Beth Potter BOULDER — Months before the 2013 Pro Cycling Challenge comes to Colorado, promoters in Boulder and Longmont already are lobbying for a spot on next year’s bike race route.
Pro Cycling Challenge officials are slated to visit the G’Knight bicycle ride slated for June 15 in Longmont, according to Scott Conlin, an organizer and member of Bicycle Longmont, a nonprofit group. The bike event is sponsored by Oskar Blues Brewery, which also offered to be a sponsor of an unsuccessful 2013 USA Pro Cycling Challenge bid.
In Boulder, promoters recently lobbied city council members at a study session.
Lyons also has expressed interest in partnering with other cities in Boulder County to get on the 2014 race route. The seven-day, privately funded Pro Cycling Challenge does not include any stops this year in Boulder County. Bids for the 2014 race stages are expected to be made in August around the time this year’s race is held in towns across Colorado.
In 2012, the seven-day, privately funded Pro Cycling Challenge race generated an estimated $99.6 million in spending across Colorado, according to race organizers. Gov. John Hickenlooper touted it as an economic booster for the state.
From a spending perspective, Boulder saw an estimated $48,000 in nonresident spending on the August day of the one-day race stage after spending $283,481 to put it on, according to a survey done by the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder. But the city also saw $800,000 more in overall sales- and use-tax revenue in April 2012 than the same month in 2011, another possible indicator of race spending.
Race advocates and organizers point to the tourism potential generated across the globe by the race, rather than specific return on investment. When people think about cycling and the United States, hopefully, they’ll think of Boulder, said Andrew Shoemaker, a race organizer and a principal of the Shoemaker, Ghiselli & Schwartz LLC law firm.
In 2012, Shoemaker said, “Boulder was showcased in over 100 countries. The TV commentators were talking about Boulder all day, and the scenery of Boulder, and all of the things we love about Boulder.”
In general, organizers of each race stage put together enough sponsorship money to pay for the hotel rooms needed to house racers, administrators and some media as well as the security/traffic control needed to put on the race. Cost estimates range from about $250,000 to $500,000, depending on the city.
In Longmont, organizers are looking to work with Boulder, Lyons or any other nearby town interested in putting together a bid, Conlin said. Longmont wasn’t chosen in 2013 “due to circumstances out of our control,” according to Ryan Kragerud, president of Bicycle Longmont.
“Bicycle Longmont is looking forward to working with USA Pro Challenge, our community and corporate sponsors like Oskar Blues,” Kragerud said. “We plan to build a stronger bid with broader support.”
A race stage in Loveland/Fort Collins with an Estes Park component is expected to be one of the most interesting in this year’s race, said Barry Siff, co-chairman of the Boulder bid with Shoemaker in 2012. Although not involved in any bidding process for 2014, Siff said he’s supportive of other bids, including those from organizers in Boulder and Longmont.
“I’m confident that they’ll figure something out with the race organization, because Boulder was the greatest stage of the race last year, and it should be next year, too,” Siff said. “I’m confident Boulder will get in there.”
Some in the cycling industry say race organizing company Medalist Sports LLC likes to change up the race stages from year to year, leading to uncertainty for any potential venue. A representative from Medalist, based in Peachtree City, Georgia, was not immediately available for comment. Medalist decides on the race course route after receiving applications from host cities discussing various cost, sponsorship and logistical information.
So many people watched the Boulder portion of the race in 2012 that Siff predicts this year will be much easier in terms of raising money, whether or not Boulder is paired again with Golden and Lyons or if a route goes through Longmont or somewhere else in Boulder County. Possible environmental concerns about spectators on open space around Flagstaff Mountain can be overcome, he said. Residents brought up the spectator issue in 2012, and tickets were issued near the base of Flagstaff to try to minimize impacts.
“It’s now a known quantity,” Siff said. “The race was so awesome last year that I think we’re in very good shape.”
The Boulder Chamber wants to support the 2014 Pro Cycling race bid in Boulder, as it is “right in line with the character of our community and the interests of our citizens,” said John Tayer, president of the business group.
“These types of activities … provide a great boost to our economy, not only in direct sales and direct economic benefit from the day of the event, but also the marketing that they offer for us,” Tayer said. “Anything that helps us to get such positive exposure for our community in line with our values and strategic advantages is a plus.”
