March 29, 2017 (Silver City, NM) – For the first time in the Tour of the Gila history, stage 1 will have a flat finish on Whitewater Mesa with no King or Queen of the Mountain points or jerseys awarded. Instead, sprint points and bonus times will be awarded. The changes come due to infrastructure repair taking place in the historic town of Mogollon, negatively affecting road conditions leading up the final climb.
“This is the first time in our history that we have had to alter the route,” Race Director Jack Brennan said. “We lost 2.9 miles of climbing which is the iconic part of Mogollon. It’s so incredible and beautiful up there but we don’t have it this year. It’s going to change the whole dynamics of the race.”