2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Your Guide to the 2012 USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE • August 15-20 • $1.00

INSIDE

By Joe HanelHerald denver Bureau

Philly does cheesesteaks. Hollywood makes movies. Florence, Italy, has some nice art.

Durango?Well, if you’re in town this

week, you already know what Durango does.

“Part of the reason Durango has a high profile for cycling events is because the communi-ty has taken ownership in them and is proud of them,” local cy-cling legend Ed Zink said.

And that, in a nutshell, is why the best cyclists in the world are here for the start of the second an-nual USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

This is far from the first big cycling event to wheel through town. Every year, 4,000 cyclists participate in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, which Zink co-founded in 1972 and directed for many years.

Inside the cycling community, Durango long has enjoyed a ster-ling reputation.

“We have as many world champions in mountain biking living in Durango as most na-tions have,” Zink said.

So local organizers thought Durango was a natural for the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge last year – the first Colorado pro stage race since the days of the Coors Classic and the Red Zinger Classic.

USA Pro cycling officials gave Durango high marks on its ini-tial bid last year.

But the trouble was, it takes a long time to get from Durango to just about anywhere, especially on a bike. So the route skipped Durango in 2011.

But not in 2012.

This year, local organizers had a palpable sense that USA Pro officials really wanted their race to visit Durango, said Mary Monroe, who is co-chairwoman of the local organizing commit-tee, along with Sherri Dugdale.

“I really feel they see the cul-ture, the community, geographi-cally the beauty and the talent of the people who live here,” Monroe said. “I think they thought, ‘We cannot do this race without Durango and call it a statewide race.’”

Still, Monroe was thrilled when she became among the first to learn the race would start in her town.

“I think I probably still have the voicemail on my phone be-cause I was so excited,” she said.

Durango was designated as The Grand Depart, the official start of the 2012 USA Pro Cy-cling Challenge.

The long history of bike

events here has left Durango with ample expertise, local orga-nizers said.

“We have a trained population of volunteers,” Zink said. “If they show up and say, ‘We want this to happen,’ we’ve got hun-dreds of people who say, ‘I know how to do that.’”

Those hundreds of people will be needed. In addition to the 60 people on the local organizing committee, some 600 volunteers will have pitched in before the race arrives, Monroe said.

Fort Lewis College, with its nationally renowned cycling program, provided a key ele-ment for organizers – housing.

Some athletes and hundreds of their support crew members will stay at the college’s dorms in the days before the race. The college is making it happen even though students will start show-ing up for the fall semester just a day or two later, FLC athletic

director Gary Hunter said.“I expect I’ll be stripping beds

about five minutes after every-body goes,” Hunter said.

Everyone is working for the payoff, which extends beyond the 15-minute blur of color as the peleton passes through down-town and the college campus.

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge claimed an $83-million statewide economic impact in 2011. But orga-nizers think the real effects will be harder to track.

The race will be televised worldwide, and cycling fans in some 180 countries will see Du-rango on center stage.

Other start/finish cities for 2012 include Montrose, Crested Butte/Mount Crested Butte, Aspen, Beaver Creek, Brecken-ridge, Colorado Springs, Golden, Boulder and Denver.

“There will be more media op-portunity worldwide for people to follow this than probably any-thing that’s ever happened in Durango,” Zink said.

Durango lands in focus Stage 1Local cycling legacy grows with USA Pro Cycling Challenge

durango Herald file photos

ed Zink of Durango, the godfather of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, said Durango’s cycling history and heritage helped land the start of the 2012 USa Pro Cycling Challenge.

Durango cycling organizers Zink, Gaige Sippy, Patty Zink (ed’s wife) and Mo Mcelroy, of the USa Pro Cycling Chal-lenge, visited Crested Butte in 2011 check out the inaugural Colorado stage race in person.

The Grand Depart: Where to watch

Parking, how to get around on race day

Street closures

Tom Danielson: Fort lewis grad earns

Ph.D. in cycling

Schedule of local events

Teams and riders to watch

Durango bike mechanics face

unique challenges

Festival marks opening of Twin

Buttes singletrack

Maps of Durango parade route,

daily stages

nBC TV schedule

The rest of the story – Beyond Stage 1

Challenge about more than just pros

Fantastic finish

CDoT to offer highway updates throughout race

Velo dictionnaire: Cycling terms to learn

Women pros to race in aspen

Online event coverage

Visit durangoherald.com

like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ ThedurangoHerald

Follow us on Twitter: @durangoHerald

Page 4

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 10

Page 12

Page 14

Page 17

Page 18

Page 20

Page 21

Page 25

Page 26

Page 28

Page 32

Page 34

By Dale StroDeHerald SportS Writer

Stage 1 of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge is here.

Planning is over; prepa-rations are complete; racers are ready.

Are you?With the inaugural stage

of the 2012 Colorado profes-sional cycling stage race set to take off from downtown Durango at 10 a.m. Mon-day, Aug. 20, cycling fans are making their own race plans – like where to watch, when to watch and whom to watch.

Spectators in Durango will have multiple oppor-tunities to watch the inter-national field of top cyclists – up close.

And downtown will be

the place to be. There will be two peloton parade laps along Durango’s Main Avenue and through the ad-jacent residential neighbor-hood after the 10 a.m. start to the stage.

There will be a Monday morning climb up the leg-endary Front Hill to Fort Lewis College to get the cyclists warmed up for the first Sprint Line payout of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The first cash bonuses for the 2012 tour will be awarded on Duran-go’s Main Avenue.

But there’s more.The cyclists also will

circumnavigate Rim Drive around FLC campus. They’ll pedal around Hill-crest Golf Club (on new pavement).

They’ll drop back down

into Durango on North Col-lege Drive before working their way out of town to the south, taking County Road 210 up to Lake Nighthorse.

Then, it’s down Wild-cat Canyon Road to U.S. Highway 160 for the climb to Hesperus – for the first King of the Mountain com-petition at the top of Hespe-rus Hill.

Then, it’s on to Mancos, Dolores, Stoner, Rico, Ophir and – 125 miles later – the finish line in Telluride.

That’s Stage 1.But there’s more.Viewing options in Du-

rango will start at the start – Eighth and Main.

The entire peloton will be on display before the 10 a.m. starting gun.

Once they start rolling, the two parade laps will

The Grand Depart: Where to watch

All around Durango ... then to Telluride

Doug PenSinger/Getty images

radioShack escorted levi leipheimer to victory in the 2011 uSa Pro Cycling Challenge. leipheimer is rid-ing for omega Pharma this year.

begin with viewing all along the route.

From Eighth and Main, the cyclists will ride south on Main to Fifth Street, then turn up Fifth Street by the train station to Third Avenue, Durango’s boulevard.

The cyclists will ride Third Avenue north all the way to 12th Street, where they will turn down to Main Avenue to complete the parade loop.

After two full loops downtown, defending champion Levi Leipheimer and the cyclists will ride down Main, turn up Fifth to Third and then turn north on College Drive, where the actual racing will begin.

They will race up Col-lege Drive to Eighth Av-enue, where they will turn left. That will take the peloton of the world’s top cyclists up the famed Front Hill to Fort Lewis Col-lege, a legendary climb in Durango’s lengthy cycling history.

Once on campus, the cyclists will pedal around Rim Drive and around Hill-crest Golf Club to Goeglein Gulch Road.

They’ll turn north and follow North College Drive down the hill to Florida Road. From Florida Road, it’s on to Third Avenue for a left turn.

Down East Third Av-enue, they’ll take a right on 12th Street for one block, then left on Main Avenue for the first Sprint Line payoff.

The cyclists will leave Main this time by turning right on College Drive and then left on Camino del Rio where they will pedal to County Road 210, the road to Lake Nighthorse.

After the climb past the

lake, the cyclists will go right on Wildcat Canyon Road (County Road 141) back down the hill to U.S. Highway 160.

Then it’s a left turn and up the hill to Hesperus, on to Mancos, north to Dolores, on up Lizard Head Pass and down to the finish of Stage 1 in downtown Telluride.

That’s 125 miles to kick off the 2012 USA Pro Cy-cling Challenge.

But there’s more.“I think the route high-

lights everything that is Durango cycling,” said Dave Hagen, co-chairman of the technical committee for the Durango stage and director of the FLC cycling program.

“And Durango will have exposure on television every day with the start here,” Hagen said.

“The crowds watching the climb up the Front Hill should be spectacular,” he said, anticipating Du-rango’s customary spirited turnout for cycling events.

“Going up to the college ... going up the Front Hill, you’ve got to do that,” said Hagen, who has produced multiple cycling events in Durango’s downtown core.

While many will opt to watch the cyclists as they tour downtown Durango and FLC, other spectators

are expected to gather along the route.

High-point locations where spectators can watch the cyclists make an extended climb were popular last year during the first USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

That means locations up near Lake Nighthorse and at the top of Hesperus Hill will make good viewing locations.

En route to Mancos, one big vantage point will be at Madden Peak Road.

Between Mancos and Dolores, several long-range views are available of the race course. Then, of course, the climb up Lizard Head Pass will attract race fans.

The finish in downtown Telluride will be the last best viewing locale.

But there’s more.In conjunction with the

event, large video screens will be around the start venue at Eighth Street and Main Avenue, and at Buck-ley Park.

Race spectators, after watching the racers spin by in person, can watch the rest of the race on jumbo video screens at the cycling expo at Buckley Park.

That’s right across the street from The Durango Herald.

SHAUN STANLEY/Durango Herald file photo

All eyes in downtown Durango will be on Stage 1 of the USA Pro Cy-cling Challenge on Monday, Aug. 20. The race will start at 10 a.m.

Free parking locationsPark for free and take a shuttle to the Transit Center downtown

1 Mile

160

Wildca

t Ca

nyon

Rd.

Durango

550

Twin Buttes

Durango Mall

Fairgrounds,Durango High School

Fort Lewis College

Transit Center

Mai

n A

ve.

College Dr.

Free parking will be available at high school, mall, college, Twin ButtesRace day dilemma:

Where to park in Du-rango?

In effort to simplify parking on race day, organizers of Durango’s opening USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage devel-oped a parking shuttle plan.

There will be free park-ing at four locations with free shuttle service to the downtown area.

Free parking will be available at the Durango Mall on the south end of the city; at Durango High School and La Plata County Fairgrounds on the north; at Twin Buttes

to the west; and at Fort Lewis College on the east.

Free shuttle buses will take spectators from those parking lots to the Transit Center down-town. From there, specta-tors can walk to the race course or take a shuttle to the Fort Lewis College campus.

The shuttles, which will include local school buses and other resort

buses, will include a host or hostess to answer questions, direct visitors to downtown locations and provide historical tidbits.

The free shuttles to and from the parking lots will run continuously on race day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Parking in the down-town core will be limited severely by street clo-sures for the race.

In addition, there will be special bicycle parking with valets in the down-town core.

People are encouraged to ride bikes to the race.

For more information, visit the local website for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge: www.durango2012.com.

2012 USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE

Fort Lewis College

Mai

n Av

e.

Mai

n Av

e.

E. 8

th A

ve.

E. 3

rd A

ve.

E. 4

th A

ve.

E. 2

nd A

ve.

Rim Dr.

College Drive

7th St.

8th St.

9th St.

10th St.

11th St.

5th St.4th St.

3rd St.2ndSt.

12th St.13th St.

17th St.

S. Camino del Rio

Florida Rd.

0 .5 Miles

160

550

Anim

as Rive

r

Saturday, Aug. 18StArting At 4 p.m.: 700 through 900 blocks of Main Avenue from Narrow Gauge to the alley between Main and Second avenues.

Sunday, Aug. 198 A.m. to mondAy noon: West-bound 12th Street at Main Avenue to Narrow Gauge.

8 A.m. to mondAy noon: West-bound 11th Street between alley and Main Avenue.

10 to 11 A.m. mondAy: Main closed from 12th Street to College Drive.

10 to 11 A.m. mondAy: Main closed from College Drive to Fifth Street east of alley.

monday, Aug. 202 to 11 A.m.: Downtown closes within the perimeter (Main to Fifth Street to East Third Avenue to 12th Street)

2 to 11 A.m.: Narrow Gauge east to East Third Avenue (southbound

only); Narrow Gauge closed Fifth to 14th streets.

East Third Avenue northbound will remain open until 9:45 a.m. then will be closed until about 10:20 a.m.

College Drive will remain open until 9:45 a.m. and then will be closed until 10:30 a.m.

Main Avenue alley east access for emergency delivery and equip-ment will be permitted going north on race day only from College Drive, but not recommended. Exit the area east to Second Avenue (ex-cept Eighth Street), then go south to College Drive.

Narrow Gauge will be restricted to VIP parking and access only on race day.

At 9:45 a.m., College Drive, Eighth Avenue, Rim Drive, North College Drive and Florida Road will be closed until the last chase ve-hicle passes. Roads will reopen no later than 10:20 a.m.

By 4 p.m., all streets should be open with the possible exception of the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Main and 12th and 13th streets.


downtown Street closurearea


The first time Tom Dan-ielson rode up the hill to Fort Lewis College, he was on his way to class – a business class.

And he was riding a mountain bike. The soon-to-be national collegiate mountain bike champion bypassed the pavement and opted for the singletrack trail back then. But the next time Danielson rides up the hill to Fort Lewis College on Monday, Aug. 20, he’ll be on a state-of-the-art road bike, and he could be teaching ACC 225, Intro to Financial Accounting.

Danielson, the Fort Lewis College business graduate who has gone on to earn a doctorate in professional bicycle racing, will show off his college hometown to 130 of his pro cycling colleagues when the USA Pro Cycling

Challenge kicks off the 2012 edition with the Grand De-part in Durango.

The race’s Stage 1 will take the peloton right past the classrooms where Dan-ielson earned his degree on the roads where Danielson earned his stripes as a cy-clist.

“This year’s edition of the USA Pro Challenge is extra special for me,” Danielson said in a telephone interview with The Durango Herald.

“As a professional athlete, when the big race is in your home state, it’s special,” Dan-ielson said as he continued recovery from crashes that forced him out of the recent Tour de France.

“This year, of course, it starts in Durango. I’m actu-ally staying in a Fort Lewis College dorm like I did (as a student),” Danielson said. “I can’t think of a better way to start the Challenge this

year.”A return trip to Durango

and Fort Lewis College last fall revived Danielson’s feel-ings about his college town.

“Last fall, when I went back to Durango, there were incredible vibes in Durango. I really had a motivating week when I was there,” he said of his appearance at the Durango Fall Blaze, an an-nual fund-raiser for the Tom Danielson Cycling Scholar-ships at Fort Lewis.

“Everyone was ... so gra-cious. For me, I spent a big part of my cycling life in Durango,” Danielson said. “That’s where it all started for me in terms of the road.”

Add the fact that the penultimate stage of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Chal-lenge will finish on Flagstaff Mountain outside his cur-rent hometown of Boulder, and Danielson is doubly inspired.

Fort Lewis graduate earns Ph.D. in cycling

SteVe leWIS/durango Herald file photo

tom Danielson will ride on familiar roads when the USa Pro Cycling Challenge starts in Durango on Monday, aug. 20. Danielson finished fourth in the 2011 Pro Cycling Challenge.

“The climb up Flagstaff, my very favorite climb ... I’ve done it a million times,” said Danielson, who is the unofficial record-holder for the fastest ascent of Flag-staff.

“I fought hard to get that climb in the race,” said Dan-ielson, who worked equally hard with race organizers to land a stage in Durango.

“So starting in Durango ... and a finish in Boulder. That will make this a spe-cial race for me,” Danielson said.

“In his heart, the USA Pro Challenge is the (race) he really wants,” said Rick Crawford, Danielson’s cur-rent coach and his former coach while at Fort Lewis College. Crawford recently took over as director of cycling for Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junc-tion.

“Tom’s still banged up pretty bad,” Crawford said. Danielson crashed out of the recent Tour de France with not one but two sepa-rated shoulders suffered in crashes on consecutive days.

“He didn’t take much time off ... He was back on his bike a few days later,” Crawford said. “But he had major (shoulder) injuries.”

Crawford said Danielson returned to his home in Boulder, where he resumed training after the frustra-tion of France. A year earlier, Danielson was the highest finishing American (eighth) in the 2011 Tour de France.

“We’re looking for a sil-ver lining ... after crashing out early (in the Tour de France),” Crawford said.

Without the pounding of three weeks of intense racing, Crawford said Danielson will be able to compensate with train-

ing in Colorado.“One thing about Tom, he

can train. He trains really well,” his coach said with reference to Danielson’s leg-endary workout statistics.

“He’s planning on doing the Tour of Utah ... It’s a very good prep race for the Pro Challenge because of the altitude,” Crawford said.

“He has a lot of mojo ... unfulfilled mojo. He’ll carry that into the Pro Chal-lenge,” said Crawford, who watched his young colle-giate mountain biker move into the ranks of profes-sional road racer.

Danielson won an indi-vidual national mountain bike championship in col-lege. And he was part of a team that won a national title.

“Team racing really starts in collegiate cycling,” Danielson said last fall when he was in town for the annual Durango Fall Blaze benefit bike ride.

“That’s where the funda-mentals ... of team (racing) start,” Danielson said. “Cy-cling is an individual sport, but it takes the team to put (individuals) in a place to excel,” he said.

“You have to work to-gether – rely on each other to solve problems. Col-legiate cycling is a perfect start. And if someone excels in a team environment in college, it makes him more valuable (as a pro rider),” said Danielson, who first rode with the Sobe/Head-shok pro team on the road.

He graduated to Team Mercury, immediately win-ning the Estes Cycling Chal-lenge in Estes Park.

In the interim, Danielson won the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic road race from Du-rango to Silverton in record time – an unofficial record that still stands.

And two months into his professional career, Daniel-son won his first interna-tional stage race in China.

He added the hill climb record at Mount Washing-ton in New Hampshire, breaking the mark of for-mer University of Colorado ski racer Tyler Hamilton. He broke the record on Colorado’s Bob Cook Me-morial Mount Evans Hill Climb, too.

Danielson moved up to Team Saturn. He again won internationally, taking the general classification in the Tour de Langkawi.

He later added the overall title in the Tour of Georgia with then-Discovery team-mate Lance Armstrong.

Danielson went on to win a stage of the Vuelta a Espa-ña as part of the Discovery team.

The Fort Lewis graduate moved to the Italian team Fasso Bortolo, where he was beset by injuries and illness.

But a relocation to Boul-der and an affiliation with Slipstream Sports and Gar-min put Danielson back on track.

And back on roads that will be familiar when the USA Pro Cycling Challenge makes its way around Colo-rado.

Danielson, who was the poster boy for the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, fin-ished fourth last year, just off the podium.

“I’m super motivated this year. I was so angry with the Tour de France and how it went down,” Danielson said. “So when I got back to Colorado, I just started working hard.”

His coach wasn’t the first to notice.

“This is the race ... he re-ally wants,” Crawford said.

Open 7 Days a WeekMonday - Saturday: 6:30am - 9pm

Sunday: 6:30am - 3pm(970) 565-5337 • NO CHECKS

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Family Restaurant

640 S. Broadway, Cortez, CO 81321

970.247.7769 | signaturedurango.com TUESDAY-SATURDAY 9AM-6PM | 1521 MAIN AVENUE | DURANGO, COR

OO

FTO

P P

ATIO

VE

NU

E |

DU

RA

NG

O’S

ON

LY R

IVE

RF

RO

NT S

ALO

N.S

PA

PRE & POST RACE WORKOUTWelcome USA Pro Cycling Challenge

THURSDAY, AUG. 16WHAT: Tutu to Brew. Bike parade and beer festival from Buckley Park in downtown Durango down the Ani-mas River Trail to Ska Brewing World Headquarters. Parade will leave Buckley Park at 5:30 p.m.

WHEN: 5:30-8 p.m.

WHERE: Buckley Park/Ska Brewing

WHAT: “The Bicycle Men,” a musical comedy about a hapless American tourist who crashes on his bicycle and encounters interesting inhabit-ants of a quaint French village. Tickets: $22.

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Durango Arts Center

WHAT: True West Railfest outdoor movie screening of “A Ticket to Tomahawk.”

WHEN: 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Durango train depot

FRIDAY, AUG. 17WHAT: Bicycle sculpture dedication

WHEN: 3 p.m.

WHERE: Florida Road roundabout

WHAT: “The Bicycle Men.” (See Thursday.)

WHEN: 5 p.m.


WHAT: Grand open house

WHEN: 5-9 p.m.

WHERE: Downtown Durango

WHAT: True West Railfest outdoor movie screening of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

WHEN: 8:30 p.m.


SATURDAY, AUG. 18WHAT: It’s a Real Butte Mountain Bike Race and Trail Run. An endur-ance running and mountain biking race hosted by Trails 2000. For more information, visit www.trails2000.org.

WHERE: Twin Buttes

WHEN: 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

WHAT: True West Railfest. Quick draw

and Western vendors.

WHEN: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.


WHAT: Start festival. Live music, food, New Belgium beer, cycling goods for sale, bike demos, a kids zone and the JumboTron with rider interviews and highlights from the inaugural 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

WHEN: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

WHERE: Fort Lewis College

WHAT: Kids Bike Rodeo. Different stations for kids to highlight skills training, helmet fitting, bike mainte-nance, along with a photo opportu-nity with some of the pro cyclists.

WHERE: Fort Lewis CollegeWHEN: 12-3 p.m.

WHAT: Let’s Get it Started. A gala and team presentation hosted by celebrity announcers Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll.

WHEN: 5 p.m.


WHAT: “The Bicycle Men.” (See Thursday for details.)

WHEN: 5 p.m.


SUNDAY, AUG. 19WHAT: Start Festival. (See Saturday.)


WHAT: Pro Challenge Experience Citizens Bicycle Ride. The Big Ride is a 72.75-mile ride that will start in downtown Durango with a loop of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge start. Riders then will head out to Wildcat Canyon before returning to Durango

for a ride to Durango Mountain Resort. They will return to Durango by U.S. Highway 550 with a final climb to the finish festival at Fort Lewis College. The Durango-to-DMR ride is a shorter, 45-mile option, with a finish festival at the ski resort.

WHEN: 9 a.m.WHERE: Start downtown Durango

WHAT: True West Railfest. (See Saturday.)

WHEN: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.


WHAT: “The Bicycle Men.” (See Thursday.)

WHEN: 2 p.m., 7 p.m.


WHAT: Downtown street party. Food, beer garden, dancing, live entertain-ment by Andrea’s Fault, Kirk James Band, Ralph Dinosaur and the High Rollers.

WHEN: 4-9 p.m.

WHERE: Main Avenue

MONDAY, AUG. 20WHAT: Race Day Start Festival. Food, exhibits and race viewing on the JumboTron video display.

WHEN: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

WHERE: Downtown Durango at 12th Street and Main Avenue, and at Buckley Park.

WHAT: Opening ceremonies

WHEN: 8 a.m.

WHERE: Main Avenue

WHAT: Race start

WHEN: 10 a.m.

WHERE: Main Avenue

Associated Press file photo

With six top-tier teams in the field, the peloton likely will stay together for many stages in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Sixteen teams in all will race this year.

Durango event schedule

Expand your knowledge . . . of clinical, community and multicultural social work practice

Join the 93 professionals who have earned a prestigious Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, right here in the Four Corners area! Our convenient weekend classes accommodate busy work schedules.

For information contact: Wanda Ellingson, LCSW, 970-247-9773 or [email protected]

location reputation innovation

educating social work leaders since 1931

2012 USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE Page 11 •

160

151

160

172

172

550

550

Ignacio

SOUTHERN UTEINDIAN RESERVATION

Oxford

Durango-La Plata County Airport Sky Ute Casino Resort

Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum

Bayfi eld

Durango

Six of the 16 teams competing are from cycling’s highest level – UCI Pro Teams. Five are ranked as UCI Professional Continental Teams, the next highest level. Five are classified as UCI Continen-tal Teams.

➤ Astana Pro Team (Kazakhstan) ➤ BMC Racing Team (U.S.) ➤ Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda

(U.S.) ➤ Liquigas-Cannondale (Italy) ➤ Omega Pharma-QuickStep

(Belgium) ➤ RadioShack-Nissan-Trek (Lux-

embourg) ➤ UCI Professional Continental

Teams ➤ Champion System Pro Cycling

Team (China) ➤ RusVelo (Russia) ➤ Team SpiderTech powered by

C10 (Canada)

➤ Team Type 1-SANOFI (U.S.) ➤ UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling

Team (U.S.) ➤ UCI Continental Teams ➤ Bissell Pro Cycling (U.S.) ➤ Bontrager Livestrong Team

(U.S.) ➤ EPM-UNE (Colombia) ➤ Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly

Benefit Strategies (U.S.) ➤ Team Exergy (U.S.)

1 Levi Leipheimer, Omega Pharma. The champion of the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge last year when he rode for Radio Shack. Leipheimer

won two stages in 2011 – the Salida to Crested Butte road stage and the Vail time trial. He finished 32nd in the recent Tour de France as he recovered from a broken leg suffered when he was struck by a car on a training ride.

2 Tejay van Garderen, BMC. The Mon-tana native and Boulder resident finished third in the 2011 USA Pro Challenge, just 17 seconds behind

Leipheimer. Van Garderen won the young riders classification of the recent Tour de France, where he finished fifth overall – the highest finishing American.

3 Christian VandeVelde, Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda. A wise and experienced veteran of the Garmin squad, the Illinois native finished

second to Leipheimer in the USA Pro Chal-lenge last year. He finished 60th in the 2012 Tour de France.

4 George Hincapie, BMC. The elder statesman of U.S. cycling, Hincapie completed a record 17th Tour de France this year. One of the most

popular cyclists in the peloton, Hincapie won the Silver Queen Stage last year in a sprint in downtown Aspen. He was fifth overall in the 2011 USA Pro Challenge. The 2012 USA Pro Challenge will be his last race.

5 Elia Viviani, Liquigas-Cannondale. The Italian stallion on the Italian team, Viviani won back-to-back stages in the 2011 USA Pro Chal-

lenge. He won sprint finishes in Steamboat Springs and Breckenridge.

6 Cadel Evans, BMC. The Australian cycling legend – a former world mountain bike champion – finished seventh in the USA Pro Challenge

last year, less than a month after winning the 2011 Tour de France. The last time he raced in Durango, he was on a mountain bike.

7 Tim Duggan, Liquigas-Cannondale. The Boulder-based cyclist recently won the USA Cycling national road racing championship. He’ll ride with

the powerhouse Liquigas team this year.

8 Rory Sutherland, United Health-care. The 30-year-old Australian finished 10th overall in the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. He’s the

reigning overall champion in the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico. He also won the Tour de Beuce stage race in Canada.

9 Jens Voigt, RadioShack-Nissan-Trek. The popular 40-year-old cyclist from Germany will return to the 2012 USA Pro Challenge. A huge fan favorite, Voigt

finished 52nd in the 2012 Tour de France.

10 Tom Danielson, Garmin-Sharp-Barracuda. The former Durango resident and Fort Lewis College graduate will

enjoy hometown support for Stage 1 of the USA Pro Challenge. The face of the 2011 stage race in Colorado, Danielson finished in fourth place – just off the podium.

10 cyclists to watchUCI ProTeams

Concessions at Mesa Verde National Park are managed by ARAMARK and authorized by the National Park Service. Rate does not included taxes or gratuity.

For reservation & information 866.773.5018 For reservation & information 866.773.5018www.visitmesaverde.com/CEZMENU

Dramatic Sights. Historic Sites

Visit Mesa Verde National Park! Perched high in scenic Southwest Colorado, where the air is thin, the history is rich and the views are spectacular. We offer breathtaking views, spectacular tours and award winning dining just a short drive west of Durango.

Concessions at Mesa Verde National Park are managed by ARAMARK and authorized by the National Park Service.

For reservation & information

866.773.5018www.visitmesaverde.com

For reservation & information

866.773.5018www.visitmesaverde.com

Great Gifts, Tasty Beverages, Quick FoodGreat Gifts, Tasty Beverages, Quick FoodCheck out our Race Weekend Special on

Tom Danielson Coffees — Mt. Evans & Iron Horse Blends

Buy a Bag of Tom Danielson Coffee during the race weekend and get a 12oz cup of drip coffee FREE!

(A portion of the proceeds bene�ts the Tom Danielson fund for the Fort Lewis College cycling team)

730 Main Avenue & Drive-thru in front of Office Depot 970.259.2059 · www.cooksandcoffee.com

A special place for cooks, coffee and friends.DURANGO COFFEE COMPANY


The bicycle mechanics – the unsung hero-technicians behind the riders in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge – will face their regular bike racing challenges along with a couple situations unique to the Colorado stage race.

“For the start stage here in Du-rango, it will be a pretty straight-forward deal for the mechanics,” said Tom Neb of San Juan Cycles in Durango.

Neb recently worked for USA Cycling at the London Olympic Games, where he served as a bike mechanic.

“It’s a road stage, a basic road stage. It’s not a time trial, which uses special (bikes),” Neb said.

“So they are going to be on their standard road bikes.”

He said that the nature of the stage from Durango to Telluride indicates the cyclists will use standard gearing packages.

“There aren’t going to be any-thing radical in terms of gear-ing,” Neb said.

“There is some climbing, but there are a lot of flat roads in be-tween,” Neb said, adding that the climbs in North America are not nearly as steep as some climbs in Europe.

“Their regular gear pack-age will be more than sufficient here,” Neb said.

The world-class riders won’t need super climbing gears for the 2012 stages.

“These guys are professional

riders. And they are so fit,” Neb said.

Basically, the riders in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge could ride a Huffy 3-speed to Telluride and manage just fine.

“Really, they are so good,” Neb said.

He said North American road builders have been limited with a maximum grade of 7 or 8 percent. In Europe, grades can be much steeper.

“That’s another reason you won’t see anything crazy in the gearing for this race,” Neb said.

The only significant equip-ment change the teams will face before the concluding time trial in Denver on Sunday, Aug. 26, will come on the Silver Queen Stage between Gunnison and Denver on

Wednesday, Aug. 22.That stage will include almost

14 miles of dirt and gravel on Cot-tonwood Pass.

“That will be a unique stage,”

Neb said. “That’s where you’ll see ... heavier tires.”

He said the current trend is for riders to go with a wider tire on dirt surfaces.

Jerry McBrIDe/durango Herald

tom Neb of San Juan cycles in Durango said bike mechanics will face a challenging week at the USa Pro cycling challenge because of the logistics involved

Teams test new equipment on Colorado tour

Teams also may experi-ment with different tire combinations on that stage as well as others in the USA Pro Cycling Chal-lenge, Neb said.

Different wheels also will be used, particularly on the dirt section of Cot-tonwood Pass.

Teams also are experi-menting with electronic shifting this year, powered by a small battery attached to the underside of the bi-cycle frame, Neb said.

Hydraulic disc brakes also are being tested by road racing teams, the Du-rango-based bike mechanic said.

The other biggest chal-lenge for the bike me-chamics, Neb said, will be logistics.

“You are working crazy long days,” he said, adding that the bike mechanics on the 2012 USA Pro tour

will be in Durango, Tellu-ride and Montrose on the first day of racing alone. They’ll be in Montrose and Crested Butte the second day of the race.

“It’s hectic. That’s the challenge of being a road mechanic,” he said.

[email protected]

Durango Herald

College Dr.

Ninth St.

Florid

a Rd.

Mai

n Ave

.

32nd St.

25th St.

Fort LewisCollege4

5

6

7

8

Pedal the Peaks598 Main Ave. #B

Second Avenue Sports600 East Second Ave.Mountain Bike Specialists949 Main Ave.

Velorution Cycles1077 Main Ave.

Durango Cyclery143 E. 13th St.Boarding Haus BMX Repair2607 Main Ave.

San Juan Cycles48 County Road 250

Hassle Free Sports2615 Main Ave.

2

34

5

6

7

160

550

8

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1

E. Co

llege

Dr.

N. Co

llege

Dr.


Career launching • Life changing • Cycling crazy


Let the celebration begin – Twin Buttes is open.

To help celebrate the opening of a network of mountain bike trails in the Twin Buttes area west of Durango, Trails 2000 will sponsor the Durango Trails Festival on Satur-day, Aug. 18.

The community celebra-tion is a part of the buildup to Stage 1 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, sched-uled to start from Durango on Monday, Aug. 20.

“The timing is perfect,” said Mary Monroe, direc-tor of Trails 2000 and co-chairwoman of the Duran-go organizing committee for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

“We’ve been able to build 10 new miles of sin-gletrack ... there’s a brand new network of trails at Twin Buttes,” Monroe said. “And it’s just beauti-ful up there.”

She said the area be-tween Lake Nighthorse, Perins Peak and Lightner Creek is a significant addi-tion to the trail system in the greater Durango area.

“The most essential part is the area is open to the public. The trails are ready to go,” Monroe said.

“We wanted to make a community event to cel-ebrate the opening of the trails,” Monroe said.

Thus, she said, the Du-rango Trails Festival and its multitude of events were born.

The festival, also called “It’s a Real Butte,” will include short and long mountain bike races and trail races.

“We’re encouraging peo-ple to sign up as teams,” Monroe said. “We want people to see the trails.”

She said there will be hikes led by MK Thompson of the San Juan Mountains Association.

And, Monroe said, Sarah Tescher of Durango DEVO will lead a kids scavenger hunt at Twin Buttes.

Monroe said the trail complex is an excellent area for family mountain biking and hiking.

There will be a six-lap endurance mountain bike race with divisions for solo men and women, three-person teams and three- or four-person coed teams. There also is a singlespeed division.

A two-lap mountain bike

race also will be held with two-person teams and indi-vidual.

The trail races will include a 30-kilometer run and a 10K. There are divisions for three-person teams in the 30K as well as solo divisions.

Registration information is available at the website trails2000.org.

Maps also are accessible on the website.

Camping is available at Twin Buttes for those rac-ing. Organizers will escort campers to their camp spots from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17 and from 6:30 to 7 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 18.

There also are spaces for large RVs.

There are no electric or sewer hookups.

All other vehicles will be parked at the Twin Buttes main entrance.

The race course will be open for inspection start-ing Friday night.

Racers can pick up their registration packets at the Backspace Theatre after 2 p.m. Friday.

Racing will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Course maps also are available online at www.trails2000.org.

Sponsors for the event include: Osprey, Mercy Regional Medical Center, BP and Rakita Tomsic Physical Therapy with as-sistance from Durango Mo-torless Transit, Adaptive Sports and La Plata Search and Rescue.

durango Herald file photo

Mountain bike races, part of the Durango trails Festival, will mark the opening of the twin Buttes trail system.

970.759.9880

ZIPLINE • PAINTBALL • SLACK LINE

2 minutes from Downtown 2 minutes from Downtown

ZIPLINEDURANGODURANGO


0 .5

160

Fort Lewis College

Cycling Village

550

Mai

n Av

e.

Mai

n Av

e.

E. 8

th A

ve.

E. 3

rd A

ve.

Rim Dr.

Rim Dr.

College Drive

8th St.

12th St.

Florid

a Rd.

N. Coll

ege D

r.

CR 2

38

S. Camino del Rio

Downtown Durango route

Anim

as R

iver

Miles

Start

Start

2 parade laps

Race circuit

Sprint line

Colorado Springs

Montrose

Telluride

550

Breckenridge

Golden

Boulder

7Denver

Mount Crested Butte

Gunnison

Durango

Aspen

Beaver Creek6

4

32

1

5

160160

25

70

Colorado stages

The Grand Depart to the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will begin on Main Avenue in downtown Durango. Starting at Eighth and Main, the cyclists will make two neutral, parade laps through downtown Durango.

They will ride south on Main Avenue to Fifth Street, turning left and riding up to Third Av-enue.

Another left turn, and the cy-clists will pedal north on Third Avenue to 12th Street at Buckley Park.

Left again, and the cyclists will ride down to Main for another left-hand turn.

The cyclists will repeat the downtown loop before the racing

begins on the third downtown lap. Cyclists will break off the loop

course and turn right on College Drive before another left turn onto Eighth Avenue and the climb up the front hill to Fort Lewis College.

They will pedal around Rim Drive and around Hillcrest Club to Goeglein Gulch Road.

Then, it’s down the hill to Florida Road for a rapid return to downtown Durango via Third Avenue to 12th Street to Main Av-enue where the race’s first sprint line is located.

Racers will exit downtown Durango by way of Camino del Rio to Country Road, the road to Nighthorse Reservoir.

Online event coverage

Visit durangoherald.com

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TheDurangoHerald

Follow us on Twitter: @DurangoHerald

KeVin KrecK/Associated Press

christian Vande Velde rides to a second-place finish in the prologue of the USA Pro cycling challenge on Monday, Aug. 22, 2011, in colorado Springs, colo.

Durango to Denver• 683 miles

• 47,000 combined vertical feet of climbing

• 9 mountain passes

STAGE 1

Monday, Aug. 20Durango to Telluride125.6 miles

Tuesday, Aug. 21Montrose to Crested Butte99.2 miles

Wednesday, Aug. 22Silver Queen Stage: Gunnison to Aspen130.5 miles

Thursday, Aug.23Aspen to Beaver Creek97.2 miles

Friday, Aug. 24Breckenridge to Colorado Springs117.9 miles

Saturday, Aug. 25Golden to Boulder103.3 miles

Sunday, Aug. 26Downtown Denver19.5-miles individual time trial


Cortez

Dolores

Lizard Head Pass

Ophir

Mancos

Hesperus

Rico

Stoner

Durango

Telluride

McPhee Reservoir

Nighthorse Reservoir

140CR 141

160

145

550

7

160

550

START

FINISH

Wildcat Canyon Rd.

KOM(King of the Mountain)

Sprint line Sprint line

Weber Fire area

MILES

10,550 feet

8,700 feet

6,850 feet

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 125.6

Durango Hesperus Mancos Hill Dolores Lizard Head Pass Summit Ophir Telluride

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12

3

4

5

6

145

184

CR 210

Stage 1• Durango to Telluride

Herald Staff report

Under its new broadcast partnership with the NBC Sports Network and NBC, the USA Pro Cycling Chal-lenge will enjoy 29 hours of televised coverage this year.

The coverage will open with the Grand Depart, the start of the first stage in Durango on Monday, Aug. 20. Daily coverage is scheduled on NBC Sports Network.

There will be added weekend coverage on the NBC network – two hours on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25-26. It will mark the most television coverage of any cycling event in the United States.

Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the interna-tionally known voices of cycling, will provide race commentary.

Durango’s Bob Roll, a former racer and longtime cycling commentator, will be the in-race reporter.

The day before the race, NBC Sports Network will air a one-hour preview show at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19.

Before the race each day, except Sunday, NBC Sports Network will offer profiles of the cyclists during a

30-minute show at 1:30 p.m.Highlights of the stages

will be featured each day at 9 p.m.

television Schedule(Mountain Daylight Time)

Stage 1: Monday, Aug. 20 – Du-rango to Telluride – 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Stage 2: Tuesday, Aug. 21 – Montrose to Crested Butte/Mount Crested Butte – 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Stage 3: Wednesday, Aug. 22 – Gunnison to Aspen – 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Stage 4: Thursday, Aug. 23 – As-

pen to Beaver Creek/Vail Village – 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Stage 5: Friday, Aug. 24 – Breck-enridge to Colorado Springs – 2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Stage 6: Saturday, Aug. 25 – Golden to Boulder – noon-2 p.m. (NBC); 2-4 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

Stage 7: Sunday, Aug. 26 – Den-ver Individual Time Trial – noon-2 p.m. (NBC Sports Network); 2-4 p.m. (NBC)

Associated Press file photo

Cyclists will face nearly 14 miles of dirt and gravel on Cottonwood pass again this year. the rest of the USa pro Cycling Challenge’s 683 miles will be on pavement.


Durango to Telluride is only the beginning for the cyclists in the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

There still will be six stages and 557.4 miles to go to the finish in Denver on Sunday, Aug. 26. That’s one more stage than the inau-gural 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge offered.

Here’s a look at the rest of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge:

Stage 2

tueSDay, aug. 21, MontroSe to CreSteD Butte: The 99-mile stage will start with a new section from Montrose east over Cerro Summit and Blue Mesa Summit to Gunnison, location of the stage’s first Sprint Line.

Then cyclists will retrace the 2011 route up the high-way from Gunnison to Crest-

ed Butte before the gruel-ing uphill finish at Mount Crested Butte.

First, cyclists will contest the day’s second Sprint Line in historic downtown Crest-ed Butte.

A two-mile climb to the finish at the ski resort will close the stage – the key stage last year where eventual winner Levi Leipheimer won and took the leader’s jersey.

Stage 3

WeDneSDay, aug. 22, gunniSon to aSpen: Tabbed the Silver Queen Stage with its double challenge of Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass, the route spans 130.5 grueling miles – with lots and lots of climbing.

From Gunnison, the first Sprint Line is in the tiny community of Almont.

Then, cyclists will contest the first King of the Moun-tain near Taylor Park Res-ervoir, where the cyclists

will leave the pavement again this year.

Nearly 14 miles of dirt and gravel over Cottonwood Pass (12,126 feet) are next as cyclists pedal to the highest point of the week.

After the twisting de-scent into Buena Vista, the pack will turn north on U.S. Highway 24 to Twin Lakes, where they will turn for the long climb up Indepen-dence Pass (12,095 feet).

The rapid descent of In-dependence Pass will take riders to the finish in down-town Aspen, where George Hincapie won the stage in 2011.

A women’s pro race will finish in Aspen before the finishing of the USA Pro Cycling State.

Stage 4

thurSDay, aug. 23, aSpen to Beaver Creek: Cyclists will

From Telluride to Denver by eight mountain passes

nathan BiloW/associated press file photo

Walter Morales pedraza of Columbia was the first to the summit of Cottonwood pass (12,126 feet) in 2011. riders must negotiate nearly 14 miles of dirt road on Cottonwood pass.

See page 22

confront an elevation test in Stage 4, the 97.2-mile run from Aspen to Beaver Creek (near Vail). Most of the stage will be above 9,000 feet. And it will start with a grueling climb right out of Aspen back up Inde-pendence Pass.

After the early climb, the cyclists will descend the other side of Indepen-dence Pass before racing to a Sprint Line in down-town Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,152 feet.

After climbing to the Continental Divide at Ten-nessee Pass (10,424 feet), the course will descend into Minturn by way of Battle Mountain on a re-cently repaired U.S. High-way 24.. A final climb up to

Beaver Creek resort will close the stage.

Stage 5

Friday, aug. 24, Breckenridge to colorado SpringS: Hoo-sier Pass (11,542) will greet the riders in the fifth stage, a 117.9-mile pull to Colo-rado Springs.

The riders will descend to Fairplay and work their way to a Sprint Line in Woodland Park, where the riders are expected to hit the highest speeds of the race. They’ll also pass by the devastation of the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs. The fin-ish awaits in downtown Colorado Springs after a trip through Garden of the Gods.

And there will be three finishing circuits in down-town Colorado Springs to

showcase the field.

Stage 6

Saturday, aug. 25, golden to Boulder: Colorado’s classic climbs will take the stage in Stage 6, a 103.3-mile route that starts in Golden and finishes outside Boul-der on Flagstaff Mountain.

The day’s first Sprint Line will be in downtown Boulder near Pearl Street Mall.

The first King of the Mountain competition will be at Nederland, up Colo-rado Highway 119.

After flashing along the famed Peak to Peak High-way, the cyclists will ride down to Lyons.

The classic climbs up Lefthand Canyon and Lee Hill Road will be next be-fore the riders head back to downtown Boulder.

A final, dramatic climb up Flagstaff Mountain to the finish at Sunrise Am-

phitheater will close the penultimate stage.

Stage 7

Sunday, aug. 26, downtown denver: The USA Pro Cy-cling Challenge’s Race of Truth will wrap up the 2012 tour. A 19.5-mile indi-

vidual time trial in Denver will determine the final fin-ish order.

The course will be the same as last year’s closing circuit around the State Capitol and Civic Center Park.

dale Strode/Durango Herald file photo

cyclists will ride past state capitol building in denver on the final stage of the 2012 uSa pro cycling challenge. But this year, the denver stage will be an individual time trial.

JoHn pierce/USPCC /PhotoSport International

in the 2011 pro challenge, the garden of the gods area near colo-rado Springs served as the start for the opening prologue. the area is again part of this year’s challenge.

2012 USA PRO CYCLING CHALLENGE Page 21 •

Continued from 21

Supporting the Four CornerS CyCling Community with

deSignS oF overpaSSeS, underpaSSeS and

everything in between

CIVIL ENGINEERING

STRUCTURAL DESIGN (LEED AP)

SURVEYING & MAPPING

SITE DESIGN

970.247.1705WWW.GOFFENGINEERING.COM

95262

JOE HANEL/Durango Herald file photo

Garmin Sharp Barracuda team cyclist Peter Stetina took time to sign autographs before the first stage of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Salida. The 2012 version of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will start in Durango on Monday, Aug. 20.

By Jordyn dahlHerald Staff Writer

As if the USA Pro Cycling Challenge isn’t enough, event organizers have put together a slew of other races and events for tourists, bike fanatics and local residents.

Festivities leading up to the professional bike race will start Thursday, Aug. 16. The race will begin Monday, Aug. 20, which forced Durango School District 9-R to postpone the first day of school until Tuesday, Aug. 21.

For people with an affin-ity for the arts, the Durango Arts Center will present “The Bicycle Men,” a musi-cal comedy about an Amer-ican tourist who crashes his bike.

The play sold out in London, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago before making its way to Durango. Tickets are $22 and can be purchased online at www.durangoarts.org.

In its first official event, Twin Buttes will host mountain bike and endur-ance running races on Aug. 18. Featured are two moun-tain bike races, a 30-kilo-meter trail run and a 10K trail run. Participants also can camp on private land at Twin Buttes.

About 100 camping spots are available. To register for the event, visit www.trails2000.org.

Youngsters who want to be the next USA Pro Cy-cling Challenge champion can attend a community bike rodeo from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Fort Lewis College softball fields. Kids will

learn bike safety skills, bike etiquette and proper helmet fitting.

Several professional cy-clists are expected to attend the event, and kids who log their total miles ridden will receive a medal.

Want to experience the ride the professionals will be making around Du-rango? Race organizers created the Pro-Challenge Experience, a 72.75-mile ride that will start at 7 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, in down-town Durango with a loop the professionals make in the actual race. Riders will go up Wildcat Canyon, then return to downtown before making the trek up to Du-rango Mountain Resort. The ride will end with a festival at FLC.

If you’re not quite up to the almost 73-mile trek, there is a 45-mile route that finishes with a festival at DMR.

A downtown street party will be held Sunday night

(Aug. 19) before the race from 4 to 9 p.m., with food, beer stands and live music from Andrea’s Fault, Kirk James Band, Ralph Dino-saur and the High Rollers.

“We wanted to have the Pro Challenge experience,” said Mary Monroe, a mem-ber of Durango’s local or-ganizing committee.

Fireworks reserved for the Fourth of July celebra-tion that was canceled will be set off at 9:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19.

Main Avenue will be closed from Fifth to 10th streets for the downtown block party.

Local businesses and or-ganizers collaborated to put together the Race Day Start Festival, which will begin at 7 a.m. in Buckley Park and will remain open until 5 p.m. Breakfast burritos, coffee and a video display from the JumboTron of the opening stage will be available.

“A lot of local organiza-tions are working together to pull off these events,” said Kristen Muraro, events coordinator for Ska Brewing Co.

Shaun Stanley/durango Herald file photo

a bike parade from Buckley Park to Ska Brewing will help put du-rango in the spirit of the uSa Pro Cycling Challenge. the parde will kick off events at 5:30 p.m. thursday, aug. 16.

for a list of events in durango during the leadup and day of the challenge, see Page 10. Downtown Three Springs

1099 Main Avenue 175 Mercado Street, Suite 119

970.375.7689 www.alpinebank.comfrom the start.Right

Let'

s G

et T

his

Part

y St

arte

d!

Member FDIC

Welcome cyclists. Pull in to one of our 37 Colorado locations. We’ll fill your water bottle and talk about your next big start.

Months of Training ■Bike That Takes You to the Finish Line ■Spandex That’s Loud and Proud ■Fans Who Adore You ■Bank You Can Count On ■

By Mitchell ByarsBoulder daily Camera

BOULDER – The race to the finish line of the Boulder stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge is days away, but the chance for fans to secure a spot at the finish is here.

Wristbands for those who want to watch the Flagstaff Mountain finish of Stage 6 of the elite race at the end of the month are avail-able at various locations through-out Boulder.

Boulder will be hosting the second-to-last day of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge on Saturday, Aug. 25, with the stage finish tak-ing place on Flagstaff Mountain.

Those who want to watch the finish will be required to wear a

special Tyvek wristband that lists the rules and code of conduct for access to the mountain.

The wristbands are free. Each person will be limited to five and must read and abide by the code of conduct.

Concerns about crowds creat-ing a fire hazard and trashing Boulder open space prompted officials to put the guidelines into place.

“We appreciate how the race organizers have been sensitive to the needs and concerns of open space, and we believe the wrist-bands and code of conduct – de-veloped by the Local Organizing Committee in coordination with the city – will be an important tool for both educating spectators and managing the overall num-

bers on Flagstaff,” said Boulder City Manager Jane Brautigam in a statement.

While handing out wristbands at the Boulder Cycling Lounge on the Twenty Ninth Street Mall, Julie Hudetz, of Cycling Soul – which was contracted by the local organizing committee – said most of the people picking up wrist-bands have been understanding of the code of conduct and the five-bracelet limit.

“People have been very reason-able,” she said. “The important thing for us is to have the race finish on Flagstaff Mountain but to maintain the integrity of Flag-staff.”

Hudetz said she already has given out a large amount of wristbands to eager race fans

of all sorts. “We just had some junior cyclists come in and pick up some,” she said. “People are really excited about it.”

Alec Uitti of Boulder picked up four wristbands for his wife and two friends from the Cycling Lounge after seeing them while walking past the store. He said he watched the Aspen stage of last year’s race and was excited to hear it was coming through Boul-der this year.

“Even though the cyclists pass you in about a minute, the great thing is it’s thousands upon thou-sands of other people who love the sport and are screaming their heads off,” he said. “Being in a group of people who are so enthu-siastic about it, it almost brought me to tears last time.”

Crowd management plan implemented for penultimate stage

Event information websitesDurango heraldwww.durangoherald.com

Durango eventswww.durango2012.com

Usa Pro cycling challengewww.usaprocyclingchallenge.com

colorado Department of transportationwww.cotrip.org

Velonews Magazinewww.velonews.com

cyclingnewswww.cyclingnews.com

it’s not everyday we get to welcome world-class athletes to durango. Wait…many of them live here! It’s an amazing place to call home on or off the bike. Welcome to all the cyclists, crews, and visitors to our beautiful area. Stop by if we can be of service.

WWW.FSWB.COM | 970-375-1100679 E. 2nd Avenue, Suite A | Durango, CO 81301

ATM LOCATION: CORNER OF 7TH AND E. SECOND AVENUEMember FDIC • An Equal Housing Lender

BANKING IS OUR PASSION.Bet we know yours!

HELEN H. RICHARDSON/The Denver PostJens Voigt of Germany, one of the most popular riders in the peloton, will return to Colo-rado for the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Voigt is riding for RadioShack-Nissan-Trek this year.

Herald Staff report

Colorado Department of Transportation will provide travel impact information for motorists during the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, what could be the largest spectator event in Colorado history.

The race, which will start in Durango on Monday, Aug. 20, and will end in Denver on Sunday, Aug. 26, will affect numerous high-ways across the state dur-ing the week.

The site will have data on closures, delays and sug-gested alternative routes.

There also will be links to host cities’ websites, includ-ing www.durango2012.com. There also are links to long-term parking questions.

For real-time informa-tion related to highway im-pacts, motorists can sign up for CDOT’s email and text alerts, available at www.coloradodot.info by clicking on the green cellphone icon. Follow CDOT on Twitter: @coloradodot.

Daily road closure infor-mation during the event also will be available by calling 511 from anywhere in the state or by visiting www.cotrip.org.

Race officials estimate more than 1 million specta-tors may watch the race in person over the course of seven consecutive days. The race will go through numer-ous Colorado communities with starts and finishes in Durango, Telluride, Montrose, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Aspen, Beaver Creek/Vail, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Golden, Boulder and Denver.

Stage 1

Aug. 20: Durango to Tel-luride. Highways affected will be Colorado Highways 160, 184 and 145. Impacts will begin at 7 a.m. in Du-rango and will end by 4 p.m.

Stage 2

Aug. 21: Montrose to Mount Crested Butte. High-ways affected will be U.S. Highway 50 and Colorado Highway 135, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending by 4 p.m. Also, Cottonwood Pass will be closed at 3 p.m. Aug. 21 until 1 p.m. Aug. 22.

Stage 3

Aug. 22: Gunnison to Aspen. Highways affected include Colorado Highway 135, U.S. Highway 24, Cot-tonwood Pass and Colorado

Higway 82 (Independence Pass) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Stage 4

Aug. 23: Aspen to Beaver Creek. Highways affected include Colorado Highway 82, U.S. Highway 24 and U.S. Highway 6. Impacts will begin at 9 a.m. and end about 4 p.m.

Stage 5

Aug. 24: Breckenridge to Colorado Springs: High-ways affected include Colo-rado Highway 9 and U.S. Highway 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Stage 6

Aug. 25: Golden to Boul-der. Highways affected include Colorado highways 93, 119, 72, 7 and U.S. High-way 36. Impacts will start at 11 a.m. and end about 4 p.m.

Stage 7

Aug. 26: Denver time trial: No highway impacted; down-town Denver streets only.

Race impacts to be on state website

HigHway cloSureS and road impactS at: www.co-trip.org/content/usapcc/

on tHe net

3 Sports Therapists2 Cyclist Therapists

Spa service includes pretreatment in therapy hot pools.

dale Strode/Durango Herald

Highway closures in crested Butte prompted spectators to ride their bike to the finish in mount crested Butte. State highways will experi-ence rolling closures throughout the uSa pro cycling challenge.

Talk the talk: Here’s a glossary of cycling terminology.

Attack: A quick attempt by one rider to get away from the group or another rider.Abandon: Quitting a race in progress.Bidon: A bottle attached to the bike frame with a small metal receptacle containing water or another refreshing liquid. Not surprisingly, bidon is French for “water bottle.”Big ringing it: Simply enough, it’s when the rider has his chain on the bigger of two front chainrings. This allows a cyclist to go for maximum speeds and is used on flatter terrain.Blocking: When one rider pur-posely obstructs the path of other riders, typically as part of a team strategy to allow other team members to build a gap during a breakaway.Bonk: Essentially meaning “out of gas,” or “hitting the wall,” another euphemism for run-ning completely out of energy.Bonus sprints (sprint lines): In

a given stage, race organizers typically designate several points along the course where extra points are given to the first three riders to cross the line. The first Sprint Line in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will be on Main Avenue in downtown Durango. Breakaway: No dekes or 360 dunks here, but the idea is similar to other sports. It’s when a rider or group of rid-ers pulls ahead and separates themselves from the main pack. Bridge the gap: When one group or rider breaks away, the natural reaction of every-one else involved is to play catch-up. This term is used to define the moment when an-other rider or group catches the breakaway.Caravan/race caravan: All those cars you see riding among the bikes typically carry officials or each team’s support group, which provide food, extra clothing, etc. Cara-van is the collective term for those riding on four wheels.

Cadence: You know how cars measure how many times a piston turns per minute in the engine – i.e. RPMs? This is the cycling equivalent. It’s how many times in a minute a pedal stroke is completed.Chamois: Pronounced “sham-my,” in this case it’s not refer-ring to the moisture-wicking towel used by swimmers and people washing and waxing cars. In cycling, it’s a soft, absorbent liner in the crotch of cycling shorts, padded for maximum comfort. Chasers: Remember a little bit ago when we went over what it meant to bridge the gap? These are the riders attempt-ing to do just that. Criterium: A multi-lap race typically held on a shorter track that typically lasts for a set amount of time. Durango annually hosts one of these downtown on the Sunday of Iron Horse Bicycle Classic weekend. Commissaire: Equivalent to other sports’ referees or judges, this is the person in

charge of enforcing the rules in cycling. They’re typically seen with a copy of the rules, stopwatch and clipboard.Circuit race: Essentially a longer criterium, it’s a multi-lap event on a course that’s usually two or more miles in length.DNF: Did not finishDomestique: A noble soul the big guns typically need to earn victory. It’s a rider who gives up any shot at individ-ual honors to help the team leader who’s in contention to win. Drafting: Commonly used in auto racing as well, this is when riders line up closely behind another rider to coast in the pocket of air his or her body creates, thus diminish-ing drag. The lead rider can expend up to 30 percent more energy than the riders behind him or her. Dropped: Something any rider doesn’t want to be. This term is for when riders aren’t able to maintain the pace set by the lead pack, typically be-

cause they’re tired or have some kind of mechanical issue.Echelon: A line of riders at the lead of the group who, in the interest of fairness early in the race, take turns at the front so each rider can get the most protection from the wind as possible. Feeding: Even finely tuned athletic specimens get hungry from time to time. Cyclists often go to the team support car to pick up a pack, called a “musette,” which is full of food and water bottles, which they often empty into the pouches in the back of their jerseys. Riders typically favor high-energy foods that break down rapidly.Field: The main group of rid-ers, also known as a pack or peloton. Field sprint: The final big push among a group of riders, not necessarily for the win.Force the pace: Sometimes, one rider decides he has had enough of this snail’s pace, so he speeds up to increase the

tempo of the pack. Gap: Mind it. It’s the dis-tance between individuals or groups. General classification: The race’s overall leaderboard, representing each rider’s total time in the race. The lower the time, the higher the ranking. Grand tour: The three three-week major stage races: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Grupetto: The group that usually forms at the back of the field on mountain stages, finishing just soon enough to beat the time limit (see also Time Cut). It’s usually made up of sprinters and other rid-ers who don’t specialize in climbing. Also called an “autobus.”Hammering: Pedaling steadily and strenuously.Hammered: Exhausted. Worn out. Severely lacking any sem-blance of energy. Hanging on: Barely keeping contact at the pack’s rear, i.e., in danger of being dropped.

Extraordinary Neighborhood in Durango, Colorado. New Energy Star certified homes starting in the $200’sThree Springs Info Center 175 Mercado St., Durango, CO / 970.764.6000 / discoverthreesprings.com

Tour de Three SpringsNo matter what loop you take all roads lead home.Waking up in an energy-star certified home at Three Springs is a great start to every day.The trails winding through our neighborhoods link to the vast Telegraph Trail system; Three Springs Plaza plays host to cycling and athletic events year-round; and our community is alive with fantastic people who choose to live, work and play here.

Schedule your Tour de Three Springs today!

A Southern Ute Company

Hook: Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not, it’s when a rider uses his rear wheel to clip the front wheel of the rider behind him.Jump: A sudden burst of speed. It typically occurs at the beginning of the sprint, so expect to see this on more level terrain. KOM: King of the Mountain. The top dog of climbing, if you will. The first KOM points line for the Pro Challenge is at the summit of Hesperus Hill.Kick: The final burst toward the finish.Lead out: Intentional and often selfless, it’s when one rider begins a sprint to give a head start to another rider, typically a teammate, who then slingshots around at an even quicker pace to take the lead. Mass start: Any race in which every cyclist starts at the same time. Read: Not a time trial. Mechanical: Cycling jargon for a mechanical problem with a bicycle. Usually not what any competitor wants to hear. Mountain climb classifica-tion: Large mountain climbs normally come with a num-ber attached. Category 4 is the easiest type, followed by 3, 2 and 1 in increasing order of difficulty. These numerical indicators of suffering are based off the length and av-erage gradient of the climb.Off the back: One or more riders who’ve failed to keep pace with the main pack. Off the front: When a rider takes part in a breakaway, which is seemingly more preferable to the being off the back. Call it a hunch. On the front: Not quite as fun as being off the front, but leading the peloton for an ex-tended period of time would be suitable. This is the term for a rider doing just that. Paceline: Another word for “echelon”. Peloton: The main field or pack of riders. It’s a French word meaning “group moving forward,” which is convenient because nobody seems to win a race going backward. Point to point road race: A one-day event in which the route goes from Point A to Point B. The top dog events of this nature are called Clas-sics. Popped: The term for when one’s legs lose all power. Not quite as fun to say as its synonym – knackered. Also called “blown,” “had it” and “stuffed.”Prologue: Short time trial that

starts off stage races.Prime: Pronounced “preem.” It’s a race within a race in which cyclists can win prizes for leading a designated lap or at a particular part of a race. Popular in criteriums, including at last year’s Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, when one of the prizes was a John Elway trading card. Pull: When a rider takes a turn in the front in order to cut the wind for the other rid-ers in the pack. Usually this is standard practice and a pretty nice thing to do before the race gets late. Pull off: Getting out of the way because it’s somebody else’s turn at the front. No-body wants to be the guy stuck at the front the whole time. Pull Through: Moving to the front of the paceline, from the second spot in line, after the lead rider swings off to the front. Puncture: What you likely were expecting when you saw “popped” earlier. A flat tire. Road rash: Large scrapes and cuts on a cyclist who has just taking a nasty tumble, usually on asphalt. What you may have referred to as “strawberries” as a kid, only on a much larger scale because, well, these folks are moving at a rapid pace on self-powered machines. Saddle: The bike seat. Simple enough. Sitting in: When one rider refuses to take a pull, which typically angers the other rid-ers in the pack who are. Big time. Sitting up: When a cyclist isn’t tucked in the most aero-dynamic position. This hap-pens most frequently during climbs because everybody needs to get some extra gid-dy-up, so they climb off the saddle to get a push.Slipstream: The windless pock-et of air created by drafting. Soigneur: Pronounced “swaneur,” which is a fairly fancy way to describe what most of us on this side of the pond would call a trainer. They handle massages and help out with other medical maladies. Sprint: A sudden thrust of speed toward the end of the race when more than one rider is involved. Stage race: A series of indi-vidual races of varied types – time trials, road races, circuit races or criteriums – that make up one event that takes place over the course of several days. The lowest total time wins. It’s entirely

possible to not win a single stage yet win the race overall, although stage wins typically are handy. Switchback: A tight, twisting turn on the face of a moun-tain. One that makes you wonder, “How do those rid-ers not just go flying off the side?”Take a flyer: When a rider takes a solo run off the front of the pack. Sometimes the cyclist succeeds in pulling away for good, sometimes not. Team captain: The head hon-cho, the person in charge, the big kahuna. The person directing a team’s strategy during the race and typically the most experienced rider of the bunch.Team car: This car typically contains spare bike tires, food, drinks, medical supplies and is basically one-stop shopping for a rider’s in-race needs. How there aren’t more collisions between these and the cyclists is a mystery.Team director: An even big-ger head honcho, person in charge and big kahuna. This person manages the tactics during the race and picks the riders for each race as well as deciding which races the team will participate in. Team leader: The rider des-ignated as the team’s best chance to win a particular event, stage or jersey. Tempo: A brisk speed. These folks tend to be pretty fast. Trust us. Time trial: An individual race against the clock. Often, rid-ers will use different wheels and wear more aerodynamic gear for these events. The helmets must be more aero-dynamic, because they sure aren’t much of a fashion statement. UCI: Union Cicliste Internatio-nale. These folks run the show as the sport’s foremost gov-erning body. Best to not get on their bad side. USA Cycling: The official gov-erning body of American cy-cling. These are the folks that establish the criteria for who does and doesn’t make the Olympic team and monitor all cycling disciplines.USCF: U.S. Cycling Federation. This group monitors amateur road and track racing in Amer-ica and is contained under the USA Cycling umbrella.USPRO: U.S. Professional Cy-cling. The USCF’s professional cousin. Velo: French for bike. Take it from us, there’ll be a lot of these hitting town.

At a True Southwest Style Motel

531 South Broadway, Cortez, CO 81321Reservations Only 877.565.8507 • www.sleepingutemountainmotel.com

Sleeping Ute MoUntain Motel

Affordable Rates

Special rates for a special

crowd!Single $59 Double $69 Family* $79

Breakfast Included *up to 4 people

640 S. Broadway • Cortez, CO 81321Local (970) 565-3773 • Fax (970) 565-1027

www.cortezmesaverdeinn.com

Mesa Verde Resort

INN


Volunteers?You need volunteers for a

bicycle race?Try Durango.“Durango people are

amazing. People are volun-teering for multiple posi-tions,” said Cathy Craig of Durango, the co-chairwom-an of the volunteer commit-tee for the local stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

“We’re a cycling-friendly community. We know how to pull off a great race ... we’ve done the Iron Horse,” Craig said, adding that she wasn’t surprised by the turnout of volunteers for the USA Pro Challenge in Durango.

Forty years of the Iron Horse prepared the com-munity well, she said.

“The surprise to me ... is people embracing the time and effort to do everything in advance ... before the race even gets here,” Craig said, adding that the local organiz-ers have nearly 1,200 volun-teer positions in Durango.

“Their willingness to step up is impressive,” she said.

And they’ve stepped up

in big numbers.“We have more volun-

teers than any other city (in the USA Pro Cycling Chal-lenge),” Craig said.

More than 600 people have lined up for the 1,200 volunteer spots needed for the Durango stage.

“Because we are the overall start, more volun-teers are needed,” Craig said, adding that pre-race staging requirements ne-cessitate more volunteers.

For example, she said there are about 300 vehicles affiliated with the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge including team cars, neu-tral support cars, referees cars, race officials vehicles, medical vehicles, etc.

“All of those cars have to be decaled in Durango,” she said of the race stickers for the official vehicles. “All of that for the whole race is done here.”

In addition, uniforms for race officials will be or-ganized and distributed in Durango.

“And the tour staff and the teams ... they are all flying into Durango. They need to be picked up at the airport and shuttled into town,” Craig said.

There are scores of other volunteer positions includ-ing parking, course mar-shals, recycling, etc.

“And because we are the overall start, we have the opportunity to put on all these other events (be-fore the race),” Craig said. That’s added to the volun-teer numbers, she said.

Craig said she was en-couraged about the level of support at the very first volunteer orientation.

The meeting was held on a Friday evening dur-ing a pouring rainstorm on the night of the opening ceremonies for the London Olympics.

The meeting at Fort Lewis College drew a stand-ing-room-only crowd that far exceeded the 300 seats in the meeting room.

“That was really, really exciting,” Craig said, add-ing that anyone interested in volunteering can learn more at the event website at www.durango2012.com

“People really want their guests coming to Durango to have a great time,” she said.

“We all love Durango. We want people who visit to have that same experience.”

Race start requires extra help

By Scott condonAspen Times

ASPEN – The best profes-sional female cyclists in the United States will return to Aspen for a downtown crite-rium race that will finish just before Stage 3 of the men’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

The women’s race has been renamed the Blue Rib-bon Alpine Challenge after title sponsor Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Restaurants. Originally scheduled with three stages including a prologue time trial to Maroon Bells and a 35-mile circuit race around Snowmass Village, orga-nizers had to cut back to the single race, the down-town Aspen criterium on Wednesday, Aug. 22.

Race organizer Jessica Phillips said she is hopeful that Kristin Armstrong, the U.S. Olympic gold medal-ist in the time trial, will be among the racers. Arm-strong is a mom and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Armstrong was focused on the Olympics, so she hasn’t committed yet to any races after the games. Her presence would provide a big boost to the Blue Ribbon Alpine Challenge at a time when Phillips needs one.

A number of Durango-area pro racers, including Carmen Small and Kristin McGrath, are scheduled to race in Aspen. Lauren Hall of Dolores also is a likely racer in Aspen.

Phillips, an accomplished pro cyclist herself, is taking this season off to concen-trate on organizing the Aspen-Snowmass Village races.

The required effort is

equivalent to any climb or sprint she endured during her racing days. And the frustration of being a race organizer exceeds what she experienced as a racer.

Phillips said she tried to get other Colorado towns and resorts hosting men’s races interested in hosting women’s races so more stages are possible.

Most towns seem so over-whelmed hosting the men’s races that they are unwill-ing to take on extra effort, she said. In some cases, they don’t understand why the women’s races are being presented at the same time as the men’s.

The organizers of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge also have been somewhat reluctant to embrace wom-en’s racing, Phillips said. She doesn’t understand the reasoning.

“It doesn’t compete against the men’s race,” she said.

Phillips knows firsthand that many of the men rac-ing in the international field of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge enjoy it when the women’s races coincide with their stages.

Phillips is married to Tejay van Garderen, a top

U.S. racer and the highest American finisher in the recent Tour de France.

Phillips said many of the male riders she has met have expressed support for women’s racing.

The Blue Ribbon Alpine Challenge attracts the top teams and many of the top riders in the nation. Phil-lips expects about 40 riders. There were 38 last year.

“To get top teams and top riders from Europe, you need more than three stages,” Phillips said. They cannot justify the travel ex-penses for short races.

The women’s races also have a tougher time than the men’s races to attract spectators and sponsors. Despite the hurdles, Phil-lips is convinced her team has put together a good event. “Everything’s put together better this year,” she said.

That’s why it is frustrat-ing to her that more towns and people aren’t embrac-ing the women’s races.

“If we could somehow break in,” she said.

Criterium finish on USA Pro Cycling course

dALE StRodE/Durango Herald file photo

Pro women racers will return to downtown Aspen on Aug. 22.

www.aspenwomensprorace.com.

RAcE infoRmAtion

Fraley & Company Inc.

Committed to Customer serviCe Serving the Four Corners Since 1958

ProPANeCYLINDER FILLING • RV MOTOR FUEL

1-800-392-6939 / 970-565-8538 www.fraleyandcompany.com

Fraley service Center6723 Hwy 160 @ 491

sinclair Card Lock110 N. Broadway

2 Locations to serve you in Cortez!

Documents

2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge