Colorado Classic Cycling Race Will Be Women Only Next Year
DENVER (CBS4)- The 2019 Colorado Classic cycling race will be a female-only event. The August 22-25, 2019 event will be the only Union Cycliste Internationale standalone women's stage race in North America.
Organizers say they plan to live stream coverage each day of the race, and say the Colorado Classic will put women's cycling and Colorado on a global stage. The live stream and on-demand replays will be syndicated to fans around the world through cycling and partner websites as well as though Facebook Live and the race's Tour Tracker mobile app.
"As a major sponsor instrumental in bringing pro racing back to Colorado, we are proud to support the Colorado Classic's bold move in becoming a women's race," said Colorado Governor-Elect Jared Polis. "It's a perfect match, as the Colorado Classic reflects what our state is known for – innovation and inclusion – while showcasing Colorado's diverse outdoor health and wellness lifestyle."
Arleigh Greenwald owns Bike Shop Girl in Aurora, a bike shop geared towards women. She sees this change as an opportunity to grow the sport.
As the Colorado Classic cycling race becomes a female only event, some say this is a great opportunity to grow the sport.
"There's 60 percent of the population that says they're interested in cycling and a lot of that is swaying towards women," she told CBS4's Dominic Garcia.
Greenwald says cycling can be an intimidating sport to get into, but exposure like this could inspire women, especially kids, to give cycling a try.
"As a mom and a woman who loves sports I'm excited. I can take my daughter and the limelight is now on women," she told CBS4.
The Colorado Classic also has assembled an all-female team of public address announcers for calling the race, and will feature several female influencers and heroes spanning across women's athletics.
Greenwald says the exposure will show that the women's event can be just as exciting as the men's race.
"As you've seen with tennis and soccer women can play and we're good at it. So giving us that spotlight is great."
Dominic Garcia anchors CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. Connect with the Denver native on Twitter @cbs4dom & on Facebook.
