Cycling's Grand Tour comes to Colorado - The US Pro Cycling Challenge

The US Pro Cycling Challenge kicks off today, a week long stage race through the Colorado highcountry. This would be year three of the event. I'd love to get up and check out some of the racing someday but the whole taking care of a toddler and having a job thing remains a bit of an obstacle for me.

Stages kickoff from Aspen, Crested Butte, Gunnison, the Springs, Breck, Vail, and Boulder. Many of the teams riding this tour are Grand Tour teams, BMC, Cannondale, Saxo-Tinkoff, etc. Riders focusing on the upcoming Vuelta won't be riding (Horner, Sagan, Quintana, Contador) but the entry list does include Teejay Van Garderen, Ivan Basso, Jens Voigt, Michael Rogers, Ben King, and Tim Danielson. Follow the racing via live-tweet with @Cyclocosm or on Tumblr at Cyclocosm.tumblr.com

Here's a looping vine of a wicked crash from last month's Tour of Utah. Garmin-Sharp's Phil Gaimon clips a side road marker and is launched into space at 40+ mph. Fractured his hand but appears to be on the team entry list for this week's Pro Challenge. Umm - Holy Shit!! The guy gets up from that spill... only to run down the hill to fetch his bike!! I think back to this summer's World Cup and the image of grown men rolling around on the ground sobbing about their shitty haircuts, and I shake my head disapprovingly.


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