For the last three Augusts (2011, 2012, and 2013) Lizard Head Cycling has ridden along with the USA Pro Challenge Colorado Bike Tour. This event brings top racers to Colorado such as the 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome, American favorite Tejay Van Garderen, the super intense Jens Voigt, and more of your favorite riders.
The USA Pro Challenge Colorado Bike Tour has exceeded our expectations. The crowds are electric (they cheered even for us!), the closed roads mean little traffic and we stay in many of the same hotels as some of the Pro Cycling teams.
- In 2012 we did it all again with a diverse group from New Orleans, Ohio, the California Coast and Atlanta. Although our crew may have had net elevation of below sea, they did just fine.
- 2013 brought some AMAZING people and cyclists to us, it was such a great and diverse group consisting of Aussies, East Coasters, Mid Westerners, and Southerners, as well as our first non-riders! We can’t wait to see who 2014 will bring to us!
- Lizard Head Cycling Guide’s tour supports both cyclists who want to ride from Point A to Point B with few stops while assisting cyclists who want to ride at a more relaxed pace. Aid stations and a delicious lunch our provided via our custom van & trailer.
The USA Pro Challenge Colorado Bike Tour includes: 7-nights of excellent lodging (double occupancy), 6-day of meals, shuttles, guide service, entrance fees, and mechanical support. Alcohol & any guide gratuity are additional.
Let’s Ride!
I have been on a half-dozen guided tours of the last ten years. Lizard Head Cycling Guides are the best. John Humphries is a logistical wizard and a gracious, gregarious guide leader. He is assisted by very friendly and competent assistants (Chuck and Nicole) who watched out for our safety, personal needs and made sure the tour worked as planned. Thanks to the whole crew for making it an exceptional experience.
We’ll be back in 2013 and we’re bringing more friends!
Louise from New Orleans
View Lizard Head Cycling’s photos from 2012 USA Pro Challenge: Colorado Bike Tour
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u337lh3n1fnai3l/tkX5bp6QRG
Simply sign up the great software Dropbox to view the photos:
Read David’s blog about his experiences on Lizard Head Cycling’s 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Tour of Colorado
The profile of the course was intimidating, the distance was mind (and seat) numbing, the logistics were challenging, the group was intense and competitive, the leaders were great, and the personal sense of achievement at the end was unbelievably rewarding. It was the hardest 7 days of my cycling life. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. It was a kick in the butt.
I recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in a great seven days of cycling. I am almost 60, from New Orleans with the highest hill being the levee, which is about 35 feet above sea level, and was able to do it. The support is superb and made the distances and climbs possible. There are plenty of options, from rest stops to shuttles to non stop, to meet any cyclist’s needs or desires.
Aside from the physical challenges of the ride, it was neat to stay in the same hotels as the professional riders. Boy, they are skinny looking kids. Watching the finish for two stages was inspiring. The food and accommodations were great. I plan to do another ride with these guys. Soon!
I’m, at best, an average cyclist so when I started looking at this tour I was downright petrified. I REALLY wanted to do it, but wasn’t sure I physically could. I’ve wanted to see Colorado and the Rockies for as long as I can remember and having gotten into cycling a few years ago I simply couldn’t pass up this trip, petrified or not.
It was faaar beyond my comfort zone – but with Lizard Head’s support I was able to do something I likely would never have been able to do otherwise – every single time I needed support, they were there. Literally! There’s nothing like riding your heart out in some of the most breathtaking places in the world, rounding a gorgeous curve in the road …. and seeing the Lizard Head van sitting there with an almost-gourmet lunch waiting for you! Or, being caught in a wicked afternoon thunderstorm (it happens in the mountains, I’ve learned), riding it out for as long as you can before thinking ‘I want off this bike NOW and I want something DRY!’, looking up through your rain-drenched glasses to see the road ahead … and the Lizard Head van waiting for you with the door open. I still shake my head some days and think ‘Whoa. I’ve ridden my bike in the Colorado Rockies’ … not to mention that I saw some of the best cyclists in the world pass literally within inches, stayed in some of the same hotels with the Pros (yes they are incredibly thin, except for their legs!), and rode some of the same exact slabs of pavement (or packed dirt, whatever the case may be) that they rode (albeit, at a significantly slower pace – a totally insignificant detail).
The experience was off-the-charts. Unfortunately, it can’t be shared in words – it has to be experienced first-hand. I’m already signed up for the Pro Tour next year. I left this trip with a new life motto: ‘Experiences. Not Things.’ It was THAT unreal. If you’ve ever wanted to experience something like this I highly recommend you let Lizard Head help you reach that goal – they will not let you fail and they will stick with you – and celebrate with you – every mile of the way. When you’re at the top of a mountain, above tree-line and feeling like you can reach up and touch the clouds, or flying down the other side for miles on end at a pace faster than the posted speed limit, you won’t regret it … you just might, however, regret it if you don’t – I certainly would have.
Read the blog I wrote describing my day to day experience on the 2011 US Pro Cycling Challenge with Lizard Head Cycling.
http://outsidetheradius.blogspot.com/2011/08/its-up-or-its-down-there-is-no-flat.html
View photos from my 2011 bike tour with Lizard Head Cycling’s US Pro Cycling Challenge
http://gallery.me.com/jfm225#100147
View You Tube video of the bike descent from 12,000-feet in Rocky Mountain National Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlFu92ysU6Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlFu92ysU6I