Southwest Colorado will find itself in the international spotlight next Aug. 20 when Durango will serve as the starting line of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Its such a great city and has such a great heritage, said Stacie Lange, spokeswoman for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Its definitely a great place to start this race.
With two possible routes between Durango and the end of stage 1 in Telluride, other area towns such as Mancos, Dolores and Silverton will have to wait to see if the race will pass through.
Although some media reports have said the race will go through Dolores and up Lizard Head Pass, Lange said the final route will not be announced until next spring.
The truth of the matter is we have not determined our route, she said.
The second stage will begin in Montrose. The race will finish in Denver on Aug. 26 with an individual time trial.
The inaugural race last summer drew more than 1 million live spectators and television viewers in 161 countries and territories, race organizers said. It was carried on national television on NBC and the Versus cable channel.
The 135-rider field included some of the worlds top road cyclists. Levi Leipheimer of Team RadioShack won the race.
Ned Overend, a member of the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, was thrilled about the news.
Itll showcase the mountains in this whole part of Colorado, which a lot of people dont know about, Overend said. Itll be great for cycling here. Itll be good for tourism.
The closest that the 2011 route came to the Four Corners was Crested Butte and Gunnison.
Race organizers noted that Durango puts on the annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, an event with 4,000 riders, and the town is home to more professional cyclists, national champions and Olympians per capita than any other American city.
By incorporating iconic cycling cities like Boulder and Durango in our second-year race, we will further build the virtual postcard for the state of Colorado that we established in our inaugural year, said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the USA Pro Challenge, in a news release.
Local officials who backed the bid were enthusiastic.
Its fantastic, said Mary Monroe, co-chairwoman of the local organizing committee.
The Four Corners wanted the race last year, but the region was was passed over because not enough Western Slope towns applied to let race planners stitch together a route to Denver, Monroe said.
This year, 24 cities submitted formal bids.
That really helped our bid that more people on the Western Slope were supportive of the race, Monroe said.
Durangos distance from Denver will make for a long race.
Knowing that in 2012 we will start in one corner of the state and suffer through more mountain passes than any other race of this caliber in North America, is exciting. Add in the altitude factor, and youve got one beast of a race, Leipheimer, the 2011 winner, said in a news release from race organizers.
Race planners will have to choose whether to go north out of Durango over Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes or west, through Dolores and over Lizard Head Pass.
The western route is comparatively gentler.
If they go the other way, it will be an epic stage, said Overend, who was not a member of the local organizing committee.
Despite the altitude and tough mountain passes the race showcased in 2011, Overend thought the route could be a bit tougher.
They had a lot of group finishes. They thought the passes were going to break up the pack a lot more than they did, he said.
Although Durango has hosted other large events such as the 1990 World Mountain Biking Championship, the region has never enjoyed the type of media exposure its about to get, said Ed Zink, a member of the local organizing committee and veteran promoter of bicycle races.
Starting the race in Durango will be good for the whole state, Zink said.
The state of Colorado can count on Durango to make it look good, Zink said.
He cautioned that it might be difficult to recruit a star-studded field of riders in 2012 because cycling events at the London Olympics are just a month earlier than the USA Pro Challenge, and athletes might need a break.
They cant do everything. They have to be making some choices, Zink said.
The local organizing committee will run a fundraising campaign to raise an estimated $160,000 to cover the costs of meals, lodging and other expenses for the athletes, support crew, media and VIPs who will be in town.
Durangos position as the first city on the route will give it extra exposure. Monroe expects to see teams in town three to five days in advance.
Theyll be in and around Durango training on the roads, visiting the restaurants, she said.
She hopes to bring some riders into local schools to promote healthful lifestyles.
All this will take a lot of organizing and volunteer power.
Itll be all hands on deck, Monroe said.
Reach Joe Hanel at joeh@cortezjournal.com.
