USA Pro Cycling Challenge - wrap up

Some interesting after race stories and facts

As I come back down to earth, and begin to refocus on the Vuelta a España this week, I thought I would share a few after race links and information that may be of interest from last week's USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado.

The success of Tour Tracker®

The Tour Tracker® applications, developed specifically for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and sponsored by Radio Shack, called Shack Tracker, set a new record for online and mobile event coverage.

Mobile Devices: Over 24,000 unique users downloaded the Tour Tracker across all mobile devices,
Online: 127,000 unique users accessed Tour Tracker® via the website.
Total launches: 581,000 launches altogether (which means fans could have averaged 4 uses per fan).

Tour Tacker has also developed applications for the Tour of California, the numbers for the first year of Colorado beat their records for a race with a 7-year history. A USA Pro Cycling Challenge press release today stated that, "Over the course of the seven-day stage race, Tour Tracker use propelled the app into the top 10 most popular sports downloads on both the iPod and iPad platforms. The Android version of Tour Tracker broke into the top 50 climbing as high as 37th."

Basic race statistics

Nearly 1 million spectators viewed this race from the roadsides along the route while more than 25 million watched the race on television in 161 countries and territories, including NBC and Versus. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was one of the largest cycling events in United States history.

What were the prize winnings for the USA Pro Challenge?

A number of you have been searching for these figures on my blog - look for a post tomorrow (to be linked here) with the breakdown of stage wins and overall GC winnings for the race.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge Prize Money

News you may have missed, but well worth reading or viewing:

VeloNews reported on the low budget and fantastic success of the two Colombian teams at the race, I strongly feel with the popularity of cycling in Colorado, had we known of this story ahead of time, local citizens would have easily donated time, skills, and equipment to these teams. The Colombian teams’ low-budget assault on Colorado and for a visual on the team Colorado gallery: A day with the Gobernacion team

Jens Voigt video by VeloNews that recaps the general mood of this race: VIDEO: Jens Voigt on fishing, chillin’, and breaking away in Colorado. Fränk Schleck on riding in Colorado, by Ozcycling USA Pro Cycling Challenge - Frank Schleck. Right when you think all these post race video interviews are the same, some fan grabs his 15 seconds of glory, by Ozcycling Cadel Evans and the mysterious man in the background.

Photos from Stage 2 over Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass: 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage 2 photos by Casey B. Gibson and more by Colorado gallery: 12,000 feet with Brad Kaminski and yes, a fan did collide with a Mavic support motorcycle, knocking the motorcycle over.

What bikes did the teams use for Stage 3, the short gradual uphill at altitude time trial in Vail? Nick Legan reviews the bikes used by the riders: VIDEO: Bike and gear choices for the Vail time trial

Videos on competition; what the riders went through on Vail Pass: USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Christian Vande Velde The thrill of wining a stage from Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale Stage 4 Finish and Winner's Reaction (01:18 English) — bicycling

The general theme of the week - Altitude! VIDEO: Getting used to the altitude at the USA PCC. Plus Jens Voigt on the need for more oxygen and his explosion that caused an earthquake USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Stage 3 Jens Voigt

One thing we all noticed at the race was the wide variety of team equipment used. Different models, years, frames, within even the same team. Where the Tour of California was clearly one big coordinated effort by team equipment sponsors, displaying matching equipment from the team bikes down to the team staff clothing, team cars and big team buses, this race was a hodgepodge of everything big and small jumbled together. I am curious whether it was due to the race being at the end of the season (budget), or the location, or supporting the Vuelta at the same time, but it was very noticeable. Here is a large gallery of all the team bikes used at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, by BikeRadar: Road and time trial bikes of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

A common topic among fans this past week was the influence on young children witnessing this big cycling event in Colorado. Could the next Levi Leipheimer have just watched his first professional bike race standing along a small road in Colorado? Pro road racing fuels amateur participation in US

I'm sure we are all still thinking of Daniele Callegarin of Team Type 1 who crashed on the cattle guard descending Cottonwood Pass, how is Daniele Callegarin recovering?

Anyone who noticed that small aerial plane thing buzzing around Steamboat Springs, enjoy these videos created by that airborne machine and Steamboat Aerials (turn down the music): Pro Cycling Challenge Rabbit Ears Summit (can you find yourself)

Also watch Stage 4 fast finishing sprint into Steamboat Springs

If you would like to look back and remember the week, scan through these recap videos, collected by local 303cycling.com, from each stage of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The videos should bring back good memories (Narrated by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen). Also included at the top of the page are lots of images from local Photographers: USA Pro Cycling Challenge Videos, Images and Bantering

The story behind the USA Pro Cycling Challenge trophy: Elegance in Sport - the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Trophy