Aug. 16-19 Colorado Classic features 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams racing four stages
DENVER— On the second rest day of one of pro cycling’s oldest events, organizers of one of the sport’s newest races, the Aug. 16-19 Colorado Classic, are readying for their second year of action.
Colorado Classic race organizers announced today that Team TIBCO – Silicon Valley Bank has been added as a 15th team in the women’s field, which is as many teams as any women’s stage race held in the U.S. this year.
With 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams, the Colorado Classic will feature 180 of the top pro men and women cyclists racing through mountain terrain and urban settings, with stages 1 and 2 planned for Vail and stages 3 and 4 to be held in Denver.
The Colorado Classic has re-imagined bike racing to be more fan-friendly with routes that start and finish in the same location, smaller team sizes for more competitive racing, and a shorter stage format. This year’s race builds on that approach by expanding the women’s race from two to four stages on routes similar to the men’s and multiple spectator-friendly “Race Rally Points” where fans can cheer on racers and party with friends.
Stage 1 and Stage 4 presented by Gates Industrial Corporation are multi-lap city circuits that provide spectators with numerous opportunities to see racers jockeying for position as they navigate the streets of Vail and Denver.
Stage 2 is a 9-mile test of speed and strength on a time trial course from Mountain Plaza in Vail Village to near the 10,000-foot summit of Vail Pass.
Stage 3 is this year’s “Queen’s stage” for the men: a 100-mile course that will send riders over Lookout Mountain, through Red Rocks Park, over Dinosaur Ridge, on to Evergreen and Indian Peaks before setting up as a sprint back to Denver. While the men embark on that out-and-back, women’s racers will tackle a crit course that mixes strategy and speed for 50 minutes before a final 5-lap fight to the finish.
The Colorado Classic men’s race is sanctioned by Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and designated as a 2.HC race — the highest category outside of World Tour races. Both the men’s and women’s races are part of USA Cycling’s Pro Road Tour, which showcases the premier road races in the United States, and are held in conjunction with the Velorama Festival, a three-day celebration of music and cycling in Denver.
Denver stages of the race start and finish in the Velorama festival grounds at 27th and Blake streets in the heart of Denver’s colorful RiNo Art District. From Aug. 17-19, Velorama includes music from national acts Modest Mouse, The Growlers, Cold War Kids, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Matt And Kim, The Kills plus a host of up-and-coming national touring and Colorado-based bands.
