The Third Annual kicks off in Aspen. The challenging 66-mile circuit will go between downtown Aspen and Snowmass Village between 1 and 4 p.m.,
Overall, the 7-day race course is different compared to last year. A highlights the best places to catch the action this week.
Most notable for Northern Colorado residents is , 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 , about the race and its evolution over the past three years.
Interview Highlights:
Does The USA Pro Challenge Have Room To Grow?
鈥淚t鈥檚 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鈥檛 say that in three years from now this race is guaranteed to be happening, but I would think from my position it鈥檚 more likely that it will be happening than it won鈥檛.鈥�
What Does It Cost Cities To Host A Stage?
鈥淭he 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.
— Tour Tracker (@TourTracker)
What Does It Mean For Northern Colorado To Host A Stage?
鈥淚t鈥檚 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.鈥�
