The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte and Gunnison will all be part of next summer’s inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge road bike race. The race will take place August 22-28 and each town will have riders cruising through.
The official announcement was made Thursday, November 4 in Denver. More than 120 racers are expected to participate in the 600 mile race and 11 Colorado towns will act as “host cities” where the race either begins or ends. There will be seven stages
“This is a two year commitment, right,” Mt. Crested mayor William Buck asked to laughter at the announcement event. He then went on to tout his community. “We offer challenging cycling terrain with great spectator access,” he said.
Crested Butte mayor Leah Williams informed the crowd that the ride from Gunnison to Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte will be spectacular. “You get to see the ‘Oh-My-God view that we experience all the time,” she said. “It will be great for the race, the riders and the spectators.”
Gunnison Mayor Pro tem Jonathan Houke said Gunnison was very happy to have been chosen as a host city. “We are excited to help showcase the diverse beauty of the area,” he said Thursday to the crowd. “This event is poised to be a premier event in Colorado.” Houke also touted Western State College and Cattlemen’s Days in speech to the state media.
The event will start with a time trial race in Colorado Springs. Day two will be the first stage that runs from Salida to Crested Butte over Monarch Pass. The third day will begin in Gunnison and end in Aspen.
The Crested Butte News will have a more detailed story in next week’s edition.
