they came to my town
a parade of state patrol cars,
motorcycles, bicycles
the color spectrum covered
by fans and riders
a celebration of the sport
a competition to the end
we waited
the helicopter appeared in the distance
flashing lights announced their approach
tiny dots on the hill
quickly transformed to men on bikes
riding across the dam
then up the hill and gone
The US Pro Cycling challenge completed its sixth stage in Fort Collins on Saturday. I attended with thousands of fans. And our hometown hero, Tejay van Garteren won the Challenge!
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Is that Horseshoe in the background? That is a steep hill!
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Yes, Amy! It’s Horsetooth Reservoir. It was fun to see all the boats in that little bay by the dam. When the riders went by, many of them gunned their engines and headed north on the lake to give chase. Too funny!
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Oh, Horsetooth?!! I knew I didn’t have that quite right. Haha.
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It’s okay, Amy. Horseshoe would be more common that Horsetooth! 🙂 But good memory!
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You had a beautiful setting for a seat. Cheers to your hometown rider!
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It was a perfect spot to see them for a long distance but they were still gone in a flash!
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And how early did you arrive?
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About an hour early, Frank. I rode my bike up there. My house is only about 1/2 mile south of there and on the same ridge of foothills as the road in the photos. They closed the road to cars so everyone walked or cycled up to the race course. Also the US Pro Cycling Challenge has an App for the iPad which provides a live feed for the race, so I could follow where they were in the course and how close they were getting!
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That’s good … .and a pleasant wait as well!
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I can feel the power of those cyclists!!
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Thanks, Mimi. These professional cyclists do this almost every day – 115 miles on this particular day and it’s amazing to watch them climb these hills!
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Has anyone ever referred to this race as Tour de Colorado, Cathy?
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Sorry for the late reply, V. My sister just got into town yesterday and I’ve been enjoying her company! Interestingly, the racers often refer to this race as the Tour of Colorado, even though that’s not its official name.
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Glad you’re enjoying time with your sister Cathy. When I’m with my family they’re always the priority, too.
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Pretty exciting! Those cyclists blow me away!
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They’re amazing, Dawn. I used to race myself, although certainly not at this level, but I can certainly understand the level of fitness it takes to do one of these stage races. It’s just incredible how fit they truly are!
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Every time I learn something new about you… you raced… I’m more impressed! You rock Cathy!
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Hi Cathy, I love your adventurous spirit and how you share your adventures with us all. A great post, well done.
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Thank you, Athena! It was a fun day and very exciting to see these professional racers. I felt very fortunate!
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