Audubon, Pa. (June 1, 2009) – The 16th annual Liberty Classic is one of the premier women's races in the world, and the 2009 edition on June 7 will have a field full of firepower to make for some fast and furious racing. The 57.6-mile race takes place over four laps of the same course as the men's Philadelphia International, including the feared Manayunk Wall, with its 17% average grade. Teams from around the world and all over the United States will compete for more than $22,000 in total cash prizes.

 When it comes to predicting the Liberty Classic, a select group of names always tops the list -- Columbia-High Road's Ina Teutenberg and Team Nuernberger Versicherung's Regina Schleicher. The two German sprinters from the top two professional teams annually battle each other whenever the race comes down to a field sprint, which it usually does. Within the past five years, the duo have won three times, with Teutenberg leading 2-1 after her win ahead of second place Schleicher in 2007. But every year, both riders are at least in the top five.

 When it comes to team depth, though, Teutenberg's Columbia-High Road squad gets the slightest advantage. Teutenberg has already racked up a number of impressive sprint wins so far this season, and the team boasts last year's winner Chantal Beltman of Holland. As well, the team has three national champions: Judith Arndt (Germany,) Linda Villumsen (Denmark) and Alex Wrubleski (Canada.) Plus, the team's director driving in the car and giving instructions is Petra Rossner, a seven-time winner of this race.

 However, that advantage is indeed small when considering Team Nuernberger Versicherung's roster. In addition to Schleicher, the team has the current world champion in the time trial, American Amber Neben, who could prove to be the spoiler of the field sprint by breaking away solo. Two-time Dutch champion and 2008 UCI World Cup runner-up Suzanne de Goede is another threat with a win at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad race in Belgium this spring.

 Of the teams based in North America, the favorite would have to be TIBCO. The team made many strong acquisitions in the off-season last year to bolster an already strong line-up. But at the top of their roster is current U.S. road and criterium national champion Brooke Miller, who finished second last year while winning the field sprint ahead of Teutenberg. Along with Miller is sprinter Kat Carroll who will either be a strong lead-out or second option in the finish. Two-time New Zealand Olympian Joanne Kiesanowski has finished in the top 10 of the Liberty Classic nearly every time she has raced it.

 Another consistently strong American women's team is Colavita-Sutter Home, featuring one of the winningest women in American cycling, sprinter Tina Pic. The five-time U.S. criterium champion had 12 individual victories in 2008 alone and is always in the field sprints at the Liberty Classic. The ValueAct Capital team is led by current Israeli national champion Leah Goldstein who has many stage and overall victories on her resume. American Laura Van Gilder, racing for Jittery Joe's Presented by Kudzu.com, is a former U.S. criterium champion with many sprint wins in her career.

 A local Philadelphia connection comes by way of the Verducci-Breakaway team, sponsored by local bike shop Breakaway Bikes. Continuing the Philly connection is their team's leader, Theresa Cliff-Ryan. A former inline skating world champion and two-time U.S. national cycling champion, Cliff-Ryan spends six months of the year living in Philadelphia, training on "The Wall" at least a few times each week.

 The women's race begins ten minutes after the start of the men's race.

 Women’s Teams:

Altarum Women’s Cycling Team: USA
BMW-Bianchi: USA
Colavita / Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light: USA
Cyclelife Powered by Specialized: USA
HUB RACING: USA
HUMANZOON/ PABST BLUE RIBBON: USA
Jazz Apple Cycling Team: New Zealand
Jittery Joes present by Kud2u.com: USA
Lattitude/ABRT: USA
PROMAN Hit Squad: USA
Salamander Racing: USA
Team Kenda: USA
Team TIBCO: USA
Team Type 1: USA
ValueAct Capital Cycling Team: USA
Vanderkitten Racing: USA
Velo Classic Tours: USA
Webcor Builders Cycling Team: USA
Columbia Highroad, UNCI: Pro: Germany
EQUIPE NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNG, UCI: Pro: Germany
Lip Smacker Cycling Team: USA
Zaveta Cycling: USA
NEBC/Cycle Loft/Devonshire Dental: USA
Verducci/Breakaway Powered by Delta 7 Women’s Pro Tearr: USA