AEG has announced rosters for the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM, which was selected as the first of only two U.S. events on the first-ever UCI Women’s WorldTour.

One of the largest platforms in the world for women’s cycling, the race roster includes six of the top-10 UCI ranked cyclists, including top-ranked Emma Johansson (Wiggle High5), who also took home the 2008 Olympic road race silver medal.

Also racing will be 11 World Champions, including two-timer Kristin Armstrong of Twenty16 – Ridebiker, the accomplished U.S. rider who also earned two Olympic gold medals in the time trail (2008 and 2012). Two other Olympians in the lineup include UnitedHeathcare Pro Cycling Team’s Lauren Tamayo (USA), who won silver in the 2012 team pursuit, and Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team’s Marianne Vos (NED), who took gold in the 2012 road race and the 2008 points race.

The women’s event will run in concert with the final four days for the Amgen Tour of California men’s race, with both concluding in Sacramento Sun., May 22.

Featuring 18 teams of six cyclists, the women will face off over a 197.8-mile course during the four-stage event taking place in South Lake Tahoe, Folsom (team time trial), Santa Rosa and Sacramento. Favorites in popular categories include:

General Classification (Overall Contenders)

* Emma Johansson (SWE) – Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (WHT)

* Megan Guarnier (USA) – Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team (DLT)

* Lisa Brennauer (GER) – Canyon/SRAM Racing (LPR)

* Lucinda Brand (NED) – Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team (RBW)

* Kirsten Wild (AUS) – Hitec Products (HPU)

* Chantal Blaak (NED) – Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team (DLT)

* Alena Amialiusik (BLR) – Canyon/SRAM Racing (LPR)

* Lauren Stephens (USA) – Team TIBCO-SVB (TIB)

* Marianne Vos (NED) – Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team (RBW)

* Emily Collins (NZL) – Team TIBCO-SVB (TIB)

Sprinters

* Barbara Guarischi (ITA) – Canyon/SRAM Racing (LPR)

* Lauren Tamayo (USA) – UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (UHC)

* Megan Guarnier (USA) – Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team (DLT)

* Kirsten Wild (AUS) – Hitec Products (HPU)

Climbers

* Mara Abbott (USA) – Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (WHT)

* Lauren Stephens (USA) – Team TIBCO-SVB (TIB)

* Lex Albrecht (CAN) – BePink (BPK)

* Emily Collins (NZL) – Team TIBCO-SVB (TIB)

* Chantal Blaak (NED) – Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team (DLT)

* Alena Amialiusik (BLR) – Canyon/SRAM Racing (LPR)

Stage Wins

* Emma Johansson (SWE) – Wiggle High5 Pro Cycling (WHT)

* Marianne Vos (NED) – Rabo-Liv Women Cycling Team (RBW)

* Linda Villumsen (NZL) – UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team (UHC)

* Lisa Brennauer (GER) – Canyon/SRAM Racing (LPR)

* Tayler Wiles (USA) – USA Cycling (USA)

* Lauren Stephens (USA) – Team TIBCO-SVB (TIB)

* Barbara Guarischi (ITA) – Canyon/SRAM Racing (LPR)

* Lex Albrecht (CAN) – BePink (BPK)

* Chloe Dygert (USA) – Twenty16 – RideBiker (T16)

“We’re so proud to offer the best women in cycling a platform to showcase their talent to an international audience that continues to expand each year,” said Kristin Klein, president of the race and executive vice president of AEG Sports. “These athletes are some of the fastest on the planet, and they are going to wow fans across California – and the world – again this year as we kick off another women’s race…our biggest ever. We are also thankful that our title sponsor Amgen, who has supported both the men’s and women’s races since year one is leveraging the women’s race to raise awareness for their new cardiovascular initiative this year.”

NBC Sports Group will air highlights of the women’s race throughout its daily coverage of the 2016 Amgen Tour of California and will present a comprehensive highlight show featuring robust coverage of the women’s race on Thurs., May 26 at 10:30 p.m. PDT/ Friday, May 27 at 1:30 a.m. EDT on NBCSN. Race fans also can keep tabs on the action with the Microsoft Tour Tracker App for desktop and mobile as well as Voxwomen, the online women’s cycling channel, which will provide the best of the race and behind-the-scenes action to give fans and followers insight into the women’s professional peloton. Video coverage will be available at www.voxwomen.com and www.amgentourofcalifornia.com for the duration of the race, as well as live updates throughout the week on Voxwomen social media channels.

Fans can also connect with the race through all of their favorite social media platforms. Links are available at the Social drop-down menu at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com and fans can use #AMERICASGREATESTRACE to join the conversation.

For further information about the race and to experience it like never before with VIP Access, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

About the Amgen Tour of California and the Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM

The Amgen Tour of California and Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM are Tour de France-style cycling road races created and presented by AEG that challenge the world’s top professional cycling teams to compete along demanding courses that traverse hundreds of miles of California’s iconic highways, byways and coastlines each spring. The teams chosen to participate have included Olympic medalists, Tour de France contenders and World Champions. More information is available at amgentourofcalifornia.com.

The Amgen Tour of California is listed on the international professional cycling calendar (2 HC, meaning “beyond category”), awarding important, world-ranking points to the top finishers. This year, the course will cover 782 miles over eight days through 12 host cities, including San Diego (first-time host), South Pasadena (first-time host), Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara County, Morro Bay (first-time host), Monterey County, Lodi, South Lake Tahoe (first-time host), Folsom, Santa Rosa and Sacramento.

The Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women’s Race Empowered with SRAM will run for the latter half of the men’s race (May 19-22) as the U.S. debut event on the inaugural UCI Women’s WorldTour (WWT).

About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

For more information, visit http://www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.

About AEG

Founder and operators of the Amgen Tour of California and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent arenas, stadiums, theaters, clubs and convention centers around the world including The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center and the Mercedes-Benz Arenas; AEG Live, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE; AEG Sports, which is the world’s largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events; and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, AXS.com ticketing platform, AXS cable television channel and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.