The USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicks off today with a prologue starting in Garden of the Gods and finishing in downtown Colorado Springs. Here’s the order the racers are starting and their race numbers.
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USA Pro Cycling Challenge Prologue Start Order And Race Numbers
August 22nd, 2011Colorado Springs Cycling Events for USA Pro Cycling Challenge
August 18th, 2011
The inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicks off Monday with a prologue here in Colorado Springs. The Pikes Peak Cycling Society was organized to bring the stage to Colorado Springs. They plan to also support local cycling in other ways in the future.
They’ve put together several local events over the next several days to make this even bigger than the start of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Several of the events are also fundraisers for the Pikes Peak Cycling Society. The include racing on the prologue course, great kids event, movies and much more.
Now I don’t want to hear that there’s nothing to do for the next several days. Here’s a list of events.
Thursday Aug. 18
Pikes Peak BMX Track Event
All ages and levels are welcome, and spectators are free. Enjoy an evening of BMX racing at the Pikes Peak BMX Track starting at 7 p.m. For those interested in racing, sign-ups take place between 5 and 6:30 p.m. For more event information, contact Bubba Hayes at bubbablazehayes@yahoo.com or 719.447.7013.
Friday Aug. 19
USA Pro Cycling Challenge Ride of Champions, sponsored by SRM
Escapade through the Garden of the Gods and along the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Prologue course with some of the biggest names in cycling.
Tour SRM’s state-of-the-art facility in Colorado Springs before departing on a two-hour ride with some of cycling’s past and present champions, including Chris Carmichael (CEO of Carmichael Training Systems), Alison Dunlap (Mountain Bike World Champion), Steve Johnson (CEO of USA Cycling), Steve McCauley (USA Cycling Foundation Development Director), founder Uli Schoberer and representatives from SRM and professional cyclists who rely on SRM power meters, as well as several professional cyclists who will be competing in the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
After the ride, enjoy a VIP Cocktail Reception with your fellow riders, champions and special guests at the Carriage House Museum at The Broadmoor. Guests will also receive an exclusive gift bag from USA Cycling that includes a Pikes Peak Cycling Society 2012 jersey and more. Proceeds go to the Pikes Peak Cycling Society to help support the costs associated with attracting and hosting the Prologue of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Limited spots are available at $495 per ticket.
Saturday Aug. 20
University Village Colorado Grand Prix of Cycling
Races run clockwise with small undulations and wide turns. First race is at 7 AM and the last race is the Pro/1/2 Men racing at 3:25 PM. There’s a kid’s fun race just before noon. This all-day affair will feature live music, food, fun, autographs from cycling pros and more. Register online until 11:59 pm Aug. 18 to avoid $10 late fee. Go to www.UVCshopping.com for more event info.
Opening Gala
Roll in style at the official Opening Gala! From 7-10 PM guests will enjoy VIP treatment with a dinner, team introductions, live and silent auctions and more emceed by Bob Roll. Tickets start at $200 per person with special table packages available for interested sponsors. Go to Pikes Peak Cycling Society shopping page to purchase. At one point it was sold out but they added more tables and still had some spots last I knew.
Sunday Aug. 21
Colorado Endurance Sports Cheyenne Cañon Time Trial
Race up North Cheyenne Cañon, a challenging 3.2 mile climb with 1250 feet elevation gain. Athletes for decades have gauged their cycling fitness by riding up Cheyenne Cañon and comparing their times to course record holder Tom Danielson of Garmin-Cervelo’s time of 13:34. There will be over $1000 in cash and merchandise as well as an awards ceremony in conjunction with the Kids on Bikes Festival at America the Beautiful Park. Adults race for $35 and juniors $20, the field is limited so sign up early! Check out coloradoendurancesports.com or www.usacycling.org.
Kids on Bikes Family Ride & Parade
There will be tons of fun activities going on throughout the day – from 11 AM – 4 PM – for children of all ages at America the Beautiful Park. The Kids on Bikes Family Ride & Parade will include live music, bike decorating, a kid’s bike safety rodeo, bike art projects, BMX demos, carnival games, crazy bike races, bounce houses, face painting, and more. The Kids Bike Parade will start at 1 p.m. with various distance bike rides starting at 1:30 pm along the trail system. Cost for the ride is $15 an individual or $50 for the entire family. Register online at Active.com.
Peoples Pedal Party, presented by the Downtown Development Authority Board
In honor of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and to celebrate cycling in Colorado Springs, downtown is hosting the People’s Pedal Party from 4-8 p.m. On the eve of the Time Trial, fans, friends and families will come out to enjoy live music by Grass It Up and Hazel Miller, bike art, entertainment and much more right on Tejon Street between Colorado Avenue and Kiowa Avenue. Click here for more information.
Monday Aug. 22
USA Pro Cycling Challenge Prologue Time Trial Experience
Be one of the few to participate in a once in a lifetime experience and race head-to-head with the world’s top professionals! Just before the professional peloton starts the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a select number of amateur athletes will race over the official 5.18-mile prologue time trial course in Colorado Springs. Experience the same precise timing as the pros, the cheers of the crowds lining the course, and professional officiating by UCI officials for a chance to compare times against the professionals. Proceeds go to the Pikes Peak Cycling Society to help support the costs associated with attracting and hosting the Prologue of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Space is very limited and tickets are $750. Less than 15 spots are left. Buy tickets now.
Tuesday Aug. 23
Movie: Pedal-Driven
Wrap up a month of cycling fun with Pedal-Driven, a documentary that goes behind both sides of a confrontation – riding with the free riders and chasing them down with the rangers – in an exploration of issues increasingly important to all Americans. With an ever-increasing population and a finite supply of unspoiled wild lands, the sense of urgency around protecting and preserving these national treasures only grows. Pedal-Driven will examine the shared philosophies of stewardship and sustainability from both sides and, ultimately, offer examples of the ways in which opposing factions can find common ground in defense of our common grounds. The movie will begin at 7 p.m. at the Stargazers Theatre. Tickets for this event start at $9 in advance online and $12 at the door the night of the show.
Thursday Aug. 25
Movie: Bicycle Dreams
Call them seekers, madmen or angels hell-bent on riding across America. This documentary follows voyagers in the 2006 Race Across America (RAAM) as they discover what is truly at stake, praying for the deliverance only the finish line can bring. By journey’s end, some are saved, others are lost, but all learn that the fuel that takes a soul toward its own true destiny is desire. The movie will begin at 7 PM. at the Stargazers Theatre. Tickets for this event start at $10 in advance and $15 at the door the night of the show. You can read my Bicycle Dreams review here.
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Star Studded Lineup
August 10th, 2011The USA Pro Cycling Challenge has announced the provisionary team rosters for the new Colorado stage race starting in less than 2 weeks. They had previously announced that the top 3 from this year’s Tour de France would be racing along with some other big names. The list released today shows many top bike racers will be here.
Included will be 2 Olympic medalists from the Beijing Games, 5 former world champions, 12 Tour de France stage winners and 5 that have been on the final podium at the Tour de France. One of our local pros, Danny Pate, will be riding for HTC-Highroad. I’ve known him for a long time and used to mountain bike race with his dad.
“This is no doubt one of the best fields ever assembled on American soil,” said Danielson, a Boulder, Colo. resident considered by many as one of the front runners to win the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge. “It’s a diverse blend of top professional teams from various continents and the altitude adds an element of unpredictability. No doubt, it is a special field that will put on a great showing.”
Former World Champions
- Cadel Evans (2009, Road)
- Michael Mørkøv (2009, Madison – Track)
- Peter Velits (2007, U23 Road)
- Danny Pate (2001, U23 Time Trial)
- Ivan Basso (1998, U23 Road)
Current National Champions
- Fränk Schleck (Luxembourg, Road)
- Hayden Roulston (New Zealand, Road)
- Stef Clement(Netherlands, Time Trial)
- Gustav Larsson (Sweden, Time Trial)
- David Zabriskie (United States, Time Trial)
2011 Major Race Champions
- Cadel Evans (1st GC and Stage 6, Tirreno–Adriatico; 1st GC, Tour de Romandie)
- David Zabriskie (1st Stage 4 (TT), Tour de Romandie; 1st Stage 6 (ITT), Tour of California)
- Tejay Van Garderen(Best Young Rider, Tour of California)
- Levi Leipheimer (1st GC, Tour de Suisse; 1st Stage 7, Tour of California)
- Jonathan Patrick McCarty (KOM, Tour of California)
- Andy Schleck(KOM, Tour de Suisse)
- Frank Schleck (1st GC and Stage 1, Criterium International)
- Robert Gesink (1st GC, Best Young Rider, 1st Stage 4 and 5 (ITT), Tour of Oman)
- Ivan Basso (1st GP di Lugano)
Tour de France Stage Winners
- Jens Voigt (3)
- Andy Schleck (3)
- Levi Leipheimer (2)
- Cadel Evans (2)
- Stuart O’Grady (2)
- George Hincapie (1)
- David Zabriskie (1)
- Rubens Bertogliati (1)
- Ivan Basso (1)
- Brice Fellu (1)
- Vladimir Efimkin (1)
- Pieter Weening (1)
Tour de France Overall Podium Finishers (5)
- Cadel Evens (2011, Champion; 2007-2008, 2nd Place)
- Andy Schleck (2009-2011, 2nd Place)
- Frank Schleck (2011, 3rd Place)
- Levi Leipheimer (2007, 2009, 3rd Place)
- Ivan Basso (2004, 3rd Place; 2005, 2nd Place)
Major American Stage Race Champions (6)
- Levi Leipheimer(2007-2009, Tour of California; 2010 Tour of Utah)
- David Zabriskie(2009, Tour of Missouri)
- Jeff Louder (2008, Tour of Utah)
- Christian Vande Velde(2008, Tour of Missouri)
- George Hincapie(2007, Tour of Missouri)
- Tom Danielson(2005, Tour de Georgia)
Team Rosters
Glenwood Canyon Bike Path Still Partially Closed
July 22nd, 2011
Courtesy CDOT
The middle of last week CDOT did open about 5 miles from Glenwood Springs to Grizzley Creek rest area. The short section of bike path used to access the Hanging Lake Trail is also open. I drove I-70 last week and could see water over the bike path in several places. The water wasn’t as high over the bike path as the CDOT photo to the left but there was still plenty of water covering the bike path in spots.
I talked to a Forest Service Ranger at the Grizzley Creek rest area and he said that CDOT is cleaning the bike path where they can so they can open more of it when the water drops. There are spots though where the trail has been washed away or undercut. The worst seems to be between the Shoshone rapids and the Hanging Lake rest area. Once the water has dropped enough they’ll have to figure out what’s needed to fix the path.
From what I could see, the path from the Hanging Lake to the trailhead at the east end of the canyon isn’t damaged but there’s mud, branches and other junk on it. It was already pretty much cleaned and dry from Hanging Lake to the Blair Ranch rest area. Just east of Blair Ranch there was still water over the path but it was mostly just standing muddy water instead of swift water. There were similar water over the path spots nearly all the way to the east end of the canyon.
Glenwood Canyon bike path
EveryTrail – Find the best Hiking in Colorado
Race Across Oregon
July 7th, 2011
In 2004 I did the Race Across Oregon (RAO). The race organizers, George and Terri, gave me the photo above (click on it to view it larger) at the post-race banquet. On the trip home, it got a bit bent so I put it under some heavy things to flatten it. When I looked for it a while later, I couldn’t find it. Finally when I was packing for our move to a new house last week, I found it.
Although I believe the original course was pretty much across Oregon, it’s been a huge loop around Oregon the last several years. In 2004 it was supposed to be 538 miles with over 40,000 feet of climbing. It ended up being shortened by 6 miles and didn’t climb up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood because it was snowing too hard.
I’ve done 4 Race Across America (RAAM) qualifiers and RAO was by far the hardest course and also the race that went least well for me. To start off with, I wasn’t in top shape for the race. Then about 18 hours into the race, I used a nasal spray for my allergies that made me sleepy and I kept falling asleep while riding.
In an attempt to stay awake, I drank a bunch of caffeinated, sugary drinks. They ended up giving me digestive system problems. The digestive issues combined with riding many hours in rain, made it painful for me to sit on the saddle.
Around mile 300 I motioned my crew up to me and told them the race was over for me. The pain had become too much. I sat down beside the road and started crying partially from the pain and partially from the disappointment of not being able to finish.
Clearly that’s not the end of the story since I have a finishing photo. After letting me sit beside the road for a few minutes, my crew convinced me to get on the bike and ride the 60 miles to the next town so they could get some medicine for me. I was still pretty uncomfortable for a long time but I finally felt good the last couple hours of the race.
The course has changed some since I raced but I have no doubt that it’s still brutal. This year racers will take up the ultra challenge on July 23rd.
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Starlight Spectacular 2011
June 13th, 2011
Saturday night was the 17th annual Starlight Spectacular. It’s a ride starting at midnight and goes through downtown Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods and supports the Trails and Open Space Coalition. This year’s ride options were 14 miles and 22 miles.
Although I’ve known about it, I had never ridden it before. I’ve ridden pretty much all night over a dozen times between the solo 24 hour mountain bike races, RAAM qualifier and RAAM itself but it hasn’t seemed worth ridding for a couple of hours the middle of the night.
The difference this year was my 8 year old was begging me to take her since some friends were ridding it. She’s never ridden 10 miles so I was a bit concerned about her making it 14 miles but she’s very determined so I figured she’d try hard.
We showed up about an hour before and it was one big party like I had heard. Some people had their bikes decorated and were wearing costumes. I saw several people I knew.
My daughter hadn’t felt well the night before and still wasn’t feeling the best that morning. We got part way into the ride and she decided she wanted to go home. We live just a few blocks off the course around mile 6 so we stopped by the house and then I continued on the ride.
It was a fun ride and it was clear, dry and not too cold. I heard there were about 1,300 riders and everyone was in party mode. I rode for little ways with Ken Hanes on his ElliptiGO. Maybe next year my daughter will want to ride it again.
Here are a few photos and there are more that I took here.
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Hotel employees, guests go for a ride
May 27th, 2011
A Denver company has announced a partnership with Denver B-cycle, a bike sharing program.
Sage Hospitality, which employs 600 people fulltime at six downtown Denver hotels, including the Courtyard at Marriot, The Curtis, and the Oxford, will purchase annual bike sharing membership for all full-time employees.
Denver B-cycle has 500 B-cycles located at 50 stations throughout the city. Users can check out a bike at one station and check it in at any of the 50 stations throughout the city.
And hotel guests can check out B-cycle, too. Starting on Memorial Day, guests at the six downtown hotels can purchase a discounted 24-hour Denver B-cycle access pass at the front desk, and explore Denver by bike. Free access passes will be a part of several summer promotions, too.
The Oxford Hotel’s Spokes and Suds package includes accommodations, in-room microbrew upon arrival, overnight valet parking, an all-day B-Cycle pass, picnic lunch for two, and luggage storage. For more information, go to The Oxford Hotel, Sage Hospitality and Denver B-cycle.
-Deb Acord
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2011 100 Miles of Nowhere
May 5th, 2011
The Fat Cyclist is once again putting on the 100 Miles of Nowhere to raise money for LiveStrong. He announced yesterday that he had convinced Johan Bruyneel to ride it too. Official entry had closed but he has opened entry again until 6:00 PM EDT today (Thursday May 5th). This time though the money will go to World Bicycle Relief.
The 100 Miles of Nowhere literally means riding a bike 100 miles no where. Fatty though wants to include everyone so it’s OK to ride less than 100 miles, ride around the block instead of on a trainer or run around your back yard for a few hours. The official ride day is Saturday, June 4 but you can also pick a day. You can find all the details on how to register and ride rules here.
I’d also say if you don’t want the t-shirt and number plate or miss the registration cut-off, just donate directly to LiveStrong, World Bicycle Relief or a charity of your choosing. However you do it you’ll be in good company since over 500 people signed up the first day registrations was initially open. Just accept the challenge of going no where.
Although I rode 100 miles in my garage on my Computrainer in 2009, I plan on riding outside this year somewhere near downtown Colorado Springs. I’ve been too busy this year and haven’t done a ride over 30 miles but I’ll try to make it 100 miles. If you’re in the area, come join me for all or part of the ride.
Related Link:
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Front Range Cyclist Show 2011
March 16th, 2011
The Front Range Cyclist Show is this Saturday. It will be held from 9:30 AM until 4:30 PM at the Norris Penrose Event Center (1045 W. Rio Grande St.). There will be many exhibitors from bike component makers to trail advocacy to local bike shops.
I will have a table set up so come say Hi. I’ll have UltraRob.com jerseys, t-shirts and stickers available.
The past 2 years the show was called the Peak Region Cyclist Show. The name has changed because Jon Severson and David Pico that put on the show and published the Peak Region Cyclist parted ways last year. With Jon once again putting together the show, I expect it to be another great event.
You can read my report of last year’s Peak Region Cyclist Bike Show here. I also have last year’s photos from the PRC bike show here. It’s a fun event and I encourage you to come to it.
After the show, there will be a fundraising event at King Chef to benefit the Missing Link trail. $10 will get you all the Bristol beer you can handle and part of the food sold will benefit Medicine Wheel. Medicine Wheel will be building the trail over the next couple years to connect Barr Trail to the Cheyenne Canon area. They will need plenty of volunteers and donations to make it happen. They will also be at the show so you can find out more about that project and their other projects.
Here’s a few of the companies and groups that will be at the show
- Colorado Cyclist
- Colorado Wielersport Gold Sprints
- CS West Bike Shop
- DirtLabs Suspensions
- Girl Bike Love
- Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates
- Old Town Bike Shop
- On-One Bikes
- Pikes Peak Sports
- Rocky Mountain Ultra Marathon Endurance Series
- Salsa Cycles
- SRM – launching FOUR new products at the show
- Tessier Bikes
- The Bailey HUNDO
- Titus Cycles
- Vincero Design
- WMBA of COS
Related Links
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Assault on the Peak in 3D
February 14th, 2011The inaugural Assault on the Peak, the bike ride from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak, was filmed in 3D by Convergent Design. I talked to the 2 guys shooting the video briefly at Crystal Reservoir. They said they were shooting it to show off some 3D capability which I’m guessing is their nano3D product.
I don’t have any 3D glasses laying around so I’m not sure how it looks in 3D. If you have some blue and red 3D glasses, take a look at it and leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Unfortunately it doesn’t look they got any footage from above timberline. In the version I embedded above, Peak Region Cyclist added in a few still photos.
Registration for the 2011 Assault on the Peak opens tomorrow and has a reduced entry price of $150 through April 30th. After that it will be $180 and day of ride registration will be $200.
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