A grassroots initiative backed by local support gives emerging women racers a team, a kit, and a seat at the starting line of the Baker City Cycling Classic.
BAKER CITY, Oregon (May 11, 2026) — For a woman stepping into road stage racing for the first time — or showing up to a race weekend without a team around her — the logistics alone can be daunting enough to keep her home. No kit, no carpool, no one to talk through the course with the night before, and no familiar faces at the start line.
Team BELLA exists to change that.
Returning for 2026, the Baker City Cycling Classic’s women’s team program is one of the more quietly powerful things happening in Pacific Northwest cycling — a community-built initiative that removes the practical barriers standing between a rider and her first (or second, or fifth) stage race experience. Presented by BELLA Mainstreet Market and longtime Classic supporter Beverly Calder, the program offers eight spots on a first-come, first-served basis to women who are new to road or stage racing, attending the event without a team, or simply looking for a welcoming environment in which to race.
What they get in return is substantial: free race entry, a custom kit designed by Italy’s Biciclista and produced with support from Stefano Spedini, coordinated lodging through Betty’s Books in downtown Baker City, and perhaps most importantly, a group of like-minded women to race alongside during one of the region’s most celebrated stage races.
“Our goal is simple,” said race director Brian Cimmiyotti. “We want to help remove barriers and create an environment where more women feel welcomed into road racing and stage racing. Team BELLA is about community, mentorship, and making the experience approachable for riders who may be stepping into this world for the first time.”
That philosophy fits Baker City’s character. The Classic — held annually over three days of road races, time trials, and downtown criterium racing in Eastern Oregon — has built its reputation not just on challenging courses and stunning high-desert scenery, but on the kind of genuine hospitality that keeps riders coming back year after year. Team BELLA is an extension of that culture, applied directly to the structural problem of women’s participation: that even riders who want to race often don’t have the infrastructure around them to make it happen.
The 2026 kits are already in production in Italy. The race runs June 26–28.
Women interested in joining Team BELLA for the 2026 Baker Cycling Cycling Classic can reach out to Brian Cimmiyotti at [email protected], or find more information at bakercitycyclingclassic.com/bellateam. Eight spots. First come, first served.
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