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USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Stage 3

August 25, 2011 by Justin 3 Comments

Davis Phinney USA Pro Cycling Challenge

It was great to see Davis Phinney (pictured above). One of those ‘this is a special moment in life’ great! When he was introduced, along with other Coors Classic alums, the crowd erupted into cheer. Eventually, once the crowds subsided I was able to go and chat with him a bit. I introduced myself, and reminded him that I was the kid who interviewed him at his home 22 years ago (you can see the video here). To my surprise it wasn’t your standard handshake, Davis opened his arms and dropped a warm hug on me. His passion for life was even more clear than I remember. It became evident why he not only continues to be a role model in the cycling community, but a beacon of hope to the 1.5 million people living with Parkinson’s disease. The guy is as good as they get. Please, if you can, help support the Davis Phinney foundation. We have raised over $13,000 but we still have $7,000 to go to meet the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Grant of $20,000. We have 4 more days to do it, so don’t wait. You can donate securely and safely here.

Enjoy today’s images from the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage in Vail, CO. It was another epic day racing in the Rocky Mountains, and another day of suffering for the riders. The time trial is a special event, and this one was no exception.

I would like to thank the Vail Cascade Resort for helping to support the cause. Their hospitality was such a treat. If you are ever in Vail, you don’t need to look any further. They have a 75,000 sg/ft workout facility complete with pool and boxing rings. The place is awesome!





USA Pro Cycling Challenge Time Trial Vail
USA Pro Cycling Challenge Time Trial Vail
USA Pro Cycling Challenge Time Trial Vail
USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011 Chris Baldwin

Quick Reminder: I am providing this behind the scenes look at one of America’s greatest bike races to raise awareness of the Davis Phinney Foundation and it’s mission to match the $20,000 challenge grant provided by the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. If you enjoyed any or all of this coverage, PLEASE consider making a donation to help those living with Parkinson’s Disease, ‘Live Well’. To learn how you can help us achieve our goal click here. You can find all my coverage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge here.

The Complete 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Coverage

Filed Under: Colorado, Cycling, USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011
Tagged With:

Related Posts

  1. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Stage 2
  2. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Stage 1
  3. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Press Conference
  4. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Prologue

USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Stage 2

August 24, 2011 by Justin 4 Comments

How To Win A Bike Race In 5 Easy Steps (featuring George Hincapie)



1) Sign Autographs – This will quickly fill your karmic tank. If for some reason your fitness fails you, karma will surely propel you to victory.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 2 George Hincapie

2) Strategize with a former Giro d’ Italia Winners – This is key. Victory is no accident so a fool proof plan is absolutely necessary.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 2 George Hincapie

3) Pimp Your Victory – I appreciate the fact that George went old school here with a classic 2 handed victory salute. In this modern era of cycling, with the ‘rock the babies’, the ‘archer’, the ‘pistol’, we have lost touch with our roots. It was refreshing to see that George kept it real.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 2 George Hincapie

4) Celebrate With Your Entourage – George continued to keep it real with a timeless ‘high five’.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 2 George Hincapie

5) Claim Your Prize – To the victor goes the spoils. It is important to take your time here. You don’t complete steps 1-4 and then sluff on step 5. This is your podium, enjoy it! I would have liked to have seen George drop a subtle wink on the crowd, but he decided to keep it simple. That is fine with me. Even though I just told you this is your podium, you don’t want to ‘raise the roof’ here. Treat it with the same respect George did.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 2 George Hincapie

Well done George, we hope to see you up there again soon!

Quick Reminder: I am providing this behind the scenes look at one of America’s greatest bike races to raise awareness of the Davis Phinney Foundation and it’s mission to match the $20,000 challenge grant provided by the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. If you enjoyed any or all of this coverage, PLEASE consider making a donation to help those living with Parkinson’s Disease, ‘Live Well’. To learn how you can help us achieve our goal click here. You can find all my coverage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge here.

The Complete 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Coverage

Filed Under: Colorado, Cycling, USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011

Related Posts

  1. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Stage 1
  2. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Press Conference
  3. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Prologue
  4. Stage 3

USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Stage 1

August 23, 2011 by Justin 12 Comments

Well, we had our first bout of technical difficulties on the road today. After one successful image upload, the remaining 12 failed. There is a bright side. My favorite image of the day made it! Our plan today was to catch a bit of the pre-race moments in Salida, then hit the road right before the start so we could share all the beautiful Colorado moments along the course. There were plenty! It was amazing how many people came out to see the race. Every ranch in the Gunnison valley had shut down for the day, and the families set up shop along the road to cheer the riders as they passed. We barely made it to Crested Butte. I had forgotten to fill up before we left and we nearly ran out of gas. Once we got to Crested Butte, we scouted out a location that happened to be both beautiful and near some of the most hospitable folk the valley could offer. If you read this blog with any regularity, you write about cycling’s ability to bridge any political, ethnic, or religious gap that may exist between people. After you spend hours, sitting on the side of a mountain, staring at an empty road, you get to know your fellow spectator pretty well. Without fail, this has been the case for me in Europe at the Tour de France. I always leave France with a couple more friends than I had when I left. Today, it was no different in the states. Doug, pictured here (and his family and friends not pictured because they couldn’t be uploaded) are some of the nicest people you could meet. Not only did they keep us amused with their antics, they offered us drinks, dinner, and a standing invite to come visit the largest ranch in the Crested Butte valley. THIS IS WHY I LOVE BIKE RACING!

Update: Technical issues have been resolved! Here are a few moments I wanted to share from yesterday’s stage.

2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Fans greet the riders as the team busses arrive in Salida, CO


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Other than the Livestrong banner, the team Radio Shack bus could easily be mistaken for Neil Diamond's rig.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Media covering the rider sign in.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Race leader Patrick Gretsech is all smiles at the start of today's stage.

2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Tour de France winner Cadel Evans greets fans after he signs in.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Cadel Evans makes a buch of kids day. It seems like Cadel is genuinely excited to be here.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

What it takes to win the Tour de France.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

Tom Danielson fields some hard hitting questions from Bob Roll.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

We were racing the BMC bus from Salida to Crested Butte. We crushed it going over Monarch pass. Yep, we dropped the team bus of Tour de France winner Cadel Evans like a bad habit.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

The peloton makes its way through the Crested Butte Valley.


2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Stage 1

The peloton heads to the finish in Crested Butte

Quick Reminder: I am providing this behind the scenes look at one of America’s greatest bike races to raise awareness of the Davis Phinney Foundation and it’s mission to match the $20,000 challenge grant provided by the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. If you enjoyed any or all of this coverage, PLEASE consider making a donation to help those living with Parkinson’s Disease, ‘Live Well’. To learn how you can help us achieve our goal click here. You can find all my coverage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge here.

The Complete 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Coverage

Filed Under: Colorado, Cycling, Gunnison, USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011

Related Posts

  1. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Press Conference
  2. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Prologue
  3. The Tour de France: Stage 12
  4. Stage 3

USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Prologue

August 22, 2011 by Justin 2 Comments

USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

The TT bikes arrive in the Rocky Mountains


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

The steeds are named by their rider.


Cycling is unlike any other sport. The access fans have to their heros is unprecedented. They share the roads with them, and the parking lot when warming up for a time trial. Generally speaking, most cyclists are pretty cool people to chat with.


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

The Time Machine...How cool is that?


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

10 speeds


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

Radio Shack rider, George Bennett, is a cool guy...literally. He is wearing a vest that circulates ice water to keep his core temperature down while he warms up.


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

Colorado hero, Christian Vande Velde, contemplates the trial ahead.


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

Waiting for the start time. (Some images are easy to caption, and some aren't. I was trying to avoid Untitled.)


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

Fans making their way to the start in the heart of Colorado Spring's Garden of the Gods.


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

This Is Ted King!


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue Andy Schleck

This Is Andy Schleck!


More Cowbell.


USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Prologue

I hope you enjoyed today's look at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. We will see you back here for tomorrow's first mountain stage.

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicked off today with a Prologue time trial through the picturesque, ‘Garden of the Gods’, in Colorado Springs. The Prologue is an individual race against the clock. Riders leave, in predefined intervals, to challenge the course in an extremely soul searching type of way. It is the most painful event that a rider will ever endure. The challenge isn’t in the terrain, it is in your body’s ability to withstand the punishment your mind is requiring of it. It is also a special event for the spectators. Not only do they get to spend several hours cheering for the riders as each one races by, they get to mingle with them as they warm up. Cycling is unlike any other sport when it comes to fan access. As a fan, you get to watch the mechanics prepare their machines. You hear the roar of the crowds as the favored riders arrive in their team cars. You get stand next to the riders and observe as they prepare themselves for the trials ahead, and because cyclists are generally good natured interesting folk, you can have a short chat with them. This is what I wanted to convey in today’s post. I have said it many times before, but cycling is the greatest sport on earth. I grew up a bike racer, and have an undying love of the bike. These are the memories I have from years of riding, I hope you come out to a bike race to make your own.

We will see you back here tomorrow as the UPCC makes its way though the Rocky Mountains! I also might have a pretty slick free computer desktop to unveil tomorrow for everyone. It will simply be titled…’Captain America’. I think you will dig it.

Quick Reminder: I am providing this behind the scenes look at one of America’s greatest bike races to raise awareness of the Davis Phinney Foundation and it’s mission to match the $20,000 challenge grant provided by the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. If you enjoyed any or all of this coverage, PLEASE consider making a donation to help those living with Parkinson’s Disease, ‘Live Well’. To learn how you can help us achieve our goal click here.

The Complete 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Coverage

Filed Under: Colorado, Colorado Springs, Cycling, USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011

Related Posts

  1. USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Press Conference
  2. iPhone (fitness challenge) Friday
  3. iPhone Friday – The Challenge Begins
  4. iPhone Friday – Fitness Challenge Winners

USA Pro Cycling Challenge – Press Conference

August 21, 2011 by Justin 3 Comments
2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Press Conference

Apparently, this is going to be a big event. Millions of viewers in 161 countries big!

2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Press Conference

It's so big, Phil Liggett has a seat at the table. We are all looking forward to both he and Paul's commentary.

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Press Conference

Tour de France winner Cadel Evans fields a few questions from the press corps.

2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Press Conference

Andy and Frank Schleck are happy to find out from Governor Hickenlooper that Colorado produces the most beer of any state in the US.

2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Press Conference

Andy Schleck had just been asked about the impact of social media on cycling when Tour de France winner Cadel Evans decided it was a good idea to tweet about it.

2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Press Conference

It is going to be fun week. Stay tuned, I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look at the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

During the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge (Aug 22-28) I am providing a behind the scenes look at one of America’s greatest bike races. My goal is to raise awareness of the Davis Phinney Foundation and it’s mission to match the $20,000 challenge grant provided by the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. To learn how you can help us achieve our goal click here.
A Few Good Links:

  • Learn how you can support the Davis Phinney Foundation’s USA Pro Challenge Grant here.
  • To see an archival and previously unreleased interview of Davis Phinney, by yours truly when I was 14, click here.
  • Subscribe to a Twitter list containing most of the riders, teams, and news agencies involved with the UPCC. Including guys like Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.
  • Find the entire week of my posts from the UPCC here.
  • To get behind the scenes updates and iPhone images from me, just follow me on Twitter (@justinbalog).
  • To see what others are saying about the UPCC, or join to join the conversation yourself, use the hash tag #USApro and #livewell.
  • Watch the race! Check the TV schedule here.

    • If you enjoyed any or all of this coverage, PLEASE consider making a donation to help those living with Parkinson’s Disease ‘Live Well’.

    The Complete 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge Coverage

    Filed Under: Colorado, Cycling, USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2011
    Tagged With:

    Related Posts

    1. iPhone Friday – The Challenge Begins
    2. iPhone (fitness challenge) Friday
    3. iPhone Friday – Fitness Challenge Winners
    4. Supporting The Davis Phinney Foundation
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