Are you dreaming of seeing a mountain stage of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Tour de France style, but are dreading the drive up one of the passes due to the traffic or road closures? Do you want to see who is using carbon fiber, SRAM, the new Shimano DuraAce Di2 and not just read about it? Does getting an up close look at the latest technology that the pros are riding that may not even be available to the general public yet interest you? The Colorado State Police (CSP), the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have decided to allow spectators to camp out overnight alongside each state road that the race travels past. For a period of 24 hours prior to the race passing your campsite, CSP and CDOT will not ticket or require campers to move as long as they are camping off of the path of travel, including shoulders and private property. As long as the campsite does not impede traffic, it can stay. This move will allow more spectators and fans to have closer access to the competitors as they struggle to tackle some of the toughest mountain passes of the Rockies and this is your perfect chance to see the racers pass by at a speed that you can actually get a look at their equipment!
Official release (posted by www.bicyclecolo.org):
The Colorado State Patrol in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the U.S. Forest Service is committed to making the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (August 22-28, 2011) a world class event for the race participants, citizens of Colorado and spectators. Therefore, in keeping with the bicycle racing tradition of spectator access, here are the guidelines for camping and roadside parking along Colorado State Highways:
Parking and camping will be allowed along Colorado highway right of ways as long as it meets the following conditions:
• Roadside parking/camping can be in place no more than 24 hours in advance of the time the race is expected to pass that location.
• All vehicles, including trailers, must be parked off the traveled portion of the highway, this includes all shoulders, gore points, divided highway areas and access to private property.
• All vehicles, including trailers, may not pose a safety risk to the motoring public regardless of parking or camping area.
• All spectators will ensure their areas are clean of debris and trash after they leave.
If the area becomes overwhelmed with vehicles, including trailers, or the number of vehicles in an area is deemed excessive, CDOT and CSP may clear the area and require vehicles to move to another location.
Along with this announcement, the CSP has also released a list of anticipated road closures in this PDF document http://csp.state.co.us/downloads/Hazmat/USA%20PCC%20HMR%20Closures%20-%20Carrier%20Memo.pdf.
There is still plenty of time to book your travel arrangements to see first-hand the inaugural race of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Don’t let this opportunity race on by!
Camping for USA Pro Cycling Challenge Fans on race route Information