Colorado Springs gets 1st stage in Quiznos cycling race
- Details
- Created on Thursday, 04 November 2010 07:00
- Written by Nathan
BY BRIAN GOMEZ, THE GAZETTE
DENVER – The opening leg of a seven-stage, 11-city professional cycling competition will be held in Colorado Springs in August, with event organizers planning a blazing-fast route from Garden of the Gods to Tejon Street and a final stretch on Colorado Avenue.
A prologue time trial has been slated for Aug. 22 in the Springs to kick off the inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge, which will feature 120 riders competing in teams over nearly 600 miles of mountain, sprint and downtown stages.
Check out a photo gallery courtesy of the organizers!
Challenging climbs are expected along a picturesque course dotting the Rocky Mountains – the notion conceived by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, an Aspen resident who persuaded Gov. Bill Ritter to reignite the legacy of the Coors International Bicycle Classic that captivated the state’s interest in the sport from 1979 to 1988.
After the first leg in the Springs, there will be an Aug. 23 mountaintop finish from Salida to Crested Butte; an Aug. 24 mountain stage from Gunnison to Aspen; another time trial Aug. 25 in Vail; an Aug. 26 leg from Avon to Steamboat Springs; an Aug. 27 stage from Steamboat to Breckenridge; and an Aug. 28 finale from Golden to downtown Denver.
Also: Boulder not selected, but officials hopeful tour will pass through town
Bids to host stages – the exact routes weren’t announced Thursday in a news conference at the state Capitol – were submitted by 23 cities, according to event organizers supported by Ritter, who predicts the competition will become “the premier stage race in America.” Notable omissions were Boulder, Durango, Grand Junction, Montrose and Telluride.
“Colorado is a great state for cycling,” Ritter said. “We should host a pro tour more than any other state in the United States.” Avid cyclist and former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe said, “There’s no question this race will be here for a long, long, long time.”
Local organizing committee leader Chris Carmichael, the coach of Armstrong, predicts a finish near the U.S. Olympic Committee’s new headquarters building on Tejon for the leg hosted by the Springs. “That’s what we’re looking at,” he said. “We’re working on it. … I don’t think you can get anything better than that, with Pikes Peak in the background.”
2011 QUIZNOS PRO CHALLENGE
Aug. 22: Stage 1, Colorado Springs (prologue time trial)
Aug. 23: Stage 2, Salida to Crested Butte (mountaintop finish)
Aug. 24: Stage 3, Gunnison to Aspen (mountain stage)
Aug. 25: Stage 4, Vail (time trail)
Aug. 26: Stage 5, Avon to Steamboat Springs
Aug. 27: Stage 6, Steamboat Springs to Breckenridge
Aug. 28: Stage 7, Golden to Denver
Carmichael anticipates a Springs cycling festival with races in several disciplines (BMX, mountain biking, road and track) will serve as an excitement builder before the prologue, “so we can engage all levels of enthusiasts,” he said. “They’ll bring the families. They’ll stay multiple nights. They’ll go out to eat. They’ll fall in love with our city.”
USA Cycling head Steve Johnson said the event “has a profound implication for the sport of cycling,” noting that “it will put the world’s best competitors in the backyards and the front yards of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans.” Boulder cyclist Tim Duggan added, “Europeans race in their backyards all the time. I haven’t had that chance until now.”
Experience Colorado Springs president Terry Sullivan estimated staging a leg would cost the Springs at least $150,000. Carmichael said, “It is a commitment for our community to be involved. We have to get out there, and we have to support this, and we have to show that Colorado Springs is the right place to host this type of event.”
Hosting should raise activity at area hotels, restaurants and businesses, Springs economist Dave Bamberger said. “It will bring a lot of national exposure and international exposure to Colorado Springs,” he predicted. “It’s just kind of added value for Colorado Springs, looking at Colorado Springs as being a major leader and venue for sports.”
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Rich Laden contributed to this story.
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