Telluride, Colorado, is no stranger to hosting sporting competitions. In 1910, Jack Dempsey reportedly sparred here, and the region’s high-alpine terrain has attracted world-class athletes to ski, mountain bike, run and compete in numerous elite competitions since. This Monday, August 20, however, brings a new event to town: the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

Riders with Olympic, National Championships and Tour de France experience will race through the Rocky Mountains from August 20-26, climbing more passes than any other bike race in North America. Telluride hosts the finish line for the first day of the event, Stage 1, in which 135 riders will start in Durango to end on Telluride’s main street at an elevation of 8,750 feet. 

The 683-mile course will end five days later in Denver. This race is one of the largest cycling events in the United States, and we’re honored to have our hometown play such a integral part of the course. California’s Levi Leipheimer won the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge in 2011, and he will return to defend his title this year. Join us along the street to watch some of the fastest men on two wheels finish Stage 1 in Telluride.