Crested Butte Trying to Get A Pro Cycling Race Stage Stop

borrowed from VeloNews Article about the Quiznos Colorado Bike Race

Hello from Crested Butte,

Crested Butte is vying to host a stage in the inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge in 2011. The proposed race routes are insane! Big climbs, big descents, high speed action all the way. Lets hope our town’s organizers can pull this off. Cycling in Crested Butte is about as big as the ski action!

Check this excerpt from Velo News:

Race organizers will announce route details perhaps as soon as next week’s Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. But chats with a few Colorado municipal and tourism officials reveals some picture of the potential route.

The home of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, Crested Butte filed a 71-page proposal Friday, three days after Medalist managing partner Jim Birrell made his second site visit to the area in two weeks. The Crested Butte group recommended seven routes, including a circuit race between the town and the nearby ski area, a time trial up the gradually ascending Highway 135 from Gunnison and a road stage connecting with Salida via the northern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Poncha Pass and Saguache.

The most intriguing — and rumored — potential route in or out of Crested Butte is a 130-mile trek over Cottonwood and Independence Passes to Aspen. This stage would climb more than 8,300 feet – all above 8,000 feet elevation – on two roads atop the Continental Divide that are closed for winter. The road over Cottonwood Pass includes a 10-mile stretch of gravel between Taylor Park Reservoir and the summit and the stage would feature more than 30 miles of high-altitude climbing.

David Ochs said that the local committee, which has taken in approximately $35,000 for the bid without beginning true fundraising efforts, is “ideally hoping for a Mt. Crested Butte finish,” atop the three-mile climb of Gothic Road. “I’ve never seen this much energy in Crested Butte for one cause,” said Ochs. “Crested Butte is cycling. We love it something fierce.”

Thanks for reading today,

Channing Boucher