Armstrong and Quiznos partner up
The Colorado-based international submarine sandwich chain, Quiznos, has entered into the world of cycling as a new sponsor – not for a team, but for a tour. Lance Armstrong waited less than two weeks since the end of the Tour de France to announced that he has not retired after all, but that he can be seen racing in the inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge, which has also been called the Tour of Colorado.
The American state of Colorado was host to the Coors Classic, a stage race held between 1979 and 1988. Inspired by that race, Armstrong met with governor Bill Ritter to propose a stage race in 2011, backed by Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of American-based Team Garmin-Transitions.
"Basically I told [Ritter], from an exposure and economic and enthusiasm standpoint, the state of Colorado should have a bike race," said Vaughters in a Denver Post article. "It's ridiculous that California has the biggest race in the US, and Colorado only has a couple of medium-level local events."
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is a growing force in the States, now holding the Tours of Georgia, Missouri, and the very successful Tour of New York. The debut Tour of Colorado is schedule for August 22-28, 2011, and will arguably constitute Armstrong’s third time returning to professional cycling after three times quitting: first when he was diagnosed with cancer, then after his seventh consecutive Tour de France win, then at the end of this year’s Tour, during which he said “Lance Armstrong is over in a few days.”
On top of the expected sprint and mountain stages, the Tour of Colorado will make a point of including a third category – downtown stages, in a route either starting or finishing in Denver, crossing through the city of Boulder and climbing the Rocky Mountains.
"It feels like the birth of a new event, but in many ways it's really the rebirth of an old event," Armstrong told The AP. "This state has a long, long history of supporting a great American stage race, the first of its kind. A lot of American teams and a lot of great American talent were developed out of that."
Armstrong’s role in the organizing of the race hasn’t been officially announced but he will be part of the planning process. The Quiznos Pro Challenge will fill a void left by the recently-announced cancellations of the Tour of Georgia and Missouri. The dates of the Tour, in the second half of August, have also been chosen deliberately to serve as a warm-up to the Vuelta a Espana during the break after the Tour de France, and it will counter-point the Tour of California, held in the spring.
"The idea is to highlight all the legendary places in Colorado that have a cycling history," said Armstrong.
Colorado governor Bill Ritter joined Armstrong to make the formal announcement from Denver, the state capital on Wednesday, August 4, followed by a public ride through the city centre.
Armstrong offered no comment about the federal doping investigations into the former US Postal Service Team, investigations which cover Armstrong, a former member of the team, since the confirmed doper and former team mate Floyd Landis made public allegations against them. Armstrong politely said had "nothing to say" about the matter.
The seven-time Tour champion is living in Aspen, in the Rocky Mountains, and has said he has been daydreaming about the Tour of Colorado for years. He hopes it will draw enough top pro cyclists to become an established annual event.
"The return of a major international stage race to Colorado is wonderful news, not only for the state of Colorado, but also for the continued development of American professional cycling," said Steve Johnson, chief executive officer of USA Cycling.
Armstrong already has several appearances planned, despite his retirement only a week ago. He can be seen at Steamboat Springs this weekend and later at the off-road race Ride 4 Yellow, a fund-raiser for the fight against cancer.
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