A Classic...

 Candidly when I think of great day trips from my home in Denver Pueblo, Colorado isn't top of mind. But maybe it should be. 

Last week I was listening to Colorado Public Radio as I often do and they had a short blurb about an event happening the upcoming weekend in southern Colorado. Since it involved bicycling the story got my attention. Writing this today on another wet, cold, and dreary Wednesday (which seems to be the norm this April) I thought I'd share some of the sights and sounds from the Pueblo Classic, a new bike racing event that was all set to debut last year until something called COVID got in the way. So this year's event turned out to be the true inaugural and the southern Colorado Spring weather along with some warm Pueblo hospitality made for a wonderful breakaway (cyclists will appreciate that metaphor) from the humdrum of daily life in the ho hum Denver 'burbs. 

To most Denverites Pueblo probably conjurs up driving through a somewhat economically depressed industrial town along a stretch of I-25 running past exits that look too much like any-other-exit along any-other-highway in the U.S. The blur of big box stores and fast food offerings whipping by at 65 mph dulls you to the point where you'd most likely miss the single exit that takes you to downtown Pueblo. Much to my chagrin, I now realize I've been missing out on a Colorado gem. 

On a quiet Sunday morning we made the drive south leaving our home in Littleton at around 7 and arriving in Pueblo by 9 a.m. Parking was no problem and we had a short walk to the downtown area where the Pueblo Classic was just getting underway. There were no crowds (locals told us that Puebloans are not early risers come a Sunday morning) and we were immediately taken with how lovely downtown Pueblo is. The tree-lined main street (actually South Union Avenue) features an eclectic blend of quaint specialty shops (how about the "Bite Me Bakery"?) Arts venues ("Neon Alley which bills itself as the "greatest assembly of neon art west of Times Square and east of the Las Vegas Strip") and lots of unique eating opportunities some of which offer outdoor dining along downtown Pueblo's Riverwalk, a one mile long section of the Arkansas River that was developed into a beautiful park-like area 20 years ago and is now a wonderful place for a stroll, a run, or an outside festival (once COVID ends). 

But I digress. This day we were there for the Pueblo Classic Bike Race featuring 600 of the regions top cyclists (men/women, novice to pro, college teams - they had the full spectrum of riders covered) who would race around a 7/10's of a mile circuit course around the downtown area. In cycling parlance this is called a Criterium but for spectators its perhaps the best venue to watch a bicycle race. The individual races lasted between 50 minutes and an hour allowing spectators to leisurely walk the course while watching cyclists (as many as 60 at at time) whiz by at speeds topping 30 mph. 

I wasn't particularly focused on who won each of the races. For me a criterium is simply a beautiful representation of people in motion at their very best. Bike jerseys are colorful  as a functional item (they help motorists watch out for those pesky bikes along the roads thus keeping the cyclists safe)  but when you have a large group of riders, each wearing their own team's jersey,  it makes for a flowing stream of technicolor images flying by in a constantly changing river of color. I've put together some of the sights and sounds of Sunday's event and hope you enjoy the spectacle that is a bicycle criterium as much as I do. Oh, and the next time you're flying south through Pueblo think about taking Exit 98B and heading a couple of blocks over to the downtown area. You might be glad you did!