While the Cascade Classic has always enjoyed top tier competition, the story of this year’s event is undoubtedly the participation of two of America’s most decorated road racers; Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner.

Leipheimer will likely use the Classic to fine tune his form for the Olympics while Horner, who was left off the US team, will be seeking redemption with a hometown win.

Yet for all the attention these two rightly deserve, it should be noted that another Tour caliber rider, 2003 Cascade winner Tom Danielson (Garmin-Chipotle), will be on the start line. And unlike Horner and Leipheimer, he’ll have a full team including Tyler Farrar and Tom Peterson at his disposal. Therefore, perhaps the biggest question going into Wednesday’s start is: will Horner or Leipheimer be able to win Cascade without a support crew?

Of course this year’s addition features more than three riders, as nearly every domestic pro squad will be fielding a full team hungry for wins. Last year it was Navigator’s Phil Zajicek taking the victory largely on the strength of his solid stage three time trial, which set him up for the overall win besting Toyota-United’s Chris Baldwin by just 28 seconds. Now riding for NRC number one team Health Net-Maxxis, Zajicek will return with a fearsome squad bent on defending his title. Bissell, Successful Living, BMC, Rock Racing, Team Type 1 and Toyota-United are each sending full squads, which will undoubtedly make for one of the deepest fields of any race on this years NRC calendar.

The Route

While sticking to a successful theme focusing on long road races, Cascade organizers are frequently tweaking courses to test racers. Staring in Redmond and finishing in Bend, the 83-mile Prineville road race will kick off this year’s race featuring a 1,000-foot climb coming in the middle of the race and finishing on a short steep climb to the Pilot Butte State Park.

The second day’s Three Creeks road race consists of a 78-mile race finishing with a 7-mile, 2,200-foot climb.

The dreaded double day of racing follows on Friday with a 14-mile individual time trial with approximately 700 feet of climbing followed that evening with the traditional 6-corner, fast and flat downtown Bend criterium.

Another Cascade signature stage follows with the Cascade Lakes road race that finishes with a 2,200- foot climb to the Mt. Bachelor ski area. Pro women will do a slightly truncated version that also finishes at the ski area.

The final stage is a circuit race featuring a rolling 18-mile loop on the edge of Bend. With a host of time bonuses, this stage has rearranged the final CG on a number of occasions.

While Cascade has traditionally been viewed as a climber’s race with long but not super-steep assents at altitude, the numerous (and generous) time bonuses that litter the criterium and circuit race often significantly affect the final GC. No one knows this better than Chris Wherry, who took the 2006 edition at the end of a tense final day where he was able to pick up just enough time bonuses to unseat Jeff Louder for the win.

The women’s race will not feature a defending champion as last year’s edition was postponed. However this year will see a 90+ rider start list including Kristin Armstrong, who was second behind teammate Kristen Lasasso in 2006. The top women’s NRC team’s Colavita and Cheerwine have opted to send the bulk of their squads to Fitchburg. Their absence allows regional powerhouse teams including ValueAct Capital and Aaron’s Pro Cycling to flex their muscle at this year’s event.

Stages of the 2008 Cascade Cycling Classic

Stage 1-Robberson Ford - Prineville Road Race: July 9
Stage 2-Bend Bike N Sport - Three Creeks Road Race: July 10
Stage 3-Bend Research Inc - Skyliners Time Trial : July 11
Stage 4-Desert Orthopedics & Rebound Physical Therapy-Downtown CRIT: July 11
Stage 5-Pacific Power - Cascade Lakes Road Race : July 12
Stage 6-Deschutes Brewery - Awbrey Butte Circuit Race : July 13