Cities Who Bid to Host a 2012 UPCC Stage

[updated 11/29/2011. Updates in blue font. Sixteen cities or towns have confirmed bid submission. With 27 reported bids, that leaves 10 as yet unidentified assuming Denver should be counted as bid. A hypothetical parcours based on a route leak is now available here.]

Names of cities that have submitted bids to host a 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage started to appear in the news this week. Denver has previously been named as the final finish location. This list will be updated as more information becomes available. The date for naming host cities has been moved out to mid-December.

Where would you like to see the race go?

Andy Schleck and Laurens ten Dam play cat and mouse in Breckenridge (Jenney Coberly photo)

Confirmed bids submitted to host a start or finish

• Montrose
• Pagosa Springs
• Lakewood
• Telluride/Town of Mountain Village
• Salida
• Aspen
• Vail
• Durango
• Crested Butte
• Winter Park
• Breckenridge
• Boulder
• Grand Junction
• Gunnison
• Golden
• Steamboat Springs

Confirmed bids submitted to be a pass-through city

• Longmont (via Scott Conlin, Twitter)

Telluride submitted a bid for 2011 but was not selected. The town confirmed a bid submission for 2012, partnering with the Town of Mountain Village, the neighboring ski resort community. Greg Clifton, Town Manager, said, “We kept it open for either start or finish this year.  Last year we coupled with the City of Durango and promoted a stage that would specifically start in Durango and finish in Telluride, via Lizard Head Pass.  I believe that particular stage is still a strong consideration, but we elected to keep all options open.”

Lakewood submitted a bid for a stage start. The city is about seven miles west of Denver.

Pagosa Springs bid. Jennifer Green, Director of Pagosa Springs’ Tourism Committee, said, “We would be thrilled to be a host community.  We are proposing a mountain top finish on Wolf Creek Pass.  However, we also expressed willingness to participate however the organizers deemed best.  We are big fans of the event and look forward to 2012.”   

According to the Aspen Times, Aspen aims to host a start and finish. Nancy Lesley, the city’s special events director, said while Aspen and Pitkin County would prefer to have an overnight race segment, they will take whatever is given. “We applied for everything,” she said. “Everything is on the table.”

Grand Junction’s proposed routes, according to the GJFreePress, “include starting in Gateway and riding along Hwy. 147 and through the Grand Valley; or riding from Gateway to Grand Mesa, over Lands End Road, pass Powderhorn, ending in downtown Grand Junction. Another route could loop around the valley, including Palisade and Fruita.” Local organizers continue to express interest in a route that includes the Colorado National Monument.

A Real Vail article said, “The Vail Valley Foundation is working to make sure the event returns for the Vail Time Trial, which ended on Vail Pass and was critical in this year’s outcome. They also would like to see Avon incorporated again, although perhaps in some way that includes the nearby resort of Beaver Creek.”

Comments by John Messner, Gunnison: “We offered to be either a start or a finish city, whatever works best for the overall race. It was a great experience for the whole community in 2011 and there is tons of excitement and support for the 2012 bid. We’re keeping our fingers crossed!”

Comments by Kara Givnish, Steamboat Springs: “We would love to have a finish and a start again as we did last year but we are open to other options as well.”

According to a Sky Hi Daily News article, “Winter Park is the only town in Grand County that submitted a bid to be a host city for the 2012’s USA Pro Cycling Event. One [of three] proposed routes is a start at Winter Park Resort ending in Denver.”

Rumored bids submitted

• Ouray
• Colorado Springs

“Interested” cities who decided not to bid for 2012

• Idaho Springs
• Pueblo
• Alamosa
• Morrison
• Greenwood Village
• Cañon City
• Castle Rock
• Delta
• Estes Park
• Evergreen
• Glenwood Springs
• Granby (by implication from Winter Park statement)
• Fort Collins
• Loveland

A Morrison official shared that the town was surprised to have been cited as interested in hosting the race.

Bicycling recently shared the 2011 UPCC route as part of “The Cyclist’s Guide to Biking Colorado.”