Gran Fondo Online

The Echelon/Fort Collins Cycling Festival will be the host of the 2011 UCI Amateur Road Race and Time Trial qualifiers where the top 10% of each category will be invited to Belgium this fall to compete in the world championships on the famous Liege-Bastogne-Liege course.

All events offer destination cyclists spectacular courses both in scenery and challenge. The starts and finishes are nestled in the mountainous backdrop of Old Town, Fort Collins Colorado (just one hour from Denver, CO). Cyclists will be immersed in streets lined with fans creating the sense that one might as well be at the base of l’Alpe d’Huez. The competitive weekend events are part of the Fort Collins weekend cycling festival; amateur riders may mingle with top pros including Lance Armstrong, who was instrumental in bringing the Pro Challenge to Colorado. (The Quiznos Pro Challenge, a Colorado UCI professional road race, will be held immediately after the Fort Collins weekend in Colorado Springs).

Events

Friday August 19th, 2011 – Raw Hide Time Trial, Fort Collins, Colorado,  28km /17.4 miles (vertical – 112 meters/367 feet)

Sunday August 21st, 2011 – Rist Canyon Road Race, Fort Collins, Colorado, 113km/66.8 miles (vertical – 1,853M/6114FT)

• Full road closure
• 120 field limits (by age category). Note: cyclist will race against peers, not the masses
• 2 Professional feeds
• Rolling SAG, wheel cars by Shimano
• Jaguar Chip Timing
• Prominent staging, signage and banners
• Televised Internationally
• Insurance
• Medical service
• Massage
• Gran Fondo food and festival included in entry

A USA Cycling one-day permit may be required.

Categories:

The Categories for both the Road Race and the Time Trial are as follows:

• Age 16-29 (Challenger Class)
• Age 30-34
• Age 35-39
• Age 40-44
• Age 45-49
• Age 50-54
• Age 55-59
• Age 60-64
• Age 65+