World-class Cycling in Colorado Springs: The USA Pro Cycling Challenge

The world will be watching this summer as 120 of the world’s top pro cyclists descend on Colorado Springs for the kick-off of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, running August 22-28. Crisscrossing the Rocky Mountains to eleven Colorado cities and travelling over 600 miles in six days, the bike race will test riders on some of the world’s most challenging and varied terrain. Consisting of a series of uphill climbs and downhill sprints in both mountain and urban settings, the attention this race is anticipated to bring will reaffirm a notion that Colorado cyclists have known for years: the biking in Colorado Springs is world-class.

 

Aside from Colorado Springs, the race will visit ten other official stage start and finish communities on the following dates:

 

August 22 – Stage 1 Prologue time trial, Colorado Springs

August 23 – Stage 2 Salida to Crested Butte, mountain-top finish

August 24 – Stage 3 Gunnison to Aspen, mountain stage

August 25 – Stage 4 Vail, time trail, former Coors Classic stage

August 26 – Stage 5 Avon to Steamboat Springs

August 27 – Stage 6 Steamboat Springs to Breckenridge

August 28 – Stage 7 Golden to Denver

 

Long known to devotees of the sport as a destination for challenging cycling and a popular stop on mountain bike tours, Colorado Springs was chosen from a field of over 20 Colorado cities to host the first leg of the race. Located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs was deemed the perfect place to hold time trials before racers head deep into the mountains to Salida and beyond.

 

As the race meanders back and forth across the Continental Divide, Colorado racing fans might recall another sporting event from years past that brought cycling to the Centennial State. Cited as the inspiration for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, The Coors International Bicycle Classic brought top cyclists for a stage race around the state from 1979 to 1988. With one of the world’s most visible athletes, Lance Armstrong, former Colorado governor Bill Ritter, and a group of strong corporate sponsors attached, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is slated to become America’s top cycling event and one of the world’s most-watched races this year.

 

To learn more about the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, visit www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com. For more information about Colorado Springs, order your Free Official Visitor Guide Today!