COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Flashing signs announcing a "bicycle event" can be found all over the city of Colorado Springs. But it's much more than just any event involving bikes, it's the first ever USA Pro Cycling Challenge debuting in Colorado Springs.
The race is like a smaller version of the Tour de France and will feature some of the same competitors.
It kicks off Monday with the prologue, a 5.2 mile time trial through Colorado Springs. It starts at Garden of the Gods and ends downtown.
Event organizers said they hope those big names will help draw more people to Colorado Springs for the race and boost the local economy.
The race features six stages which will be completed over seven days and cover more than 500 miles throughout Colorado.
"We head up into the high mountains over Cottonwood Pass, Independence Pass, Vail, all the epic climbs here in Colorado, and the person with the least amount of time at the end, because every stage is timed, at the very end is the overall winner of the race," Chris Carmichael, Founder of Carmichael Training Systems, said.
The race features treacherous terrain at high altitudes, similar to the Tour de France.
"We're gonna face similar terrain as the Tour de France with the Alps and the Pyreness, we've got the Rocky Mountains," Carmichael said.
The terrain shouldn't be unfamiliar to 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, and second and third place winners the Schleck brothers, who are all expected to compete.
"So we have the podium from the Tour de France just a few weeks ago right here in Colorado Springs opening this inaugural race," Carmichael said.
Carmichael said it's hard to estimate exactly how many people the race will bring to Colorado Springs.
"Predictions for fans have run from 50,000 to 500,000. A lot of cycling fans, a lot of enthusiasts who want to get out there and see what's going on. They need hotel rooms, they need to go out to dinner. They're gonna be going to the shops and the merchants and checking out Colorado Springs, seeing what sort of town it is and spending money, which is good for us," he added.
He said those who do come will boost our economy.
"A lot of cycling enthusiasts that are traveling all over to see this race start, to see Cadel Evans, to see the Schleck brothers, to see the top pro tour riders, they're gonna be coming in. They're gonna be wanting to ride their bikes, they're gonna want to go out," he said.
The event will be covered nationally and internationally, and Carmichael said it will bring a lot of publicity to the city.
"It shows as a community we believe in sports, and I think sports are good for us and they're good for our kids. They're good for us as individuals and for our community," he said.
Carmichael concedes that there is a cost to host the event.
"There's costs on closing down the roads, there's costs for the police. We've got to house the athletes, we've got to feed the athletes," Carmichael said.
But he adds they have received a lot of donations and should come out well on top.
"We have had support from many sponsors within the city. The city of Colorado Springs has supported us with value in kind providing barricades, port-a-johns, all those sort of things that we need to be able to conduct the race. We've got all kinds of sponsors on board, and it looks like there's not gonna be any deficit that we're gonna face at the end so we're excited by that," Carmichael said.
Several free kick off events will be taking place this week.
To learn more click here."There's something for everybody. I mean if you're a cycling fan, great. If you're a race fan, great. But you know we've got kid zones, we've got live music, we've got beer gardens, great festivals," Carmichael said.
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