The final stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge takes us along another highly anticipated route – the climb up and the descent down the treacherous Lookout Mountain, where the overall King of the Mountain winner will be decided. Racers will start under Golden’s famous “Howdy Folks” welcome arch, take a northern loop out of town to Highway 93 and 58th Ave where they’ll loop around North Table Mountain. Then they ride past the start line a second time, and then make the challenging ride up Lookout Mountain. At an average 6.1 percent grade and 1300 feet of elevation gain over 4.8 miles, this section provides an intense challenge on the tour’s final day. After a treacherous descent down the winding roads of Lookout Mountain, the cyclists are back again for a third time past the start line in Golden. Then they’ll go south on Washington Street to 19th and up Lookout Mountain, coming down by Jefferson County government complex. With three opportunities to see the cyclists test their strength and strategy, the Golden start line will be one of the most coveted viewing spots of the entire race. The race will go along South Golden Road and into Denver.
During the time the race is in town, there will also be an expo on Sustainability, Health and Wellness that features massage therapy, holistic healing, etc.
Some other sites include the Colorado School of Mines, Coors Brewery which offers tours, the Colorado Railroad Museum, Buffalo Bill’s grave and museum which is a very popular site, the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and the Clear Creek Trail that has a whitewater park at the west end.
The road to Lookout Mountain will be closed beginning at 5am the day of the race.
