Independence Pass - Party on Top, Business going up and down

Independence Pass has featured in previous additions of the USA Pro Challenge, marking the lateral high point of the race.  At 12,095 feet of elevation the air in thin, but the atmosphere jovial.  The number of cycling fans who ride to the top impresses, and those in costumes outnumber normal dressed onlookers.  As for following the race as a media member, Independence Pass day meant taking off the lanyard and mixing in along the road.  We drove up to the top scouting out a spot to take photos and wave our Colorado State University flag.  After checking out the summit, we turned around and settled on a place just outside of the 1K to go to the KOM sign.  (There is a separate competition for climbers and they are awarded points for reaching the top of mountains and can wear a special jersey as the King of the Mountains) The wind blew not as strong where we stood and our vantage point looking back down the climb was nothing short of spectacular.

With time to kill before the race snaked its way to the top, we hiked the road to the summit and danced a little to the booming music, met Smokey the Bear and spoke with the Forest Service folk at their tent. The crowd didn't feel as big as three years ago, the last time we spectated from Independence Pass, but the enthusiasm was just as high.  We trekked back to our selected viewing place and soon we could see the helicopter low in the valley alerting us of the approaching peloton.  Spectating on a mountain on a beautiful day can hardly be summed up in words and photos - such a delight.  Multiple groups and individual riders forge by in a manner much easier to identify than the whoosh of a massive peloton speeding by on the flats at 35 miles per hour.  Mountain top experience of a bike race dare I write is the pinnacle experience.  

Big Budget = Winning: BMC dominates the first two stages at the 2015 USA Pro Challenge

BMC Racing Team is one of a handful of big budget World Tour professional cycling teams, and the strength of their squad has been on full display at this year's USA Pro Challenge.  BMC has driven the pace, each of the first two stages and have claimed the leaders jersey, two stage wins as well as placing two on the podium.  Teams with a large financial backing doesn't always produce winners, but it certainly has an advantage.  In the case at the Pro Challenge BMC has sent a strong quad for a "home" race as the team is a US registered World Tour team.  Thus far Rohan Dennis has been a one man wrecking crew, either pulling back breaks, setting a blistering tempo at the front of the peloton or being in a break himself.  I would not be surprised if he wins Friday's individual time trial and takes the overall win.  Tinkoff-Saxo is another team well solid financing, and sent some pretty good riders to compete in Colorado.  Racing at altitude sometimes is a wild card that is hard to account for, and even top riders succumb to riding above 10,000 feet and do not preform as well as they would like to.  Team Cannondale-Garmin functions on a much smaller budget and although is based in Boulder, Colorado did not even send the maximum allowed number of riders (they sent 7 instead of 8).  I intend to investigate and find out why Cannondale-Garmin did not fill out their roster.  In stage 2 Nate Brown (Cannondale-Garmin) came within several hundred meters of winning but settled for a podium appearance in winning the most aggressive rider jersey.  Otherwise, the team has been fairly quiet. 

The Big Three - The best of the best bicycle racing in the United States

The USA Pro Challenge kicked off yesterday in Steamboat Springs with the first of seven days of bicycle racing around Colorado.  Boulder native Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) charged over the finish line and celebrated not only the race, but confirmed his return to the top of his profession overcoming a career threatening crash 15 months ago.  

Many refer to the USA Pro Challenge as the Tour of Colorado or Colorado as the race comes shortly after the Tour of Utah.  To complete the big three in racing at the top professional level add in May's Tour of California.  Bicycle racing in the United States runs the gamete from local races put on by local promoters, bigger races put on by state associations, and then even bigger regional races.  Some regional races such as the Cascade Classic in Oregon or the Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas draw top US domestic teams, but it is the Tour of California, Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Challenge which attracts teams from around the world.  Previous editions of the Pro Challenge featured former Tour de France winners, and this year's winner at the Tour of California, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) won his third consecutive sprinter's green points jersey in France this July.  

The USA Pro Challenge has teams from Australia, Israel, and Spain and although there are less big name riders, the racing should be exciting as it was in stage 1.  Stay tuned as the week progresses.  

Connecting the past to the Present: Bicycle racing from juniors to the World Tour

Six years ago my son, Taylor joined a junior cycling team in Florida and began his racing career.  I picked up my riding and in 2010 joined him on the Colavita cycling team based in central Florida.  In the process of going to races I began photographing the events, and posted photos on social media.  My photos caught the attention of an online cycling publication, "Florida Cycling Magazine" and eventually I joined the twice monthly journal on staff.  In early 2011 I began contributing photos and articles on cycling events outside of Florida, connecting the readers with some of the top races including the Tour of California, Tour de Suisse, and Tour de France.  I applied and became a member of the international sports press association which along with my association with Florida Cycling Magazine has provided me with amazing opportunities to get inside the sport of cycling.  The online magazine has ceased to publish, henceforth I aim to carry on the reporting of cycling events I attend through this new blog carrying the same title of the magazine.  Enjoy the posts!!!