Ken Gart & David Knoff, RPM Events
by Stephen Meyers, Coloradoan
The USA Pro Challenge is defunct, but a professional cycling race could return to Colorado in 2017, according to a report in Velonews.
The Boulder-based publication reports RPM Events Group LLC has organized eight private investors to fund two four-day stage races in Colorado and Virginia.
The stage races would follow a hub-and-spoke format, Velonews reports, where one city in each state would host the start and finish line for the majority of the stages. The group declined to share which cities in Colorado and Virginia will be the hubs for the respective stage races.
The potential race would replace the USA Pro Challenge, which ceased operation this year after an unsuccessful search for a new ownership group to replace former owners Rick and Rich Schaden. Fort Collins twice hosted a stage of the race, which brought professional cycling to Colorado from 2011 to 2015 and grew into the state’s largest sporting event, with an estimated economic impact of $130 million.
Despite the economic impact, the Pro Challenge lost money every year due to the heavy costs of organizing a large-scale, international event. This new professional cycling event will be funded by eight investors, including Colorado’s Gart family and Denver businessman David Koff, Velonews reports.
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“The people we’ve brought in are patient with their money and want to treat (the races) like a community asset and a sustainable business,” Tim Miller, CEO of RPM Events Group, told Velonews. “This is for the benefit of the communities.”
Xplore reporter Stephen Meyers covers the outdoors and recreation for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter @stemeyer or @XploreNoCo.
Original Coloradoan article here
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