Colorado bike legend excited by Armstrong’s news
| August 18, 2009 | 1:11 PM
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On Monday, Lance Armstrong made a more definite statement about the return of bicycle stage racing to Colorado . Armstrong said that with Gov. Bill Ritter’s backing, there is a good chance that a new race can be organized for the 2011 calendar.
That’s heartening news for Ron Kiefel, owner of WheatRidge Cyclery and one of Colorado’s bike racing legends. Kiefel, a member the 7-11 Team, the first American team to participate in the Tour de France in the mid 1980s, was a teammate of Armstrong’s at the end of his career when the Texan was first coming up.
“Personally I’m excited because these are some great courses,” said Kiefel, who won several stages of the Coors Classic before its demise in 1988.
That race was a favorite among the European riders, Kiefel said. “The Italians and the Dutch, they just loved coming here.”
They did have to take the altitude into account, though. “You have to think about different energy expenditures because you have a little bit harder time recovering,” he said.
A new Colorado stage race would probably be in the 7-to-10-day range, Kiefel said. “It’s not gonna be like the Vuelta (the Tour of Spain) or the Tour de France,” he said.
Those races last three weeks and require a huge amount of preparation. In the modern era it’s rare for a racer to participate in more than two of the three major races in a season. During his career Kiefel also won a stage of the Giro de Italia, which is the third leg of the major-race triad.
The cost issue hovers ominously over any new cycling venture, but Kiefel thinks Armstrong has enough star power to garner support.
“Lance and his organization have the potential to bring in a sponsor,” he said.
Hank Schultz, Journals, Sports
bicycle state racing, bill ritter, lance armstrong, ron kiefel, tour de france
