Quiznos race proposal being submitted Friday

Organizers scoped out the valley this week

Local community leaders have compiled a thorough 60-page document showing broad community support and an outline of how the area could successfully host a stage of the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge Bike race.
Businesspeople and bike racing enthusiasts from Mt. Crested Butte to Gunnison have come together to compile the official proposal that will be submitted Friday to organizers of the inaugural statewide bike race. Two of the event organizers from Medalist Sports were in town this past Wednesday to scope out the area. Local proponents took this as a good sign that the valley is in the running to be picked as a host.
The seven-day event would tour parts of Colorado at the end of next August. It is expected that worldwide coverage of the event would provide a huge marketing boost to whomever lands a stage.
“The amount of support from everyone has been amazing,” local organizing committee member Dave Ochs told the Crested Butte Town Council Tuesday. “There has been incredible energy and excitement over the chance to be a part of this event. We are proposing seven different route options but we already know that places like Delta and Montrose and Grand Junction are out of the running. So we have to tailor it to accommodate someplace like Salida. That would be 97 miles and that’s our main goal. Ideally we would have a race that finishes on the mountain. It has the space and it would be simple.”
Ochs said one of the possibilities was a time trial stage between Gunnison and Crested Butte. “But that is a long shot,” he admitted. “Still, we are including it in the proposal.”
“We have a lot of great support letters and commitments for this,” added Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce director Richard Bond. “People are working hard on this effort.”
“This would be so great,” said Crested Butte mayor Leah Williams.
“The publicity regionally, nationally and internationally would be unbelievable,” seconded Ochs.
The council passed a resolution affirming the town’s support for the race as did the council in Mt. Crested Butte.
Race organizers are expected to announce the selected routes and host sites in early October.