The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We are confident that the excitement of the event will be back in the near future”
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge bike race that has graced local roads at the end of August the last two years won’t be returning in 2013.
The official route for the race was released Wednesday, December 19 and it has some familiar host cities on it, including Aspen and Denver, but the East River Valley isn’t one of them.
Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte and Gunnison were all on the circuit in the first two years of the race, bringing cyclists and spectators and sending HD images of the valley around the country. None were selected this time around.
“For those familiar with European stage racing, and even the Tours of Utah and California, this really should not come as much of a surprise,” Local Organizing Committee co-director Aaron Huckstep said. “To keep the race fresh for both racers and spectators, the organizers must choose new host cities and new routes each year.”
In 2013, the racers will start with the Aspen Circuit on August 19. The next day the route heads from Aspen to Breckenridge, Breckenridge to Steamboat Springs, then Steamboat Springs to Beaver Creek on Thursday, August 22.
Stage 5 is the Vail Time Trial the following day and then the race heads to Loveland for Stage 6, which goes to Ft. Collins.
“They actually had a team ride their proposal into Denver,” Huckstep said of Ft. Collins. “They really wanted to see the race up there.”
The final stage of the 2013 USAPCC will be the Denver Circuit held on August 25. After that, should the race continue in 2014, the stages are up for grabs and Huckstep sees a lot of support for another bid to host a stage in the valley again in the future.
He points out that the Town of Crested Butte budgeted $25,000 to help fund the event if it came to town next year and Mt. Crested Butte was ready to take money from its admissions tax fund for the same purpose.
“That says to me that we should be submitting a proposal for 2014,” he said. “Our valley has had the pleasure of hosting this world-class race in both 2011 and 2012, and we provided a great experience for the racers, the spectators and the organizers alike. While we are disappointed that the race will not be visiting Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte in 2013, we are confident that the excitement of the event will be back in the near future.”
