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City of Boulder closures for USA Pro Cycling race begin Friday
Aug 21st
On Saturday, Aug. 25, Boulder will host stage six of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Colorado’s largest professional bike race. More than 100,000 spectators are expected to visit the city. As a result, Boulder officials are asking residents to be aware of when and where road and facility closures will occur during the event. Please plan ahead and allow for extra time when traveling through Boulder.
The following city facilities, trail areas and roads will be closed for the event:
Friday Aug. 24
Open Space Flagstaff area:
Beginning at 5 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24, there will be no parking along Flagstaff Road from 6th Street to the 5-mile marker (Bison Drive) to allow for the set-up of race-related infrastructure.
After 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, there will be no public access to the Open Space and Mountain Parks properties in the Flagstaff area. This closure includes all property and trails west of 6th Street, north of Gregory Canyon (including the Gregory Canyon trail) and south of Boulder Canyon and east of Chapman Drive.
Starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, the only vehicles allowed on Flagstaff Road will be for local residents and race related traffic, from 6th Street to Bison Drive.
Street closures:
Pearl Street from 15th Street to 20th Street will be closed on Friday, Aug. 24, starting at noon.
Both 15th Street and 20th Street will remain open on Friday, but 16th Street, 17th Street, 18th Street and 19th Street will be closed one-half block north and south of Pearl Street. The mall loop will remain open on Friday and access to and from the parking garage at 15th Street and Pearl Street will remain open.
Baseline Road will be closed at 6th Street, preventing vehicular access to Flagstaff. This closure will start at 5 p.m. on Friday evening.
Saturday Aug. 25
Open Space Flagstaff area:
After 7 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25, the public may begin accessing the Flagstaff area on foot using the Viewpoint Trail and by foot or bike using Flagstaff Road. Dogs are prohibited. No bikes will be allowed north of Realization Point on Summit Road. Bike corrals will be available at multiple points on Flagstaff Road.
Tents, canopies or structures will not be allowed on Flagstaff Mountain. Folding chairs and personally held umbrellas are permissible.
After the race, spectators will be allowed to use designated portions of the Flagstaff Trail for egress along with the Viewpoint Trail and Flagstaff Road.
Main Boulder Public Library:
The Main Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., will be closed Saturday, Aug. 25. Branch libraries (Meadows, George Reynolds and Carnegie) will be open regular Saturday hours. Information: www.boulderlibrary.org.
Chautauqua Park
Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road, will be open; however no public parking will be available anywhere within the Chautauqua area. The Chautauqua Dining Hall will be open.
Street closures:
- On Saturday morning, starting at 6 a.m., the closure of Pearl Street will be extended and Pearl Street will be closed from 15th Street to Folsom Avenue. The closure will affect all cross streets intersecting Pearl Street from 15th Street to Folsom Avenue.
- 17th Street will be completely closed for the entire day from Canyon Boulevard to Spruce Avenue. Vehicles traveling east and west on Walnut Street will be able to cross the intersection of 17th and Walnut streets. All other intersections will be closed.
- Starting at 6 a.m., Spruce Street, from Broadway to 17th Street, will be completely closed for the entire day. Southbound vehicles will be able to cross Spruce Street at 14th Street. Local traffic will be able to cross Spruce Street at 16th Street. All other intersections will be closed.
- Starting at 6 a.m., westbound Baseline Road (toward Flagstaff) from Broadway to the west city limits will be closed, except for local traffic at the Broadway and Baseline Road intersection.
- Starting at 10 a.m., 20th Street between Baseline Road and Cascade Avenue will be closed and will remain closed for the entire day.
In addition to these full-time street closures, there will be periodic closures of numerous roadways along the USA Pro Cycling race route. These closures will typically take between 15 and 45 minutes, as the caravan of race riders, support vehicles and police escorts traverse the course. Estimated times for periodic road closures are available on the Boulder Stage Interactive Map (www.usaproboulder.com/map). A video tour of the interactive map can be seen athttps://vimeo.com/47741383.
To view the most up-to-date event parking and transportation options based on your specific needs, visit the Boulder Stage Interactive Map. The State of Colorado also is announcing information about road closures throughout the region. Regional information is available at www.cotrip.org.
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) will increase bus service to Boulder to provide more transit options for race spectators, and the HOP will provide free bus service within Boulder on Aug. 25. Service will be doubled for RTD’s BV route and on the BOLT to Longmont. RTD route information is available at: www.rtd-denver.com.
For more information on the Boulder stage of the race, visit www.usaproboulder.com.
Bike race madness invades Boulder County Saturday
Aug 20th
USA Pro Challenge cycling race coming to Boulder County on Saturday
Race will prompt road closures and create limited parking in areas; spectators advised to prepare for changing weather and possible hazards
Boulder County, Colo. – Stage 6 of the USA Pro Challenge cycling race begins Saturday morning in Golden and, after traveling through the city of Boulder, towns of Nederland and Lyons, and the mountain communities of western Boulder County, finishes atop Flagstaff Mountain on Saturday afternoon.
Road Closures
The race will impact state highways, county roads and city streets. Safety patrols will be facilitating rolling closures as the race moves through Boulder County. Major roadways to be impacted include U.S. 36 and state highways 7, 72, 93 and 119. Visit www.COTrip.org for up-to-date road closure information.
Parking and Transportation
Paid on-street parking is available as well as paid event parking in city garages and parking lots and at the University of Colorado campus. Residents are encouraged to use alternate transportation on race day, as large crowds are expected. Increased bus service is available to and within Boulder. Visitwww.USAProBoulder.com for details on parking, bus and bike routes, and bike corrals.
Use Caution
Spectators, especially those watching the race in the mountain areas of western Boulder County, are advised to be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions and the potential risk of lightning and flooding. Check weather forecasts prior to heading outdoors and bring warm and rain-proof clothing in addition to sun protection and drinking water. Wildfires also remain a risk in the foothills and mountain areas, so stay alert to any emergency notifications during the race.
For more on the race, including an interactive stage map, schedule of events and information about the finish on Flagstaff Mountain, visitwww.USAProBoulder.com.
Pac 12 Football Media Day: Colorado Buffaloes
Jul 24th
by David LaRose, Rant Sports
Jayne Kamin-Oncea- US PRESSWIRE
The Pac 12 conference held it’s annual media day today in Los Angeles, California with all 12 teams being represented by their head coach and an offensive and defensive player. The Colorado Buffaloes were represented by 2nd year head coach Jon Embree, OT David Bakhtiari and FS Ray Polk.
Here’s the takeaway from what the coach and players had to say:
1) Colorado’s goal is to return to a bowl game. The Buffs finished last season with some momentum, winning two of their last three games and winning their first road game in over four seasons. They had the toughest schedule in the country a year ago but this season there is the possibility of getting off to a strong start and potentially scratching out some victories later in the season to secure a bowl game berth. They will be very young, which is concerning because they don’t know how quickly incoming freshmen will adapt to the next level. However, if the younger guys quickly get the hang of things they have the potential to make it to their first bowl game in five years.
2) There is cautious optimism concerning Paul Richardson’s return this season. The star wide receiver tore his ACL in spring practice and was initially ruled out for the entire upcoming season. However, since his surgery Richardson has been moving well and ha slowly started to participate in more rigorous drills. It’s still unclear if he will be back this season but it’s looking like that could be a possibility due to his rapid healing. In my opinion I don’t think he should play this season even if he is cleared by the doctors and training staff. I think it would be in his best interest to sit out a year, take a medical redshirt and come back fully healthy next season when the Buffs will be more improved. With that said, Colorado is lacking offensive weapons so having Richardson in the starting lineup would be a plus.
3) The quarterback competition is going to be a three-man race this fall. No surprise there as this is what we have known since spring practices. Connor Wood, Nick Hirschman and Jordan Webb will be the three guys competing to become the signal caller for the Buffs this fall and it is expected to be an intense battle. Hirschman broke his foot before spring practices started so that allowed Wood to have all the first team reps in practice. It ended up helping both players because, as Embree said, Hirschman needed to work on the mental part of his game while Wood needed more practice reps. Incoming Kansas transfer Jordan Webb will be able to play this season because he enrolled at CU as a grad student, already having graduated from Kansas with eligibility left. Word around the Buffs program is that Webb may be the front runner to win the competition due to his previous starting experience. Although he didn’t put up gaudy numbers in Lawrence he still has a full season of experience under his belt and that can come in handy when trying to lead the youngest team in the country.
4) The CU-Utah rivalry is mostly media driven. Sure it’s easy to assume that CU and Utah will become rivals due to their geographical similarities and the way CU beat Utah in Salt Lake last year, preventing the Utes from representing the South division in the inaugural Pac 12 Championship Game. But that’s not necessarily the case according to the players. Both Polk and Bakhtiari said that they want their rival to be the best team in the conference and Utah isn’t really that team yet. The Buffs and Utes had an intense rivalry back in the 1960′s but a lengthy hiatus put a halt to that. It’s not to say that the two teams won’t eventually become rivals but as of right now CU is still trying to find its place in their new conference so their new rival is still to be determined.
5) The Buffs will be very young and inexperienced at almost every position this fall. Anytime a program loses 28 players to graduation they are expected to be very young the next season and that’s certainly the case for CU. At almost every skill position the Buffs will be inexperienced, especially in the offensive backfield. The QB situation is still undecided, Tony Jones is an effective runner but hasn’t played a significant amount up to this point and there is plenty of room for incoming freshman to play significant minutes at wide receiver. The same thing can be said for the defensive backfield. Five incoming players will be battling for positions at cornerback and strong safety alongside Polk. Yuri Wright is probably the highest touted incoming defensive back but positions are still up for grabs and any one of those players has a chance to win them.
The college football season is quickly approaching and now that the Pac 12 media day is over, Colorado is only 13 days away from opening fall camp!
Source Rant Sports
