The Third Annual USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicks off in Aspen. The challenging 66-mile circuit will go between downtown Aspen and Snowmass Village between 1 and 4 p.m., causing multiple road closures.
Overall, the 7-day race course is different compared to last year. A Spectator Guide [.pdf] highlights the best places to catch the action this week.
Most notable for Northern Colorado residents is Stage 6, which starts at the Ranch Events Complex, goes through Windsor, Loveland, Estes Park and finishes in Fort Collins.
KUNC spoke in-depth with Brian Holcombe, editor of the competitive cycling news site VeloNews.com, about the race and its evolution over the past three years.
Interview Highlights:
Does The USA Pro Challenge Have Room To Grow?
“It’s fairly well established but in any sponsor driven sport like cycling an event or a team is at the whim of the sponsors. With the economy in the state that it is, I wouldn’t say that in three years from now this race is guaranteed to be happening, but I would think from my position it’s more likely that it will be happening than it won’t.”
What Does It Cost Cities To Host A Stage?
“The investment is significant, it can range from anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million depending on the stage, start and finish, location and some other factors."
The real work at a race is the daily build up and tear down. @USAProChallenge pic.twitter.com/ZykP113yVe
— Tour Tracker (@TourTracker) August 18, 2013
What Does It Mean For Northern Colorado To Host A Stage?
“It’s actually pretty interesting and not very usual that you have a county essentially working to host a stage like this. Usually municipalities will bid individually. Steamboat Springs and Beaver Creek which are hosting either end of Stage 4 this year, they would have bid separately in most instances.”