Colorado Classic has officially released the details for the inaugural race. It seems this competition has reserved plenty of climbing for both men’s and women’s races.
The organizers of the inaugural race which will take place later on August, have made public the details of the four-day men’s race and the two-day women’s race, on Wednesday.
The riders will first star the competition on August 10 with a circuit race in Colorado Springs before they head to the second stage which will take place in Breckenridge. This will also be the location where the women’s race will end.
On the other hand, the men’s race will continue its route in Denver where the stages will be linked and organized along with the ‘Velorama Festival’ concerts that feature Wilco, Old 97s and the Jayhawks, Death Cab for Cutie and others.
Summary of routes for the inaugural 2017 @CoClassicPro ! For more details + route maps, check out Colorado Classic’s FB page and our website pic.twitter.com/7TI7GnDWI5
— Velorama Festival (@VeloramaFest) June 14, 2017
The goal
The main goal the Colorado Classic organizers have is strongly reflected on the fact each stage will continue and finish at the same location. The organizers hope to shake this event’s status quo up in a professional and difficult race.
Except the men’s third stage, every other one is a circuit race.
“Each course will give fans numerous opportunities in a single day to see the sport’s top riders,” said David Koff, CEO of RPM Events Group. RPM Events Group is the organization that is putting on the race.
He also added: “The start-finish areas are being built to be magnets of activity before, during and after each race. Our goal is to have you come out for one experience, and to stick around for many, many more.”
Stage’s details
The first, 25.1 km stage 1 will be a circuit race. It will start downtown on Pikes Peak Avenue and Tejon Street in Colorado Springs. Then, the riders will proceed toward and through Garden of the Gods before returning back to the start and at the same time, finish line. The men’s race has six laps for 150.4 k. The women race has two laps of the large circuit and another 3 laps of a shorter, circuit (3.8km), for a total of 61.7 km.
On the second stage, both pelotons will travel to Breckenridge. The race will take place on a 10.3 km route. It includes several ascents of the Moonstone and Boreas Pass climbs that were previously used in the former USA Pro Challenge competition. Men’s race will face 10 laps for 103 km and 2,231 meters of elevation gain. On the other hand, women’s race will have five laps for 51.5 km and 1,115m of climbing in their final stage.
After the first two stages, men will head to Denver to start the third and fourth stage. Both final stages will start at the same spot in the RiNo Art District but will then take different paths.
The third stage includes a 130 km course with 2,052 meters of climbing. It will take the riders from Denver to the mountains west of the city on the Peak to Peak Highway. The stage will take the final boost to the Mile High City through Golden Gate Canyon State Park.
Stage 4, which is a circuit race will start on a 12 km circuit that the peloton will cover 10 times for a total of 120 km. The stage will take place on Walnut Street. Then, it will continue on the City Park before the riders return back.
