grueling Manayunk Wall. 

The Wachovia Cycling  Series will be bolstered this year by the 20th Anniversary Celebration  activities throughout race week, such as a 20-year cycling retrospective,  special events honoring past winners, a junior race, cycling expo and  more.  In addition to the Wachovia Liberty Classic on June 6, the key  events of the Wachovia Cycling Series include men's pro road races in  Lancaster, PA (June 1), Trenton, NJ (June 3) and the 20th annual race to  crown the Wachovia USPRO Champion in Philadelphia (June 6).  

Elite women will take to the course in the third annual BMC Software  New York City Cycling Championship on August 1, where they will navigate  the 25-mile tight, narrow course near Wall Street in Lower Manhattan.  In addition to the field of top women riders, spectators will be entertained  by the popular bicycle messenger race, Mengoni Grand Prix for amateurs,  PCT Junior Grand Prix, PCT Expo, and the men's professional 100K circuit  race.

Vail Valley Chamber & Tourism Bureau (VVCTB) partners with Threshold Sports on the first annual PCT Rocky Mountain Classic.  Vail,  the official resort of the 2004 PCT, will showcase summertime activities  through their segment of the series. The women's pro circuit race will  take place on Saturday, September 4, and is part of a weekend of racing which  includes a men's circuit road race through Vail Village and Beaver Creek, a  shorter criterium in Vail Village, as well as ancillary events such as expos  and entertainment.  One such event is the PCT Gran Fondo, an amateur  cycling challenge that begins in Denver and will include more than 10,000  vertical feet of climbing over three major passes (Squaw, Loveland and Vail), before ending in Vail Village.

The T-Mobile International, presented by BMC Software marks the 4th annual PCT season finale in San  Francisco.  For the second year in a row, the challenging and scenic 49.6-mile women's circuit race will take over the streets of downtown San Francisco encompassing the Embarcadero, Fisherman's Wharf area and the city's  hillside neighborhoods and ethnic districts.  With its leg-breaking  climbs up San Francisco's steep streets, this race is recognized as America's  toughest bike race and one of the largest sporting events on the west coast, drawing over 500,000 spectators each year.

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