Beaver Creek finish will toughen 2012 UPCC too

With all the fuss over and focus on whether Boulder’s Flagstaff climb will feature in stage 6 of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, it’s easy to lose sight of the stage 4 finish into Beaver Creek.

Beaver Creek Village (via Explore Colorado Blog)

Adam Lueck, local organizing committee chair for Beaver Creek, confirmed the stage 4 finish will be uphill. Lueck shared on Tuesday night at the celebration for the 2012 host cities that three options exist: Village Road, Bachelor Gulch, and Strawberry Park. “We have a lot of homework to do,” to select the best option, he said. The selection will consider, “what makes sense for the community and the competition.”

Following are speculative routes for these three options from Avon to Beaver Creek Village, traced on MapMyRide; all end in the same place. Route reconnaisance could point to potentially different finish lines. The race organizers say the final route is expected to be announced in March.

• Option 1: Village Road — the shortest option with a length of 4.3 miles, a steady category 2 climb* with average gradient of 6.5% and no descent to break up the climb to the finish.
• Option 2: Bachelor Gulch Trail / Daybreak Ridge Rd — 10 miles long with a category 1 climb* of 5.5 miles followed by a descent and almost 1 mile 4% ascent.
• Option 3: Strawberry Park Rd — 6 miles long with a category 2 climb* of 4 miles followed by a short descent and a final uphill of nearly 1 mile.

*MapMyRide category