Coming to Minnesota: Top cycling race

One of the top bicycle racing events of the summer, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, comes to Stillwater on June 16. The Stillwater Criterium, last of six regional races in the event, includes a brutal leg up Chilkoot Hill's 24 percent grade, considered the most difficult climb in North American cycling. "This is an extremely talented field, and we are excited to have several racers with international experience participate in the Nature Valley Grand Prix," said David LaPorte, executive director of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival. "It will give our fans a chance to see some of the world's best athletes compete right here in the Midwest."

Stage 1: St. Paul Time Trial, Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., near Ford Plant

Stage 2: St. Paul Criterium, Wednesday at 4 p.m., Rice Park

Stage 3: Cannon Falls Road Race, Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Stage 4: Uptown Minneapolis Criterium past Calhoun Square, Friday, 4:30 p.m.

Stage 5: Menomonie Road Race on Saturday at 11 a.m. (Gran Fondo at 9 a.m. and Spectator Rides at 11 a.m.)

Stage 6: Stillwater Criterium on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. (amateur race, 11 a.m.)

The Cannon Falls Road Race course has been revamped, extending the race distance by 20 miles. Men and women will compete over a 93-mile course through the rolling hills of Goodhue County. The finishing circuit through the picturesque neighborhoods of Cannon Falls includes three separate bridge crossings and a finish line right on the Cannon River.

The Twin Cities Bicycle Club will offer nearly 100 group rides to help recreational riders prepare for the Gran Fondo in Menomonie and will also host several group rides during the festival for those who want to hop on a bike themselves.

Gran Fondo riders get to experience the same challenging course as the professionals, while Spectator Ride participants will travel by bike to view the race on some of the most challenging hills in the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Both rides are open to the public. Preregistration for the recreational rides is at www.naturevalleybicyclefestival.com/Gran_Fondo.

From 2003 to 2011 the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival raised more than $160,000 for Children's Hospital Pain and Palliative Care Unit. In 2012 a new charitable partner, Children's Lighthouse of Minnesota, was added. The pediatric hospice project received $30,000 last year. For more information, visit www.childrenslighthousemn.org.

Nature Valley, the brand that created the granola bar category in 1975, is headquartered in Minneapolis. Nature Valley is part of General Mills, a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products.

Team TIBCO: Shelley Olds, 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix Champion and 2012 Olympian will also return. Her teammates include Nature Valley Grand Prix veterans Meredith Miller and Amanda Miller.

Team Colavita: The roster includes six-time U.S. National Criterium champion Tina Pic (who also won Nature Valley Grand Prix Road Races in 2003, 2005 and 2008) and Lindsay Bayer, a 2012 Nature Valley Pro Chase team member.

Team OPTUM: Two former Nature Valley Pro Chase participants, Jade Wilcoxson and Brianna Walle, will participate. Wilcoxson won the Nature Valley Top Amateur jersey in 2011, then finished third on the 2012 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar riding for OPTUM, including a second-place finish in the Stillwater Criterium. Walle also won the Nature Valley Top Amateur jersey in 2012 and is now a pro on the same team.

Team OPTUM: The team, based in Minneapolis, will be bringing three top performers of the men's Nature Valley Grand Prix: Tom Zirbel, 2012 winner; Jesse Anthony, 2011 winner; and Scott Zwizanski, 2010 runner up. The team also includes Chad Haga, who won the 2013 Joe Martin Stage Race and is currently the top ranked racer in the U.S. He won the Nature Valley Top Amateur jersey in 2011, which often results in a pro contract.

Fred Rodriguez: The Team Jelly Belly cyclist is a four-time national U.S. champion. Known as "Fast Freddie" for his sprinting, this Colombian-born champion has won several race titles over his long career and has participated in all three Grand Tours in France, Italy and Spain. His teammate Brad Huff won the Uptown Minneapolis Criterium in 2012.

Léon van Bon: The Netherlands cyclist is a two-time Tour de France stage winner (1998 and 2000) and 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist. Previous trips to the United States resulted in two stage wins for him in the Tour Dupont.

Cole House: The native of Oneida, Wis., rides for Team Cash Call Mortgage and is the first Native American pro cyclist. House previously raced with the Grand Performance Amateur Team in St. Paul. He has been racing in the European circuit for the past 6 years and was the first American to win the Belgian U23 Gran Prix Waregen. He's had a strong 2013, recently winning stage 1 of the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, Calif.