#Breckenridge, Colorado.
What? You didn’t think Summit County would getan even bigger piece of the USA Pro Challenge, did you? While four of the seven stages of the cycling race either begin or end in Summit, the sixth stage, one determined by feedback from event fans, will take place in Larimer County, officials announced Monday.
With the majority of the host cities announced for the 2015 USA Pro Challenge, organizers looked to fans to help determine the start and finish locations for Stage 6. Thousands of fans submitted their opinions, providing more than 20 start and finish city options. In the end, nearly half the responses encouraged a return to Northern Colorado, resulting in a Stage 6 start in Loveland and a finish in Fort Collins.
“Loveland and Fort Collins have been such great host cities in the past and we’re looking forward to visiting them again,” Shawn Hunter, CEO of the USA Pro Challenge, said in a press release. “Last year, we gave fans the chance to weigh in on the final stage of the race and we got a huge response with people voicing their support for the two different options. This year, the fans once again showed their passion for the sport through an overwhelming number of responses regarding where Stage 6 should take place.”
After the initial host cities announcement just over two weeks ago, during which six of the seven stages for the 2015 race were revealed, fans were given the opportunity to provide suggestions for Stage 6 through Facebook and the race website.
With the fans’ opinions taken into account, the Stage 6 host cities have been determined. And while the host cities are familiar to the race, after visiting them in 2013, the route through Larimer County promises to be new and unique in 2015.
“It has been incredible to witness the outpouring of support from the Northern Colorado community who has rallied together to bring back the USA Pro Challenge in 2015,” organizer Eric Thompson said in a press release. “We are honored to have been selected for Stage 6 next summer and look forward to sharing the excitement with the cycling fans that made it happen.”
Taking place Aug. 17-23, the host cities and stages of the 2015 USA Pro Challenge include:
Stage 1: Monday, Aug. 17 – Steamboat Springs Circuit Race
Stage 2: Tuesday, Aug. 18 – Steamboat Springs to Arapahoe Basin
Stage 3: Wednesday, Aug. 19 – Copper Mountain Resort to Aspen
Stage 4: Thursday, Aug. 20 – Aspen to Breckenridge
Stage 5: Friday, Aug. 21 – Breckenridge Individual Time Trial
Stage 6: Saturday, Aug. 22 – Loveland to Fort Collins
Stage 7: Sunday, Aug. 23 – Golden to Denver
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.
