by Nathan Ward
It’s still sinking in – the top bicycle road racing teams in the world are coming to Salida on August 23rd for the Quiznos Pro Challenge (QPC) race. The QPC is an eight day stage race through Colorado and Salida is hosting the start of Stage One.
Let’s put this in perspective – it’s like the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburg Steelers coming to play the Super Bowl on the Salida High School football field. Actually it’s bigger since cycling remains much more popular globally that American football has ever been.
On Monday, January 24th, representatives from Medalist Sports, the promoters of the race, met with Salida area agencies and organizers to prepare for the race. QPC Salida Technical Director Andy Reiemenschneider met up with the Salida Citizen to give us the rundown on the planning for race day in Salida.
First let me say that the QPC Salida effort is being spearheaded by competent local core group, including some of the same cast that dreamed up the Salida Omnium and turned it into the biggest bicycle road race in Colorado (www.southcentralracing.com). The Omnium’s successful track record definitely played an important role in bringing the QPC to Salida. With them in charge of the local effort, you know Salida is going to be represented well.
On the morning of race day, August 23rd, team buses will start rolling into Salida after completing the prologue time trial in Colorado Springs the day before. Team buses will park along Sackett Avenue and this is the place to be if you want to rub elbows with the professional riders.
Fans will have the chance to mingle with the riders, watch them warm up, ogle their bikes and ask for autographs. Beside the five initial confirmed teams, race organizers have not yet released details on additional teams. However, by the time the race starts, there will be 16 teams and up to 128 riders on the starting line.
The Salida festivities are still tentative, but besides being the epicenter of professional cycling in America for the morning, Riverside Park will also be the site of the QPC Lifestyle Festival with booths representing the QPC race sponsors.
After warming up, riders will make their way to F Street for the formal signing in ceremony – not to be missed. Sometime in late morning the starting gun will fire and the cyclists will ride two parade laps through downtown Salida before heading out of town, over Monarch Pass and on to a mountain top finish in Crested Butte. It’s a neutral start, so the riders will not be racing fast through downtown, just cruising. The race will probably heat up considerably on the slopes of Monarch Pass. QPC has yet to release the exact race route, but you can see all the host towns on their website.
If you want to be more than a spectator, the QPC website is also the place to sign up to volunteer during the race.
Although August 23rd seems a long time away from the early nights and chill of January, it’s just around the corner. It’s time to start planning your strategy to view the race. Andy said “We expect 5,000 to 10,000 extra people to be in Salida that day.” This includes 16 teams, 128 riders, team cars, team buses, sponsor vehicles and fans. When the race leaves the city limits of Salida, it will be a fast moving train consisting of 60 to 90 team/race cars in addition to the cyclists.
This means Salida will be crowded and it will be difficult to see both the downtown start, parade laps and climb up Monarch Pass. It would be better to choose one or the other. The fans at the Salida Citizen intend to watch the start in Salida and then head up Cottonwood Pass the next day to watch the race come back over the top on a stage that will see riders racing from Gunnison to Aspen.
Stay tuned for our future updates on the Quiznos Pro Challenge and how you can be part of the action.
I’m curious about road closures. Seems like roads would need to be closed but can you do that in the USA?
It is typical for many competitive sporting events to close roads in the US. The Quiznos Pro Challenge, however, will primarily have rolling closures. Roads will open up as soon as racers and support vehicles have passed.
- Angela Damman
Road closures are very common across the US wherever there are cycling events such as road races, or criteriums or for the cycling and running portions of triathlons. Virtually every marathon in the US is run on public roads and those roads close for an entire day. From NYC to San Francisco local roads, state highways, and even US routes get closed for special events. Planners obviousy try to minimize the impact on the pubic as much as possible. I am certain that wil be the case in Salida’s portion of Quizno’s Pro Challenge. Also, unlike a race that has 100′s, if not thousands, of competitors using the same route for nearly an entire day, since the Quizno’s race, is an elite/pro only event, the field is far smaller and using the local roads for a short time on their way out of town. And as Angela indicated it will be rolling closures -close the road, riders/support clear, open the road.
Can’t wait for the fun!!!
Sorry, the road closures in the usa comment was kind of a joke. I’m thrilled that pro cycling is coming to Salida. The main reason I was asking is just to plan my spectating on monarch and cottonwood. I guess my “joke” stems from the hatred I have felt from motorists while cycling on the road and I hope this event helps in that regard rather than hurts….hard to say. I too, can’t wait!