North American Throwdowns - 3 weeks of stage racing to rival the Vuelta
 

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Just a heads up for three North American stage races coming up in August and September. North America has become a new destination for late summer racing.

Tour of Utah Live Race coverage

August 6-11

Tour of Utah broadcast partner FOX Sports Network (FSN) will provide a total of 18 hours of national programming this year for the Tour of Utah, including 12 hours of live coverage. All six days of programming will be produced in HD for August 6-11, 2013. Check your listings for local cable channel:

Live Coverage (Note: Times shown are EDT)
Tue, 8/6 – 4 pm - 6 pm
Wed, 8/7 – 4 pm - 6 pm
Thu, 8/8 – 4 pm - 6 pm
Fri, 8/9 – 7:30 pm - 9 pm
Sat, 8/10 – 4 pm – 6 pm
Sun, 8/11 – 4 pm – 6 pm

There is also an application for your PC or mobile device at the above link.

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USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado

From August 19th to the 25th. TV listings at the bottom of above link.

Cycling News: Watch the USA Pro Challenge live online for free

This ad is from 2012 but I'm assuming they'll have The RadioShack Tour Tracker available for the race again this year.

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Tour of Alberta Canada

September 3-8 2013. I'm not finding anything about coverage of this yet in the US but am assuming that Steephill, Cycling News or Cycling Fans might have feeds. Perhaps someone from Canada might have some info for coverage up there.


Here's a promo video for the Tour of Alberta

Are any of the above races covered on tv?

Check with FOX Sports Network for your local providers because they'll be covering the Tour of Utah.

As for the US Pro Challenge in Colorado it looks like you'll have to sign up for their newsletter to get their TV listings for your area.

http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/tv-listings

I'm really not sure about US TV coverage for the Tour of Alberta. Their website wasn't very informative. I suspect that will be shown in Canada but I wouldn't have a clue about TV listings up there.

Since I don't have cable I'll be watching the Utah and Colorado races on the net.

NBCSN was advertising the US Pro Challenge. I'd guess it'll be there.

On August 24th the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will be almost literally in my back yard... stoked!!

Nice! The ATOC started in mine but some dimwit decide to hold it on Mothers day. Friends own a house along the route near woods valley rd and kept sending me pictures and even scored a used bottle for me. Very sad day indeed.... I mean the brunch was good but.

This is as good a place as any to mention this; Driving home Monday I saw 2 BMC team vehicles (one van, one car complete with roofracks) driving West on I-80 between Sacramento and San Francisco. I know BMC's team HQ is in Santa Rosa, but could these have been Tour support vehicles already returned to California? They would've had to be airlifted from Paris to Sacramento almost directly after the stage finish on the Champs for the timeline to make sense.

it doesn't pay to be shipping vehicles back and forth
my guess those were lease vehicles for the states support and they stay here.
same for the vehicles on the continent

Yeah, it didn't seem likely to me that they'd have vehicles shipped Transatlantic (certainly not by air!), rather than just having a set of European vehicles and a set of American ones. Especially since they were just at the TOC in May, which would mean multiple trips (Classics in Europe -> TOC -> TdF -> back to Cali). Of course, the TdF vehicles were probably the same ones used for the Classics and Giro, and will be in use for the Vuelta while the North America races are going on.

I think I'll be heading over to Utah to see at least the Panguitch to Torrey stage. It's going through a stunning piece of scenery.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=331067

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Preliminary Startlist: 2013 Tour of Utah

Preliminary Rosters for the following teams as of July 29:

RadioShack-Leopard
Garmin-Sharp
BMC Racing
Cannondale TBD
Orica-GreenEdge
MTN-Qhubeka
Champion System
Funvic Brasil Invest Sao Jose dos Campos
Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies
Bissell
UnitedHealthcare
5-hour Energy-Kenda
Bontrager
Hincapie Sportswear Development
Jamis-Hagens Berman
Jelly Belly-Kenda

While I am glad for the coverage of upcoming North American market, why do we feel the need to be a rival to the Vuetla? Europe has plenty of good races this month also and not just the Vuelta. Right now, the Tour of Poland is going on which includes big names like Bradley Wiggins and Thor Hushovd.

Actually I plagiarized the header from Velo magazine. They are simply advertising the races to American cycling fans who might otherwise overlook these good testing grounds for future talent.

Plenty of room in here for a thread on the Tour of Poland and I'd be pleased if someone started one. I don't want to start all the threads in here but I've been keeping up with it and saw Hushovd's win in stage 3. Phinney also finished 13th in today's stage. Wiggins is 23 minutes down in the GC and missed the huge 1st group today.

Rival the Vuelta? So there is a grand tour with Nibali and Uran in the US?

If you just watch the Vuelta and don't watch the North American races as well, you'd be missing out on the burgeoning talent that we have to offer. If you were around in the '80s and failed to watch the then-burgeoning US cycling scene you'd have missed out on watching upcoming talent that went on to accomplish stage and race wins in the best of European racing.

Not only the Americans such as: Davis Phinney, Ron Kiefel, Jeff Pierce, Andy Hampsten and Greg Lemond. But also Colombians: Fabio Parra, Luis Herrera and Alvaro Mejia. And Canadians Alex Stieda and Steve Bauer. And Australian Phil Anderson and Mexican Raul Alcala.

All cut their teeth in American stage racing before they went on to race in Europe. American cycling is growing even more than it was in the '80s and these races will only attract even more talent from Europe in the future as well. So be there or be square and expand your horizons a little.

Tour of Alberta looks cool. Problem is that the European races are actually easier to watch, with a lot more coverage and more convenient air times.

Yeah I wish I knew more about broadcasting on that one. Ryder Hesjedal should be there. If I get more info on the rosters for the other two I'll post 'em. I'll be watching the first two, at least, on Cycling News since I don't have cable.

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Chris Froome to make return at USA Pro Challenge in Colorado

He’ll be joined by Richie Porte, along with Americans Ian Boswell, Joe Dombrowski, and Danny Pate, Britons Peter Kennaugh and Josh Edmondson, and Belarusian Kanstantsin Siutsou. Good chance to get a look at upcoming Dombrowski here.

Ryder Hesjedal hoping to finish off 2013 on high note in Utah and Alberta

Chris Horner headed for Utah and the Vuelta

Live daily coverage of 2013 Tour of Alberta to be broadcast in Canada on Sportsnet

Much thanks Athens :thumb:

I am surprised to see the tour of Utah ending a stage in Torrey. I have been there several times. The best place to stay is Cactus Hill Ranch motel just 5 miles south west of Torrey. Torrey is a tiny town,population 182. Take the trip to Cathedral Valley one of the most remote places in the US.
Ed

happy to have the us pro challenge and the tou but always look forward to the vuelta. it's the rodney dangerfield of the gt's but has had some very creative routes the last
few years since it got bought by the tdf organizers. same with may and the giro/amgen toc double. more racing is better than less. always some new talent buried on the
respective rosters that get a chance to shine riding these weeklong/lesser tours since they wouldn't sniff the tdf.

I missed stage one of the Tour of Utah, but caught stage two last night.

Minor gripe - thank you fox for showing the award ceremony, but the extra half hour of nothing where you just talk about Utah could be better spent showing people riding their bikes.

Looks like you can watch live coverage of the Tour of Utah at http://tourtracker.tourofutah.com/

Thanks Carbonframe :thumb:

Garmin Sharp and BMC looking good in Utah after stage 3. Today is a 33 mile circuit race in Salt Lake City.....My favorite kind to watch.

After the interview with Jens Voight yesterday, did anyone else hear the announcer say that he loves the outdoors and has six kids and would fit right in as anyones neighbor in Utah?

I chuckled.

Uh Oh

Much of Garmin Sharp getting dropped on the climb today. Peter Stetina and Lachlan Morton are alone in the front group. BMC still looks good so far for today.

Well I had to go ride and missed the end of stage 5 today. Lots of Radioshack power at the front when I left so no surprise Horner won the stage and leads the race. But Danielson of Garmin Sharp shares his ET in the GC. I missed a lot at the end. Danielson wasn't even in the front group when I left.

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Team Rosters for the USA Pro Challenge

First stage is Aspen/Snowmass on Monday.

Looks like a circuit.