This morning
Salida City Councilman, and avid cyclist, Scott Damman stood on the capitol steps with Governor Ritter as well as a host of Mayors from across the state to speak on behalf of Salida, as he accepted the news that this small historic mountain town will be ground zero for an international sports spectacle.
The Quiznos Pro Challenge™ officially announced the stages, host cities and race format for the inaugural 2011 international pro cycling competition at a press conference held today on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Scheduled Aug. 22-28, the event will be made up of seven stages, traveling through Colorado’s most picturesque landscapes and visiting 11 host cities. Created to be the most challenging pro-cycling race in American history, the Quiznos Pro Challenge is set to cover nearly 600 miles of the region’s demanding terrain.
Disappointed cycling communities that missed out on hosting a stage include Durango, Telluride and Loveland, while Salida will not only host a stage, but will be the launching point for the first stage, after the first-day prologue in Colorado Springs.
“This is a huge deal for Salida in terms of economic impact. We’re being put on the international stage alongside other famous resort towns as the global cycling community turns its focus on Colorado next August,” Councilman Damman said. In addition to Damman, other local avid cyclistist who were key players in putting together the successful bid to host a stage, included Salida Mayor Chuck Rose, Monarch Mountain Marketing Director Greg Ralph and Chaffee County Visitor’s Bureau Marketing Director April Prout. Salida has always been a bike town, with cruisers lining main street on any day of the year, and sidewalks littered with bikes outside of pubs and coffee shops, making it a great place to get back to the roots of Colorado cycling, a stated goal of the Quizno’s Pro Challenge founders, Damman explained.
Salida's mild year-round climate, welcoming atmosphere and stellar scenery, proven popular with road cyclists, has netted an international pro cycling event.
Damman gave tribute to a local bike event and the role it has played in helping set the stage for today’s exciting announcement. As host of the regionally famous Salida Omnium, South Central Racing co-founder Andy Reimenschnieder said simply, “we have always wanted to bring world-class cycling to Salida. This is it!”
Surrounded by more fourteen-thousand foot peaks than any place in the U.S., Salida is a mountain biker’s fantasy land. But, in 2004, with help from a three-year boostraps grant commitment from the county visitor’s bureau, the Omnium was launched, which focused exclusively on road racing. Year-by-year, participating riders from around the state raved about the Omnium’s organization and Salida hospitality, helping solidify this community’s reputation for pro-caliber road racing and touring. Salida has also hosted Ride The Rockies and Bicycle Tour of Colorado many times.
“This is phenomenal news for Salida, a dream come true for all the avid cyclists in our community and beyond,” said tourism marketer Lee Hart. “I’m sure the CCVB, with the enthusiastic support of the vibrant local tourism industry, will do a terrific job leveraging the worldwide publicity this event will generate to the benefit of our entire community.”
Excerpted from Podium Insight:
In announcing the new race, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter was joined by Governor-elect and outgoing Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper were joined by Chris Carmichael (LOC Chair, Colorado Springs), Scott Damman (City Councilman, Salida), Leah Williams (Mayor, Crested Butte), William Buck (Mayor, Mt. Crested Butte), Jonathan Houck (Mayor Pro-Tem, Gunnison), Mick Ireland (Mayor, Aspen), Dick Cleveland (Mayor, Vail), Ron Wolfe (Mayor, Avon), Scott Myller (City Councilman, Steamboat Springs), John Warner (Mayor, Breckenridge), and Jacob Smith (Mayor, Golden).
Denver professional football legend and avid cyclist Shannon Sharpe spoke at the event to help convey the importance of the race and the announcement to the international sports world. Sharpe expressed his respect for international cycling and the endurance it takes to compete at a top level while on stage with professional cyclists Tom Danielson, Tim Duggan and Rory Sutherland, as well as Steve Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of USA Cycling.
The 120 world-class cyclists anticipated to participate in the seven-day race will begin their journey in beautiful Colorado Springs, then crisscross their way over the treacherous Rocky Mountains. The region’s unique topography will provide challenging climbs and extremely fast downhill legs with an awe-inspiring backdrop of several of the United States’ highest mountain peaks leading to the finish in Denver.
“We are excited to welcome sports fans and the international cycling community to many of Colorado’s most beautiful regions,” said Governor Ritter. “The Quiznos Pro Challenge will provide a majestic tour of many of the state’s natural treasures while becoming the battleground for one of the world’s most intense competitions.”
The initial idea to bring a major stage race back to Colorado is credited to Quiznos Pro Challenge partner Lance Armstrong who expressed interest to Governor Ritter last year. The Quiznos Pro Challenge is now expected to become one of the most significant international pro-cycling events worldwide, created to reinvigorate the legacy of the Colorado-based Coors International Bicycle Classic which took place from 1979 until 1988.
“We had so much interest from incredible cities across Colorado that we could hold an event of twice the duration,” said Ellen Kramer, Quiznos Chief Communications Officer. “We worked diligently throughout the selection process to incorporate cities that provide terrain that is unique to Colorado and delivers one of the most exciting cycling events in the world. The selected cities will make excellent partners and provide a demanding course for the world’s top cyclists.”
2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge stages
The dream of Salida Omnium organizers has been realized as the regional race primed the pump for the advent of the Quiznos Pro Challenge international event next August.
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
This is fantastic news. Good job to all who worked on bringing this race through Salida.
Bring it on!!!!!!!!!
Sweeeeet! Yay! Fantastic!
Great news! This has been an amazing week for our town!
So the big question is do I stay in town and watch the start or head up to the top of Monarch and run alongside the racers yelling encouragement while wearing a speedo? Definitely one of the coolest things to ever happen here!
This is going to be amazing! Can’t wait…
This is a real feather in Salida’s cap and to all the people that brought it here. Way to go! Salida is truly becoming a national and now international biking community. Now for the volunteers to help and showcase this awesome community during the event.
Simply awesome. Nice work folks!