Amanda Miller photos provided by Larry Rosa; Georgia Gould photos provided by Colin Meagher and Rich Adams

Northern Colorado is abuzz as the US Pro Challenge (www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com) bicycle race, in its third year, brings a stage to Northern Colorado for the first time. This year’s route features 16 professional teams racing around the state from August 19-25. The penultimate stage of the premiere cycling race in the country starts on August 24 in Loveland at The Ranch. It rolls 115 miles through Windsor and Loveland, climbs up to Drake, Glen Haven, and Estes Park, zips back down past Masonville, climbs the Horsetooth Reservoir dams, visits Bellvue, and finishes in Old Town Fort Collins.

NoCo has a growing international reputation as a cycling-friendly community, and that has led to stronger ties to the professional cycling world. An increasing number of pro riders are calling the area home, for the same reasons many others do, including great weather and a variety of outdoor activities available year-round.

One of the better-known riders on the international scene is Rocky Mountain High School grad Tejay van Garderen, a rider on the BMC team who raced with Rio Grande in Fort Collins in 2004-05. After winning “Best Young Rider” in the 2012 Tour de France, he won his first major stage race, the Tour of California, this May. He earned a second-place finish in the Tour de France’s 18th stage this year in what’s been described as a disappointing overall performance for him and his team. He and the BMC team will be looking to rebound next month when they come to Colorado to compete in the US Pro Challenge.

The NoCo Pro Lifestyle

Some common themes emerge when talking to local professional riders about what brought them to the area, and what they appreciate about living here. An appreciation of our local weather, training opportunities and a plethora of activities to choose from when preparing for and after returning from a challenging life on the road are among them. All four riders, unprompted, named routes around and west of Horsetooth Reservoir, including part of the Pro Challenge stage, as favorite places to ride and train.

Alex Hagman, an Aspen native in his third season with the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team, presented by Kenda, came here in 2009. He was drawn here by recruiters for a local pro/elite team, and came for the opportunity and the resources that help him train and race. “The racing is good, the riding is good, and there are good resources for a pro – I have access to the healthcare I need, including massage and chiropractic, and there are quiet, open roads to train.”

While Hagman’s team raced the inaugural Pro Challenge in 2011, they were not selected last year. “We’re excited to be back for 2013,” he said. “Growing up in Colorado, it’s amazing to have a race of this caliber coming through, and get to race in it on roads I grew up riding against former world champs and Tour de France winners. And then when I finish, my family is there waiting for me. Racing is global, and not many racers get that chance. It’s special, and I’m fortunate to have that.”

Mountain bike racer Georgia Gould of the LUNA Pro Team and her husband chose Fort Collins after seeking a mild climate that allowed year-round cycling and that was affordable, bike friendly and close to a major airport. “I’ve been a lot of places, and ridden all over the world,” she notes. “But at the end the day, I want to be home. There’s world-class riding right out my door, on the trail or road. The cycling community offers something for everyone – low-key races, and mountain, road and cyclocross options that welcome all levels, from beginners to pros.”

Gould also appreciates how different parts of the community get along. “There is no real conflict with motorists on the road. On the trail, we have a lot of horses, hikers and bikers, and the level of conflict is low overall, especially compared with other places where I’ve seen a lot of negativity and trail closures. I’m proud to be part of a community where everyone respects everyone and gets along pretty well.”

Pat McCarty and his Bissell Pro Cycling will also participate in the US Pro Challenge. McCarty is a NoCo newcomer, coming here this April when his girlfriend got a job at CSU. After relocating from Boston, he appreciates the altitude and the chance to train on local hills, as well as the ability to get out of town quickly and find quiet roads to train – what he describes as “nice, chill riding.”

With 10 years of professional experience, McCarty is one of the most seasoned riders in the area. “It’s a pretty unique lifestyle, and it’s really appealing to do what you love. I’ve been able to travel, see a lot of the world, and live in Europe as part of the national team and professionally.”

After spending much of his time as a pro in Europe, he says he likes racing in the U.S., is encouraged that the schedule of domestic races is improving, and is enjoying the opportunity to be home more. “Having four other Bissell team members living along the Front Range is unique,” he notes. “Before, I was the only one on my team living in Boston. The move here made things hectic, but we’re getting settled in, closing on a house and plan to take advantage of the local recreation opportunities. When it comes to lifestyle, living here has been a big improvement, and it’s hard to beat this area for the activities available.”

Amanda Miller, a member of Team Tibco, came to Colorado State University after graduating high school in Iowa because of its strong collegiate cycling program. Originally a basketball player, Miller started riding her bike on the gravel roads around her family farm, found a supporting cycling community there that helped her grow, then saw success wearing green and gold that opened doors to national, international and professional opportunities.

Miller cites CSU as the beginning of her full racing career, and credits the Rams Cycling Team with giving her the support she needed to produce results that got her noticed. Her strong performance at the USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals in 2008, hosted by the Rams in Fort Collins, garnered an invite to a stage race as part of a collegiate all-star team. That led to additional National Team and professional opportunities.

“I really like Northern Colorado,” said Miller. “There are endless opportunities for training, the weather is great, there’s a great cycling atmosphere and lots of support. The community is amazing, and I love all the other options there are for activities, and I love the restaurants.”

What it Takes

The most important part of starting or stepping up your cycling is setting a goal and mapping out a way to achieve it. Want to race? Get in shape? Ride a century (100 miles)? Complete the Triple Bypass or Ride the Rockies? Take your sweetheart on a tour of Tuscany? Commute to work? It all starts with a calendar and a plan. Sometimes you can do that yourself, other times it takes a coach and special tools.

Gale Bernhardt, a local whose experience includes coaching the US triathlon teams for the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Olympics, notes that many riders don’t have the structure and forethought it takes to improve efficiently. Before increasing volume, riders must vary their effort. “You can’t just ride the same speed, a mediocre level of not-too-hard, not-too-easy,” she notes. “Some days need to be faster, some days are slower, recovery days. Faster hurts more, and you can learn to deal with that discomfort and ride for an extended time at a faster, uncomfortable pace.”

According to Bernhardt, one of her athletes, a mountain biker seeking to become a pro, trained 10-12 hours a week while at CSU and did well. Now, aiming for World Cup results, he’s training 15-18 hours a week, with some weeks of 18-22 hours a week in the saddle, with rest weeks thrown in. The pros participating in Grand Tours like the Tour de France or the US Pro Challenge can spend six days a week riding six hours a day during a stage race, even riding on their off days; but they don’t maintain that volume year round.

Competitive local racers can expect to ride 10-15 hours a week during big training weeks. “It is not as much as some might think,” she said. “You don’t have to give up your whole life and train 20 hours a week to race locally. If you’re smart about intensity and volume, you can still enjoy a ‘regular’ lifestyle. In fact, too much training leads to fatigue, inadequate recovery and poor results on race day.”

There’s a tendency for cyclists to get caught up in obsessing about the latest equipment and a quest for shaving ounces from their rides; but the fact is, most folks are carrying a few extra pounds around their middle and would benefit from better training. The best way to buy speed can be getting a coach and following a detailed training and nutrition plan.

Ainslie MacEachran is a local cycling coach and trainer who regularly announces races around the state. “I see a lot of riders with the latest and greatest gear, getting shelled. They’re spending top dollar on equipment, when that money would be better spent on a coach.”

Once a rider has some baseline fitness and a little speed, both Bernhardt and MacEachran suggest finding local groups that cater to beginners, and beginner-friendly group rides through a local bicycle shop. There are some general rule and etiquette involved in riding with a group, and it is important to learn those early on.

If you’re looking for a tool to organize your cycling life, Training Peaks (home.trainingpeaks.com/) was created by Fort Collins resident Gear Fisher and his partner and Fort Collins native Dirk Friel, a CSU grad and well-known coach. Training Peaks has millions of customers and is the official training and data analysis software for the US Pro Challenge.

Get Involved

On Race Day

Want a taste of the pro racer lifestyle? The quickest and easiest route is to volunteer – and cheer on the riders – when the US Pro Challenge stage is here on August 24. For a 2.5 hour shift, you’ll get a t-shirt, a locally made BRAAP energy bar and more. Sign up here: www.yourgroupride.com/index.php/local-races/usa-pro-challenge/152-usa-pro-challenge-volunteer-signup.

If you’d like to support women’s racing and take in all the excitement of the stage race finish for the US Pro Challenge finish line August 24, the Fort Collins Follies present a Pro Women’s Grand Prix criterium race. Volunteer or come and cheer at this event, which covers multiple laps of a small circuit in Downtown Fort Collins while the men’s pro stage is traversing its route. Learn more at: www.facebook.com/FortFolliesProWomensGrandPrix.

Additional information about the local stage of the US Pro Challenge is at www.nococycling.com/.

Beginners

For riders interested in the cycling lifestyle and safety, it is significant that this May, after years of effort by local cycling advocates, Fort Collins was named a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, www.bikeleague.org/bfa.

A key player in that effort was Rick Price, founder of locally based ExperiencePlus! bicycle tours and an advocate for safe, accessible cycling in NoCo and beyond. His latest efforts include the Bicycle Safety Institute to teach smarter and safer cycling (www.bicyclesafetyinstitute.org), as well as working to explore opportunities to bring a Bike Share program to the area.

For all levels of riders, Your Group Ride, www.yourgroupride.com, strives to be a centralized source for all things bicycle ride and race-related in Northern Colorado. Find routes, group rides, races and more, on roads and trails. Local bicycle shops, including Lee’s, Peloton, Full Cycle, and others, are great resources for information on group rides, selecting and maintaining your ride, and much more.

If you’re brand new to riding, or have guests in from out of town, check out the Fort Collins Bike Library, where you can check out a bike for free: www.fcgov.com/transportationplanning/bikelibrary.php.

Bike Fort Collins is a great resource to learn about bicycling locally: www.bikefortcollins.net.

The Fort Collins Bike Co-op has a lot of great programs for kids, women, and anyone interested in learning more about maintaining and repairing bikes: www.fcbikecoop.org.

Loveland’s PEDAL bicycling club, www.pedalclub.org, along with shops that include Peloton, Breakaway, Rocky Mountain and others, do a great job of serving Loveland riders.

Kids

Check out kids’ programs at the Bike Co-op, mentioned above. Also check Your Group Ride for grassroots racing options for young riders, including free races at the City Streets Criterium series, the CSU Oval Race series, a Tuesday night Short Track Race series, cyclocross races in the fall and winter, and others.

The Ciclismo Youth Foundation locally is dedicated to creating programs that get kids involved in races, including an August mountain bike race series in Lory State Park, the Colorado High School Cycling League and local high school mountain bike racing teams. More at www.ciclismoyouthfoundation.org/.

Women

The Fort Follies, who are running the women’s race on August 24, have other programs for women riders of all levels. See www.fortfollies.com/ for more information. If you’re interested in mountain biking, check out Team BOB (Babes on Bikes), which does rides on Tuesdays: www.coteambob.com.

Other “Professional” Cycling Options

Finally, if you lack the time, the athletic tools, and the drive to live the NoCo pro cycling lifestyle as a rider, perhaps a different way into the professional ranks of the cycling industry is your best bet. The Fort Collins Bicycle Industry Alliance is a group of local businesses that produce cycling-related products. Find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FortCollinsBicycleIndustryAlliance.

Brad Shannon is a Loveland-based cyclist, marketing and public relations consultant, and freelance writer.

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