KUSA - The 2014 USA Pro Challenge starts Monday afternoon in Aspen, yet even before this year's race begins, organizers are thinking about the fifth edition of "America's Race."
At a press conference Sunday afternoon in downtown Aspen, race CEO Shawn Hunter said, "The Pro Challenge has brought a lot of excitement to the cities Snowmass and Aspen over the past couple of years. We found an anchor here in Aspen and we'll work our tails off to come back every year. I will go on the record today that you can pretty much count on Aspen being in every potential iteration of the route for 2015."
Aspen has been a host city since the inaugural Pro Challenge and has become a favorite for spectators and riders. Especially those riders who have done well, like Garmin-Sharp's Tom Danielson who won a stage in Aspen in 2012.
"Aspen is a really magical place for me. Winning that stage after spending the day out in front was awesome," said Danielson. "I felt the people in Aspen screaming and it helped me make it to the finish. So many great memories."
Another big fan of Aspen is last year's winner of the Pro Challenge, Tejay van Garderen. Of course he lives in Aspen, so this is his home terrain.
"It's pretty cool starting in my hometown," said the BMC rider who is coming off a 5th place finish in last month's Tour de France. "Just this morning I went on a training ride with my boys and my house was on the circuit, so we stopped and had lunch, played with my dog and saw my wife and little girl."
Monday's Stage 1 starts in Aspen and makes a 22-mile loop through Snowmass and back to downtown Aspen. The pros will race the circuit three times before finishing in a sprint on Main Street. 9News will have continuous coverage of the race and numerous stories through the entire week. Be sure to follow our crew on Twitter for the latest updates:
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