2014 USA Pro Challenge Returns to Crested Butte
(11/7/13) – Earlier this week, the organizers of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge announced the host cities for its fourth edition in 2014. After a noticeable absence on last year’s course, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte are once again back on the map and will host the finish of Stage 2 on Tuesday, August 19th.
The USA Pro Challenge once again returns to CB (Photo/Chris Kopf)
Route To Be Determined
Stage 2 departs from Aspen, leaving the actual route up to much speculation. Previous years have taken the peloton from Gunnison to Aspen via the Taylor reservoir and over Cottonwood and Independence passes for the difficult queen stages of those races. Traveling in the opposite direction would pose the new and potentially dangerous obstacle of descending the west side of Cottonwood Pass, which is a dirt road.
More likely it seems a safer route from Aspen could travel through Carbondale and over McClure pass toward Paonia, where the riders would ascend the dirt portion of Kebler Pass and descend a mix of dirt and pavement into Crested Butte. There is also the possibility the short dirt portions of the Kebler descent could be paved over for the race
Organizers have said final the race routes will be made public within the next 90 days. The host cities and stages of the 2014 race include:
- Stage 1: Monday, Aug. 18 – Aspen Circuit Race
- Stage 2: Tuesday, Aug. 19 – Aspen to Mt. Crested Butte
- Stage 3: Wednesday, Aug. 20 – Gunnison to Monarch Mountain (mountaintop finish)
- Stage 4: Thursday, Aug. 21 – Colorado Springs Circuit Race
- Stage 5: Friday, Aug. 22 – Woodland Park to Breckenridge
- Stage 6: Saturday, Aug. 23 – Vail Individual Time Trial
- Stage 7: Sunday, Aug. 24 – To Be Determined
Which ever way the race goes, residents and town officials are extremely excited to once again showcase our beautiful towns to the world.
