The Rise and Fall of North American Stage Races

They used to be something. Like the time you thought you could stay out all night and not feel like death the next morning.

But, here we are. North American stage races—where’d they go? How did we go from grandeur to the echo of what once was?

And why is nobody talking about it?

North America used to host some of the most thrilling multi-day stage races. You know the ones—where roads would shut down for days, crowds gathered, and pros fought for supremacy.

I’m not talking about crits or those one-day glory trips where someone pedals past a bunch of suburban backyards.

I’m talking real stage races—the kind where you could almost feel the history being written on the tarmac.

Now, what do we have left? A handful of struggling survivors, hanging on by their nails.

The Tour of California? Gone. The Tour of Utah? Also gone. The Tour de Georgia?

Kicked to the curb. All of them fell victim to one thing: money—or, more accurately, the lack of it.

1. The Golden Years: A Taste of Glory

Back in the ’80s and ’90s, cycling in North America was on the rise. Thanks to a few golden names like Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong, cycling was booming.

Sponsors lined up to slap their logos on anything that had wheels. And so, North American stage races began to sprout like weeds in a garden you didn’t want.

The crown jewel? The Tour of California—a UCI ProTour event that attracted the world’s best.

For a while, it looked like the U.S. was going to get its very own Grand Tour. The Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado also gained attention, but it was California that had the star power.

2. Enter the Beast: Lance Armstrong

It was always about Lance, wasn’t it? The man who put cycling on the map in North America, and also the one who made it crash and burn.

His Tour de France victories, as tarnished as they may be now, brought unprecedented attention to the sport in the U.S.

But as Lance’s star shone brighter, the sport itself started to rot. Sponsors poured in—only to flee when the truth came out.

The lies, the scandals, the doping—nothing good ever comes from a house built on falsehoods.

When the truth about Armstrong finally surfaced, it was like watching a drugged-up house of cards come tumbling down.

3. Sponsors and Money: The Real Culprit

Cycling, at its core, is about sponsorship. It always has been. Without money, races die. Period.

And that’s what happened when sponsors bailed after Armstrong’s fall from grace.

A sponsor here and there might still roll the dice, but cycling was no longer the sexy new thing. The investment was too risky. Too much controversy. So, races started to drop like flies.

The Tour of California was the first to go. Then came Utah. Georgia. Colorado.

These were big names, and now they’re dust. Why? Because once you lose the money, you lose the races. No one wants to keep paying for a product that doesn’t move the needle.

4. The Infrastructure Problem

Imagine trying to shut down a city for a week so that a bunch of sweaty cyclists can ride around in spandex.

Doesn’t sound like a winner, does it? Cities, counties, and even states began to push back against the logistics of hosting such events. Road closures, permits, police escorts—the costs piled up.

On top of that, Americans have a complex relationship with cycling. You love your cars.

You don’t like when your roads are blocked for someone else’s fun. People grumble, and when people grumble, the money dries up.

There’s a fine line between supporting a race and dealing with angry motorists. Cities couldn’t stomach the cost or the hassle anymore.

5. The Pandemic Knockout

And then came COVID-19. The pandemic put the final nail in the coffin of North American stage races. With large events banned, the few remaining races struggled to survive.

Sponsors who were already on the fence found themselves with fewer reasons to invest.

Races like the Tour of California were officially canceled in 2019, before the pandemic even hit full force. The writing was on the wall, and it was in big, bold letters.

6. Surviving Races: The Few Left Behind

A few stage races managed to hang on by their fingernails. The Tour de Beauce in Quebec is still kicking, along with the Tour of the Gila and Joe Martin races.

These events are tiny by comparison but still hold a certain charm. They’re reminders of what once was—a dying breed of events clinging to the past, waiting for a savior that may never come.

But these races are still too small to bring in the kind of global attention needed to reinvigorate stage racing in North America.

Without the big-name sponsors or the UCI’s backing, the races are now little more than a footnote in cycling history.

7. The Shift to Gravel

And then, as if cycling knew where the wind was blowing, gravel racing exploded. It’s cheaper, it’s more accessible, and it doesn’t require shutting down highways for days.

The shift to gravel is the salvation of North American cycling. Races like Unbound Gravel are massive hits, and they’re only growing in popularity.

Gravel’s appeal lies in its flexibility and its ability to avoid the logistical nightmare that stage races create.

Summary Table

Factor	Description
Golden Years	U.S. stage races blossomed in the ’80s and ’90s, attracting top talent.
Lance Armstrong	His rise fueled interest, but his fall crushed the sport’s credibility.
Sponsorship	Without steady sponsorship, races couldn’t survive.
Infrastructure	Road closures, local opposition made hosting races increasingly difficult.
Pandemic Impact	COVID-19 finished off what was left of major stage races in the U.S.
Survivors	A few small races still exist, but they lack the financial backing.
Shift to Gravel	Gravel races have surged, offering a simpler, cheaper alternative.

And here we are. North American stage races? A myth, a legend, a ghost.

They were good while they lasted, sure, but now we’ve got more gravel races than you can shake a spanner at. Is that progress?

Who the hell knows. All I can say is this: if you ever wanted to see the future of cycling, don’t bother looking at the Tour of California or the USA Pro Challenge.

Look at your local gravel event, where you’ll find the soul of what’s left. Who needs grand tours when you can just ride off-road, dodge traffic, and pretend the world hasn’t forgotten you?

I guess that’s the irony of it all. The sport’s future may lie in the dirt.