tour de colorado bike race

BMC's Rohan Dennis wins this year's race John Murphy of UHC takes Stage 7 win

Kristin Armstrong (T16), Tayler Wiles (DNA), and Mara Abbott (AMY) round out the podium for the first-ever Women's USA Pro Challenge

Australian Rohan Dennis Shines in Final Attack to Win 2015 USA Pro Challenge

Olympic gold medalist kristin armstrong wins the inagural women’s usa pro challenge and first stage race since 2012, wiles wins stage 2 of women’s usa pro challenge and armstrong holds yellow jersey close in fort collins.

Wiles and three other riders battle for the finish line, after the 58-mile ride from Loveland to Fort Collins

Roman Kreuziger Claims Victory of Stage 6 USA Pro Challenge

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Tour de Steamboat

2024 tour de steamboat.

Thank you for another wonderful Tour de Steamboat! We extend our gratitude to our sponsors, beneficiaries, board members, and most importantly, our wonderful riders. See you next year!

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About The Tour

The Tour de Steamboat is an annual bicycle event that brings together 1,200 cyclists for a one-day ride through beautiful Northwest Colorado. We host three different road ride routes—26, 46, and 66. We also host 2 gravel routes, a 100 mile, and a new 50 Mile route. See our Routes page for more details. There is something for riders of all ages and abilities. We are a non-competitive event, and participants are encouraged to ride at their own pace and enjoy the majestic scenery in our part of the world! We offer superb aid stations, support, and end of the ride barbecue and craft beer garden.

All proceeds from the Tour de Steamboat go directly to our beneficiary non-profits.

The Tour de Steamboat is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit entity with its entire focus on raising money for local, Routt County community non-profit organizations. These beneficiary agencies provide staff to plan and market the event, implement additional fundraising mechanisms, and assist with event operations. The beneficiaries are also committed to paying it forward. Every year, the beneficiary non-profits choose other local beneficiary organizations to receive a portion of the event proceeds. 

There's a cycling event in Colorado for every type of cyclist

Not every cycling event in Colorado is for lunatics though. For 35 years, Elephant Rock had been one of the largest and most respected cycling events in Colorado, drawing thousands of cyclists to Castle Rock, CO without including any mountain passes in its route. The event, held for the last time in 2022, was part of the Outside Events Cycling Series.

The Outside Cycling Series, which is now The Ride Collective , rolls camaraderie, challenge and community into stellar bike rides in the Front Range and beyond and includes premier bike rides such as:

• Copper Triangle.
• Tour of the Moon.

Copper Triangle in Summit County offers a classic alpine cycling course that was a word-of-mouth favorite of locals for many years before it became an organized event.

Tour of the Moon delivers a course featured in the movie American Flyers and made famous by the storied 1980s Coors Classic. The Tour of the Moon takes riders on a turn through the exotic Colorado National Monument and the high desert scenery around Grand Junction.

There are plenty of younger and well-established century rides and gran fondos in Colorado that appeal to the determined athlete and enthusiast, as well. They include bike rides such as:

• The Buffalo Bicycle Classic in Boulder.
• Colorado’s original and largest all-women’s bike ride Venus de Miles , up in Lyons.
• The Denver Century Ride in, you guessed it, the Mile High City.

If you're a gravel lover, The Ride Collective also presents two gravel events — the high alpine Crooked Gravel and the high desert Wild Horse Gravel — which complement several other rugged, rutty, rocky, sandy and steep Colorado crunchy celebrations, including the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic with its gravel, mountain and road events.

Legendary Colorado cycling doesn't always involve a mountain summit

Colorado also abounds with several charity bike rides, including Pedaling 4 Parkinsons, the Tour de Cure supporting the American Diabetes Association and the Courage Classic in Summit County, which raises money for Children's Hospital Colorado.

There is also the Tour de Steamboat , in Steamboat Springs of course, which helps local, Routt County non-profits, and the Mountains to the Desert Classic in Telluride, which is the primary fundraiser for the Just for Kids Foundation.

Each of the charity rides attracts hundreds to thousands of riders each year without having to call upon the allure of intense pain.

But if you are a person who enjoys throwing yourself uphill and accumulating big numbers in cumulative elevation gain, these century rides are right up your hilly alley.

There’s the Stonewall Century in La Veta, CO. 102 miles, 7,500 feet of elevation gain, and the soul crushing backside of Cucharas Pass toward the end of the ride. The grade of this cruel climb includes a mile-long section exceeding 10 percent.

The Park 2 Park Challenge rides in with more than 11,200 feet of climbing in its 100 miles of brutality each July, but if you want elevation without lots of distance, the The Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit will give you just that each August — 4,275 feet of climbing in 12.42 miles as you race up Pikes Peak.

Clearly, Colorado’s cycling events and century rides attract hordes of cyclists wanting to test themselves on the steeps of the Rocky Mountains. But there are other century rides and bike events in Colorado that sing to the climbing soul without climbing a literal mountain.

The 719 Ride in Colorado springs is one of the most challenging single-day bicycle events in colorado

In fact, the 719 Ride in Colorado Springs is one of the most challenging single-day road cycling events in Colorado. With an Epic Climbing Score* of 127.82, there is no rest from the climbing. The amount of up is so ridiculous, it’s awesome!

The signature ride, a measly 71.9 miles, logs 9,190 feet of climbing and allows cyclists to earn points in the Gran Fondo category of the SUAREZ Gran Fondo National Series.

The physical and mental challenge at the 719 Ride is immense. But the beauty of the event is that riders can choose their own adventure.

The 719 Ride has 14 ride options from 14 miles to 200 miles that allow cyclists to do as much damage to their legs as their minds will allow. There’s even a do-it-yourself option , if you're not in Colorado or can’t make the ride start.

If you only do one bike event this year, you should choose the 719 Ride . It's a stunning experience. We recommend it 719%.

Participants in the 2023 719 Ride receive a discount of $7.19 on registration for The Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit, along with many other registration benefits .

Top 5 Hardest Rides

Collin Bruske

Solidy Cracked by the End

Peter Jackman

Made Me Cry for Mommy

Thomas Walton

Amazing Course. All Uphill.

Stephano Milling

Alexander fernandez.

What Have Past Riders Said about the 719 Ride?

"I have lived in COS for 23 years and have been an active runner and cyclist and can say this is one of the better events around. I love how it's truly community driven but still offers guys like myself a chance to rip some fast laps." — Cody Hill, SRM PowerMeters

"As far as I'm concerned, the 719 Ride is the ultimate event around." — Al Marshall, 6X I Cinque Giri Finisher (2018-2023)

"I have done the Triple Bypass, Copper Triangle, Mt. Evans Hill Climb, Elephant Rock, and Pikes Peak. 719 Ride is Number One!" — Mark Ayers, 2020 I Cinque Giri Finisher

"The most well organized, best signaged, friendliest ride I've done in CO - and I've done lots and lots of road cycle events over 40yrs in CO." — 2023 event participant (name withheld by request)

There is no way to beat the 719 Ride. If you disagree, you didn't do enough laps.

Colorado cycling events calendars.

For a month-to-month list of Colorado cycling events and century rides, the Bicycle Colorado events calendar is a comprehensive resource. And for Colorado bike races, the USA Cycling and BikeReg event calendars are worth having in your saddle bag, if you race with a saddle bag.

*Epic Climbing Score

The Epic Climbing Score (ECS) is a simple calculation for comparing the amount of climbing a bike event has. The equation is total elevation gain divided by total distance. The ECS doesn’t indicate one event is better than another, or even easier or harder. There are tons of factors and considerations that help make a century, gran fondo or other event fun, compelling and awesome to ride.

Comparing the 719 Ride ECS to Other Colorado Cycling Events

• The Broadmoor Cycle to the Summit — 4,725' of elevation gain in 12.4 miles. It's the King of Excess (380.43 ECS).
• Bob Cook Memorial Mount Evans Hill Climb — 7,000' of elevation gain in 28 miles. It is truly excessive (250 ECS).
• The 719 Ride (I Cinque Giri) — A five-lap celebration of elevation (127.82 of ECS)
• Park 2 Park Challenge — 11,251' of elevation gain in 99.4 miles. 113.19 ECS.
• Triple Bypass — 120 miles and three mountain passes for those who dare. 10,990' of total elevation gain. 91.58 ECS.
• Buffalo Cycling Classic Buff Epic — 102 miles. 8,729' of elevation gain. 85.58 ECS.
• Copper Triangle — 6,500' of elevation gain. Three mountain passes. 79 miles. 82.28 ECS.
• Stonewall Century — Out and back over Cucharas Pass. 102 miles and 7,500' of elevation gain. 73.53 ECS.
• Tour of the Moon — 64 miles. Three tunnels bored through solid rock. Nearly 4,000' of elevation gain. 61.68 ECS.

A Colorado Springs Original

First conceived and ridden in 2016, the 719 Ride aspires to be a bicycle event that contributes to the culture and community of Colorado Springs. FORZA Colorado Springs!

Riding in the draft of many great and long-established Colorado cycling events , this Colorado Springs Original hopes to become a positive part of the Colorado Springs tradition and identity while celebrating the tradition, lore and culture of cycling and helping set the pace for cycling fun in the Rocky Mountain region.

The 719 Ride is the official cycling event of the Rocky Mountain State Games and is an official partner event in the 2024 Suarez Gran Fondo National Series and 2024 Gran Fondo World Tour.

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After a grueling Tour de France, top riders are racing to recover for Paris Olympics time trial

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, strains as he crosses the finish line of the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 132.8 kilometers (82.5 miles) with start in Nice and finish in La Couillole pass, France, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, rides in the group yellow jersey as they climb during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 132.8 kilometers (82.5 miles) with start in Nice and finish in La Couillole pass, France, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, rides during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 132.8 kilometers (82.5 miles) with start in Nice and finish in La Couillole pass, France, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, celebrates on the podium after the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 144.6 kilometers (89.9 miles) with start in Embrun and finish in Isola 2000, France, Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, center, follows teammate Spain’s Mikel Landa during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 132.8 kilometers (82.5 miles) with start in Nice and finish in La Couillole pass, France, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, wearing the best young rider’s white jersey, throws his drinking bottle to fans from the podium of the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 179.5 kilometers (111.5 miles) with start in Gap and finish in Barcelonette, France, Thursday, July 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Belgium’s Wout van Aert crosses the finish of the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 33.7 kilometers (20.9 miles) with start in Monaco and finish in Nice, France, Sunday, July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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The conclusion to the Tour de France last Sunday in Nice, where Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar became a three-time champion by dominating rival Jonas Vingegaard and the rest of the field, has sent some of the world’s best cyclists into the road race at the Paris Olympics in the best possible shape.

For others, the race is on to recover from three grueling weeks in time for Saturday’s time trial.

The cycling schedule was altered for this Summer Games, and the traditional road race that starts the program was pushed back to give riders competing in it a longer break. But to make the revised schedule work, the time trial was pushed ahead to the day after the opening ceremony , which means many riders from the Tour will still have wobbly legs.

The biggest among them is Remco Evenepoel, the 24-year-old from Belgium who won the first of the Tour’s two time trials and went on to finish third in the overall. But after Pogacar withdrew from the Olympics, citing fatigue , the race against the clock is wide open, especially given how little time riders have to recover from their trek through the French countryside.

“The big three are Filippo Ganna, Remco and Josh Tarling,” said Brandon McNulty, the American time trial champion, who did not compete in the Tour and hopes his fresh legs can carry him to his nation’s first medal in the men’s time trial since 2008.

After a pause, McNulty kept on going, throwing out Stefan Kueng of Switzerland as another podium contender. Belgium’s Wout van Aert also could be in the mix, provided he has recovered from seven top-10 finishes during the Tour.

The race begins at Invalides and ends at the gilded bridge of Pont Alexandre III. All the riders will pass by Notre Dame, the Place de la Bastille and the former royal residence at Chateau de Vincennes, along with several more of Paris’ iconic sites.

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One they will avoid: the Champs-Elysée, the historic thoroughfare where the Tour typically finishes but has been taken over during the Olympics and forced the second of the three Grand Tours to finish in Nice.

“It’s pretty flat, a few corners, but it’s pretty simple overall,” McNulty said. “Some bumpy roads and stuff, but fast.”

That could play into the hands of American time trial world champion Chloe Dygert in the women’s race.

The 27-year-old from Brownsburg, Indiana, has overcome a lot to become the favorite to win gold in Paris. Dygert was in a career-threatening crash at the world championships in 2020 that derailed her plans to race for gold the following year at the Tokyo Games, then dealt with a series of injuries and illnesses along with some off-the-bike-hurdles in her personal life.

“Looking back at Rio in 2016, I took everything for granted,” said Dygert, who helped the U.S. win silver in the team pursuit in the velodrome that year. “I remember Rio better than Tokyo because I was happier and healthier. I respected and felt so much more grateful for being able to go to Tokyo after my accident. I realized and understood better that being selected for the Olympics is such an accomplishment and that it’s such a massive dream for everyone.”

The bigger dream is to win gold, though. Dygert also has a bronze medal from the team pursuit at the Tokyo Games.

Yet the path to the top step of the podium remains a daunting one in Paris.

Dygert’s biggest challenge could come from Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands, who gave birth to her first child in October and returned to racing in March, only to break her ankle while training in June. The three-time world time trial champion decided a few weeks ago that she was in good enough shape to race in Paris .

“It doesn’t bother me on the bike and that’s the most important thing,” said van Dijk, who was left off the time trial team for Tokyo and watched compatriots Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen take gold and bronze, respectively.

“I haven’t had an ideal preparation and that may affect (my race),” van Dijk added, “but in the end I feel good and I’m going to give it my all. I want to enjoy it, because being here is special as it is.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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Tadej Pogacar Returns to the Top, Winning the Tour de France

Pogacar won his third Tour, beating his rival Jonas Vingegaard by 6:17 after a final time trial victory in Nice on Sunday.

By Victor Mather

When an athlete wins a championship two years in a row, but then slips to second the next two years, it’s fair to assume that he may be starting a downswing — that he is a cut below the new champion and that he will struggle to beat him in the years ahead.

But Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia turned the tables on his rival and the defending champion, Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, this year in the Tour de France, completing a smashing victory on Sunday to take his third title.

Pogacar’s championship was confirmed in the final time trial from Monaco to Nice on Sunday. Setting off last among the Tour’s 141 surviving riders, crouched over his time trial bike — with its solid rear wheel for aerodynamics — Pogacar in the race leader’s yellow jersey rode with the confidence of a sure winner. He capped his stellar three-week run with another stage win, his sixth, finishing 1:03 ahead of Vingegaard to take the Tour by 6:17 overall.

“After two hard years in the Tour de France, always some mistakes,” Pogacar said. “This year — everything to perfection. I am super happy to win here.”

The location (Nice, not Paris) and the format (time trial, not flat stage) were unusual for a final stage, but Sunday turned out to be the same as almost every Tour finale: a coronation more than an actual contest.

Pogacar had led by 5 minutes 14 seconds going into the day, a lead that would have required an epic meltdown or total disaster of some kind to be overhauled.

Going into the weekend, after impressive day on impressive day in the mountains of France, Pogacar held a seemingly unassailable lead of 3 minutes 11 seconds. But there was always the chance he would melt down on the brutal Alpine climbs of the last two mountain stages. He did not, and instead extended his lead over Vingegaard, the winner of the previous two Tours.

On Friday, Pogacar attacked on a brief final climb with five miles to go and created a gap between him and Vingegaard. He then ran down Matteo Jorgenson of the United States, who had been up front for much of the day.

Leaving the field gasping behind him, Pogacar climbed to the ski station Isola 2000 and won the stage, his fourth of the race, and added almost two minutes to his overall lead.

Vingegaard, who was returning from broken ribs and a collarbone sustained in a crash in April, acknowledged afterward that the race was all but over, and on Saturday seemed to focus more on holding second place over Remco Evenepoel of Belgium. On the final mountain of the Tour, the Col de la Couillole, the two leaders eventually left Evenepoel behind.

Vingegaard set the tempo with Pogacar glued to him. With a half-mile left, they dropped the last challenger, Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, and high in the Alps the two best riders in the Tour raced to the finish line.

There the winner was Pogacar again, accelerating away in the last couple hundred yards, helped because Vingegaard was tired after leading for so long.

After Sunday’s time trial, Pogacar completed what is known as a double: winning the two biggest cycling tours, the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, in the same season. He is the first to complete a double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

Of his third Tour win, Pogacar said: “This is the first one I was totally confident every day. Even in the Giro I had one bad day — I won’t tell which one.”

Leaving aside Lance Armstrong, whose seven victories from 1999 to 2005 were stripped from him after revelations of drug use, the record for most victories in the Tour is five, held by four riders. Pogacar’s three tied him for sixth place.

Carapaz won the polka dot jersey as best climber, Evenepoel won the white jersey as best young rider and Biniam Girmay of Eritrea, who had earlier in the race become the first Black African to win a Tour stage, won the green jersey as best sprinter.

Either Pogacar or Vingegaard has now won the last five yellow jerseys, and they have finished one-two the past four years. At ages 25 and 27, there is no reason to think their battles won’t continue for some years to come.

Victor Mather, who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news. More about Victor Mather

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Tour de France Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

(CNN) — Here’s a look at the Tour de France.

June 29-July 21, 2024 – The 111th Tour de France takes place. Tadej Pogačar wins his third Tour de France title.

July 1-23, 2023 – The 110th Tour de France takes place. Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard wins his second consecutive Tour de France title.

The Tour de France is a prestigious multistage bike race that takes place annually in France and sometimes the surrounding countries.

The race, also known as Le Tour or La Grande Boucle, includes 21 stages and covers 3,405 kilometers in 2023.

There have been four cyclists who have won the Tour five times: Jacques Anquetil of France (1957 and 1961-1964) Eddy Merckx of Belgium (1969-1972 and 1974) Bernard Hinault of France (1978-1979, 1981-1982, and 1985) Miguel Indurain of Spain (1991-1995), the first competitor to win five consecutive races.

Lance Armstrong held the record for most Tour de France wins (seven), but he was stripped of those wins in 2012.

France has won more times than any other country (36).

Three Americans have won: Greg LeMond (1986, 1989, 1990), Armstrong (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) and Floyd Landis (2006). Both Armstrong and Landis have had their titles stripped due to allegations of doping.

The winner of the race is the person with the overall shortest accumulated time.

Ten, six and four second bonuses are awarded to the top three riders at the end of road stages, excluding the individual and team time trials.

There are two rest days.

YELLOW – “maillot jaune” – Overall leader of the race. The yellow jersey was introduced into the race in 1919, most likely because the race’s sponsor was a French newspaper (formerly L’Auto, now L’Equipe) that printed on distinctive yellow paper.

POLKA DOT – “maillot à pois rouge” – Worn by the cyclist with the best accumulated time in the mountain segments.

GREEN – “maillot vert” – Worn by the points classification leader. Points are awarded for intermediate and final sprints on flat terrain.

WHITE – “maillot blanc” – Worn by the Tour’s best rider aged 25 and younger.

1903 – Henri Desgrange, a reporter and cyclist, creates the Tour de France.

1903 – Maurice Garin of France is the first cyclist to win the race.

1910 – First time the race goes through the Pyrenees.

1989 – Greg Lemond defeats Laurent Fignon by eight seconds, the smallest margin of victory in the race’s history.

2003 – The 100th Anniversary of the race, but not the 100th race (the race was canceled 11 times during WWI and WWII ).

September 20, 2007 – Landis, winner of the 2006 Tour de France, is stripped of his title when an arbitration panel rules in favor of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Landis, the first Tour de France winner stripped of the title, initially maintained his innocence but later admitted to doping and accused others, including Armstrong, of doing the same.

October 22, 2012 – The International Cycling Union announces that Armstrong is being stripped of his Tour de France titles and is being banned from professional cycling for life.

October 26, 2012 – The International Cycling Union announces that no one will be declared the winner of the Tour de France from 1999-2005, after Armstrong is stripped of his titles.

October 10, 2018 – Britain’s Team Sky reports that the 2018 trophy won by Thomas has been stolen from a display in Birmingham, England, where the team had been displaying all three trophies won by its riders.

April 15, 2020 – It is announced that the Tour de France is being postponed until August due the coronavirus outbreak . It was initially scheduled to take place June 27-July 19, 2020.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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One small Colorado town has fielded mountain bikers at every Summer Olympics since 1996

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In April, Durango’s Christopher Blevins was just minutes from the finish of the opening mountain bike World Cup race of the season in Mairiporã, Brazil. With less than half a lap remaining, the 26-year-old sprinted into the lead and managed to ride to the win two short seconds ahead of his competition. He raised his arms and punched the air in celebration of his second-career World Cup Cross-country Olympic victory that would help him secure a spot on Team USA’s roster for the Paris Olympic Games. 

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The U.S. mountain bike squad is composed of three riders from Durango — including Blevins, 22-year-old Riley Amos, and 25-year-old Savilia Blunk — a town with a rich cycling culture that has fostered world class talent for decades. Haley Batten of Park City, Utah, is the fourth and final rider who will represent the USA in the Parisian singletrack. 

“Durango has meant everything to my success and trajectory on the bike,” Blevins said as he made his final preparations for the Games. “Result-wise and where I am as an Olympian but also just how much I love the bike. I think that’s what I’m most proud of and what Durango’s provided.” 

Blevins began his life as a bike racer at age 5. He racked up multiple age group national titles as a BMX racer before cracking his skull and suffering permanent hearing loss as a 10-year-old. Despite initial hesitation from his parents, he began mountain biking with the Durango Devo program and started racking up even more national titles. 

The Devo program, co-founded by coaches Chad Cheeney and Sarah Tescher, is known for instilling a passion for riding bikes through a fun-first approach of practicing riding skills, going on adventures and building fitness. 

Cheeney was an early coach of Blevins when he picked up mountain biking after his early BMX years, and Devo encouraged Blevins and his cohort to develop a love for the bike that is evident in Blevins’ riding style and videos of him showing off quirky moves, such as kissing his front wheel or hopping his bike up a flight of stairs. 

“I saw him a few times on the big screen and wanted more,” Cheeney said after watching Blevins in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. “He is so stylish on the bike. I bet he made some fans smile.”

As he got older, Blevins explored racing on the road and secured strong results in Europe, but ultimately decided to focus on mountain biking ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 14th. That same year, he won the inaugural short track World Championships in Italy and his first World Cup in Snowshoe, West Virginia.

Originally from a small town in Northern California, Blunk came to Durango in 2018 to attend Fort Lewis College, and she still bases out of the town when she’s not racing or training in Europe. Riding for the Fort Lewis College Cycling Team and training in Durango fired Blunk’s passion for the bike, improved her riding skills and shaped her career trajectory. 

“Coming from a small town where mountain biking wasn’t an everyday sport, to Durango, where overnight I was surrounded by talented riders and people pushing me to become better, I improved so much as a rider just by having people to train and ride with that both challenged me and gave me confidence,” Blunk said. 

Blunk got her first international racing experience as a junior racer and steadily climbed through the under-23 ranks and into the elite field. Last year, she rode to a career-best fourth place at the Snowshoe World Cup, and bested that with a second-place performance in Brazil this year. 

The sole American rider for the French Decathlon-Ford team, Blunk appeared in a commercial for the automobile manufacturer last year. 

She’s been preparing for Paris in Girona, Spain, where she is focused on training, recovery, sleep and nutrition. 

“Mainly it has been a quiet process of lots of suffering on the bike and finding the perfect balance of tension and freshness to get my best performance at the Olympics,” she said. 

Like Blevins, Amos also grew up in Durango and came up through Durango Devo, the same program that produced Vuelta a Espana victor and Tour de France stage winner Sepp Kuss and 2016 Olympian Howard Grotts. In his junior years, he was coached by Todd Wells, a now-retired, three-time Olympian who is a mainstay of the Durango cycling community. 

Along with lessons about fitness and training, Amos said Wells gave him a broader appreciation for the elite athletic lifestyle. 

“No matter how hard things get, no matter how shit your race was, or how much you are suffering in the moment, you never know how many more of those you are going to get,” Amos said in a recent Instagram post. “Being able to be a professional mountain biker is the greatest job in the world plain and simple, the days you are pushed to the breaking point are always rewarded if you stay committed to the process and are willing to learn and improve.” 

Amos got his first glimpse of international success in 2021 when he won a World Cup in the U23 category in Austria. This season is his final in the U23 ranks, a category designed as a stepping stone for younger riders before they enter the elite field, and Amos has not been wasting it. He has been undefeated at the World Cup races, with the exception of one second place. 

Amos opted to skip the most recent World Cup in France, instead flying home to Durango to recover from a stomach bug, spend time with family and train at altitude. He acknowledged the importance of his home community in the social media post. 

“My community is the reason I’m here,” Amos wrote. “Without (Durango Devo) and my little town in Colorado, I would have never found this path. The amount of fun I’ve had growing up exploring the outdoors on my bike with my best friends showed me what life is about. 

“Cycling gave me a chance to be something that mattered, to give me purpose each day and simplify the world around me. I had so many cycling mentors growing up, and I constantly strive to take a small piece from their process and incorporate it into myself. I’ve always had a stronger wheel to chase, and I’ve always lived to surprise those better than me.” 

Shortly after that first U23 win, Amos posted an Instagram picture of VeloNews magazine with Batten and Kate Courtney on the cover. The two riders were wearing Team USA jerseys, set to race at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I haven’t been just watching cycling, and getting to see so many people of different sports pour their hearts into competition has been really inspiring,” he wrote in the Instagram caption, from inspiration to an Olympian three years later. 

Blevins and Blunk said that the Paris course will be fast and less-technical than some of the World Cup courses that they are accustomed to. This may lead to tight racing with riders staying together for much of the race, similar to the first race in Brazil that Blevins won. 

While Blunk based in Spain and Amos in Durango, Blevins has been training in France in recent weeks. He caught COVID earlier this summer, but has been feeling stronger and stronger, he said. 

While Blunk and Amos will make their Olympians debut, Blevins (along with Batten) are heading back to the Games for the second time. 

“I think it’s a different experience now,” Blevins said. “First of all I’m older, I’ve got more experience and really want to fight for the medals this time. It’s also different in the way where we don’t have COVID and I can actually be a part of the community a bit more, watch some events after. That’ll be really special, and I’ll be having my family there as well.” 

While these three athletes are all in their 20s, Durango has a long legacy of cycling. The town of just over 19,000 has had a representative in each Olympic mountain bike race since the sport was added to the schedule in 1996. Before Blevins, Grotts rode in the Rio Games and Todd Wells in Athens, Beijing and London. 

The inaugural UCI mountain bike World Championships were held at Purgatory Resort in 1990, and the Durango-Silverton Iron Horse Bicycle Classic has rolled on for more than 50 years. In recent years, Team Segment 28 (named after the final segment of the Colorado Trail that finishes in town) has been established to help young riders develop into elite racers. On the road, the town is represented by Kuss and Quinn Simmons at the WorldTour level, both beginning their bike careers as mountain bikers. 

“It’s amazing that we have three Durangoans in the Olympics,” Blevins said. “It means a lot to carry on that legacy.”

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Ryan Simonovich

Ryan Simonovich is a Durango-based journalist covering endurance sports, outdoor recreation and travel. His Ryan MTB Podcast covers all things off-road cycling. https://x.com/ryanasimono More by Ryan Simonovich

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Olympics | After a grueling Tour de France, top riders are racing to recover for Paris Olympics time trial

Many riders from the tour will still have wobbly legs..

The conclusion to the Tour de France last Sunday in Nice, where Slovenia’s  Tadej Pogacar became a three-time champion  by dominating rival Jonas Vingegaard and the rest of the field, has sent some of the world’s best cyclists into the road race at the Paris Olympics in the best possible shape.

For others, the race is on to recover from three grueling weeks in time for Saturday’s time trial.

The  cycling schedule  was altered for this Summer Games, and the traditional road race that starts the program was pushed back to give riders competing in it a longer break. But to make the revised schedule work, the time trial was pushed ahead to the day after the  opening ceremony , which means many riders from the Tour will still have wobbly legs.

The biggest among them is Remco Evenepoel, the 24-year-old from Belgium who won the first of the Tour’s two time trials and went on to finish third in the overall. But after  Pogacar withdrew from the Olympics, citing fatigue , the race against the clock is wide open, especially given how little time riders have to recover from their trek through the French countryside.

“The big three are Filippo Ganna, Remco and Josh Tarling,” said Brandon McNulty, the American time trial champion, who did not compete in the Tour and hopes his fresh legs can carry him to his nation’s first medal in the men’s time trial since 2008.

After a pause, McNulty kept on going, throwing out Stefan Kueng of Switzerland as another podium contender. Belgium’s Wout van Aert also could be in the mix, provided he has recovered from seven top-10 finishes during the Tour.

The race begins at Invalides and ends at the gilded bridge of Pont Alexandre III. All the riders will pass by Notre Dame, the Place de la Bastille and the former royal residence at Chateau de Vincennes, along with several more of Paris’ iconic sites.

One they will avoid: the Champs-Elysée, the historic thoroughfare where the Tour typically finishes but has been taken over during the Olympics and forced the second of the three Grand Tours to finish in Nice.

“It’s pretty flat, a few corners, but it’s pretty simple overall,” McNulty said. “Some bumpy roads and stuff, but fast.”

That could play into the hands of  American time trial world champion Chloe Dygert  in the women’s race.

The 27-year-old from Brownsburg, Indiana, has overcome a lot to become the favorite to win gold in Paris. Dygert was in a career-threatening crash at the world championships in 2020 that derailed her plans to race for gold the following year at the Tokyo Games, then dealt with a series of injuries and illnesses along with some off-the-bike-hurdles in her personal life.

“Looking back at Rio in 2016, I took everything for granted,” said Dygert, who helped the U.S. win silver in the team pursuit in the velodrome that year. “I remember Rio better than Tokyo because I was happier and healthier. I respected and felt so much more grateful for being able to go to Tokyo after my accident. I realized and understood better that being selected for the Olympics is such an accomplishment and that it’s such a massive dream for everyone.”

The bigger dream is to win gold, though. Dygert also has a bronze medal from the team pursuit at the Tokyo Games.

Yet the path to the top step of the podium remains a daunting one in Paris.

Dygert’s biggest challenge could come from Ellen van Dijk of the Netherlands, who gave birth to her first child in October and returned to racing in March, only to break her ankle while training in June. The three-time world time trial champion decided a few weeks ago that  she was in good enough shape to race in Paris .

“It doesn’t bother me on the bike and that’s the most important thing,” said van Dijk, who was left off the time trial team for Tokyo and watched compatriots Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen take gold and bronze, respectively.

“I haven’t had an ideal preparation and that may affect (my race),” van Dijk added, “but in the end I feel good and I’m going to give it my all. I want to enjoy it, because being here is special as it is.”

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Visma-Lease a Bike and Ineos Grenadiers Opt Out of Tour de France Team Radio Broadcast

The thrill of listening to team radios on TV coverage might be over as top teams voice concerns over compromised race strategies.

“We had a lot of discussions about strategies being communicated, what is affecting the race and not, and we think we need to sort that out better, then we can look to the future,” Jasper Saeijs, marketing manager at Visma-Lease a Bike, told Cycling Weekly .

“We are still in favor of everything that can engage fans in the sport… we are pro fan engagement… but it can’t affect the race and the race strategy. And in our opinion, it did this too much. We are not the only team; there are more teams that don’t like how it is going.”

According to Saeijs, there wasn’t a specific incident in the last week of the Tour that forced the team to make the decision, but “it was counting up every day, and we decided just to suspend and look after the Tour to see if it’s possible or not to continue, and also the way to continue.”

Similar to Formula 1 races, these brief moments between team cars and riders are usually recorded several minutes before they air to ensure they don’t contain any information that could influence the race. But Visma-Lease a Bike, Ineos Grenadiers, and others have said that the communications aired have hurt team tactics. This is why both teams refused access to their internal communications on stages 19, 20, and 21 in the Tour’s final week.

In-race radio clips have been used since 2022, and currently, 15 teams are enrolled in the program. For their participation, they are compensated €5,000 (5,438 USD). However, at least six teams have recently expressed concerns as staff and riders have reached the point where they don’t want to worry about what might be broadcast to the world, with many of them upset over what aired in 2023.

One of the most memorable “listening-in” moments from 2023 came on Stage 17 on the Col de la Loze. An exhausted Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) said, “I’m dead, I’m gone,” into his radio as he dropped back, and the whole world—including other team staff who often listen to the TV broadcast inside the team cars—got to hear it.

The Escape Collective reported that Merijn Zeeman, one of Visma’s sports directors, “has no problem with the broadcast of encouragement – for instance, the immortal words of Grischa Niermann: ‘Come on, eh! ’–but the potential broadcast of tactical instructions would unsurprisingly be an issue, and the team believes the line is vague; it’s not clear who makes the decision of what to include and how the assessment is made.”

While the team radio clips have given us some great moments and pulled fans into the action, they might just be giving away too much. Going forward, organizers will need to find a sweet spot where we can still enjoy these insider snippets without potentially influencing the race.

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

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