Best Places to Watch the Pro Challenge Bike Race in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor & Estes Park

The USA Pro Challenge bicycle race is coming through Northern Colorado on August 24, 2013, and it is going to be exciting. The finish line is in Old Town, Fort Collins.

This internationally televised event features the world's best cyclists, so we are going to witness the best of the best.

Here are the best places to get a glimpse of the action. If you notice, this list is basically the race route in reverse, because the most exciting place will be the finish line.

Old Town Square - Race Finish Line

It's the moment. We don't know what they've been through as we watch them pass, yet we still get to experience the feeling along with them. Arrive early, there will be a lot of people there.

Library Park

Street parking will be more available the further you go from the epicenter of Old Town, so you could just pull up, park in front of somebody's house, walk a few blocks and see world class entertainment.

Along Olive in Fort Collins from Loomis to Peterson

Along Mulberry in Fort Collins from Jackson to Loomis

City Park in Fort Collins (south side)

Overland Trail

Park in Lions Park in Fort Collins, just off of Overland Trail near Laporte, and walk carefully to Bingham Hill road to watch the racers make the turn to the final, flat section of the course.

Horsetooth Reservoir

Note - Many of the mountain areas will require you to be there before they enact closures to support the race. Click for a list of times and closures.

Horsetooth Reservoir area will be closed to cars within a few hours of the race, but parking will be available at the Hughes Stadium Parking lot. From there you could hike the 'A' Trail aka Foothills Trail to the ridge and watch them race by Horsetooth, or just walk out to the road and watch them fly by. They will be coming down the hill, so you will see some real speed around a big bend here.

Downtown Estes Park

Downtown Loveland between Denver Ave and Wilson on 1st Street

Loveland Sports Park

Downtown Windsor anywhere between Walnut and Garden on 1st Street

Eastman Park in Windsor - Race Start Line

The Race will operate in a “rolling enclosure.” This is a proven and common strategy for operating road closures for professional bike races. The race will be escorted by a caravan lead and followed by Colorado State Patrol Officers whose arrival at an intersection will, in most locations, signal the beginning and end of the enclosure. Depending on the location on the route, this rolling enclosure will last anywhere from a half hour to 90 minutes. In some locations however, it will be necessary to extend road closures prior to or after the rolling enclosure to safely manage traffic. In this case, the longest projected closures are not expected to exceed 3 hours.