Update Nov. 4:

PHOTO: Chris Carmichael and Shannon Sharpe talked it over. Carmichael is the coach of seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. Sharpe is a former Denver Broncos tight end and an avid cyclist.

VIDEO: Chris Carmichael talks about Colorado Springs hosting prologue time...

VIDEO: Shannon Sharpe loves cycling and he's jazzed to have a pro race com...

Professional cycling is coming to Colorado Springs.
Organizers of the seven-stage, 600-mile Quiznos Pro Challenge bike race have awarded the race's prologue time trial to Colorado Springs.

About 100 cycling enthusiasts and representatives from communities across the state gathered beneath the golden dome of the state capitol on Thursday to hear the big announcement.

The Colorado Springs stage is set for Monday, Aug. 22, 2011.

"We're going to kick it all of in Colorado Springs," said Chris Carmichael, who headed up the Local Organizing Committee responsible for bringing the race to Colorado Springs.

Riders will race in a time trial that will likely start in the Garden of the Gods and finish in downtown Colorado Springs. See proposed route below.

Carmichael said he hopes to secure the stage route in four to six weeks.

"We're working on it," he said. "With the back drop of the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, and then a finish downtown, I think it's something we'll all like and it will show what Colorado Springs has to offer."

Other host cities are Vail, Colorado Springs, Crested Butte, Avon, Gunnison, Breckenridge, Salida, Aspen, Golden, Steamboat Springs, Denver.
Missing from the list is Boulder, arguably the most famous city for cycling in the west. Andrew Shoemaker of the Boulder race committee was too expensive. Medalist Sports, which is organizing the bike race, also asked cities to pay for hotel rooms for the racers and the key personnel. Shoemaker said motel rooms would be hard to find that time of year because classes at the University of Colorado are starting. (More on Boulder here)
Ellen Kramer, Quiznos communcations officer, said that a TV deal is in the works and will be announced in a couple of months. Teams competing in the race will be announced next month.

The prologue adds to a very busy nine days of outdoor events in Colorado Springs. The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will run on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20-21, followed by the Quiznos time trial on Aug. 22. The Assault on the Peak bike ride from Mantou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak will go on Sunday, Aug. 28.

Carmichael said the LOC is exploring ways to include all the events in a community celebration.

"We're looking at all these things to see if we can tie them together," he said.

The race won't come cheap. The price tag for the stage will likely run $150,000 or more, but Carmichael did not know the specific cost.

"It is a commitment for the community," he said. "We'll all have to support the race and show everyone that Colorado Springs can hold this type of event."

The investment will almost certainly pay dividends, with some expecting the race to infuse $1 million or more in the local economy.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, an avid cyclists, said Colorado is a natural location for a big pro stage race.

"This is a great state for cycling,” Ritter said. “We should host a pro tour more than any other state in the United States." He predicted that the Quiznos Pro Challenge will quickly be recognized as the premier stage race in the United States.

Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, said that racing across Colorado's Rocky Mountains will mean much to the state's citizens.

"With thousands of young Coloradoans exposed to the sport of cycling, I can guarantee you that at some point in the near future we will see a young Coloradoan standing on the podium at an international race who got his start when this event came through his home town."

The 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge Stages
August 22 – Stage Prologue, Prologue time trial, Colorado Springs
August 23 – Stage 1, Salida to Crested Butte, mountain-top finish
August 24 – Stage 2, Gunnison to Aspen, mountain stage
August 25 – Stage 3, Vail, time trial, former Coors Classic stage
August 26 – Stage 4, Avon to Steamboat Springs
August 27 – Stage 5, Steamboat Springs to Breckenridge
August 28 – Stage 6, Golden to Denver

Exact routes will be announced later, and cycling fans may have to wait a couple of months according to Ellen Kramer, Quiznos communcations officer.

Update Nov. 3: Looks like the Quiznos Pro Challenge will roll through Aspen. This comes from the Aspen Times.
It appears Aspen has landed a stage in a new pro bicycle race, although official word won't be released until Thursday.
The organizers of the Quiznos Pro Challenge are holding a press conference in Denver on Thursday to announce the route for the inaugural
international bicycle race. They will disclose the stages, host cities
and race format.
Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland has lobbied hard to land a stage. He said he couldn't discuss Thursday's announcement, but he confirmed he was invited by race organizers to attend the press
conference. It seems unlikely he was invited to be told that Aspen lost
out.
Organizers invited Aspen to submit a bid.
Update Nov. 1: We already new this, but we're passing along another little piece of the puzzle. While Medalist Sports has made no announcements, PikesPeakSports.us learned on Friday that the race stages and host cities for the Quiznos Pro Challenge bike race will be announced this Thursday at the state capitol. Now, the Associated Press is also reporting that the stages and host cities for will be announced on Thursday. From the AP: The inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge international bicycle race has been mapped out.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, 11 city representatives and pro cyclists will gather at the state capitol Thursday to announce the stages, host cities and race format.

The race slated for Aug. 22-28, 2011, was created to revive the legacy of the Colorado-based Coors International Bicycle Classic.

Lance Armstrong was instrumental in bringing about the new race and said last summer that it would be similar to the old Coors Classic with a mix of
mountain, sprint and downtown stages.

Also, word is that several members of the Colorado Springs Organizing Committee will attend, including Chris Carmichael, who headed up Colorado Springs' effort to bring a race here.

It's looking good for a pro cycling time trial in our city, Aug. 22, 2011!

Update Oct. 31: The Telluride Daily Planet newspaper is reporting that Telluride and Durango have been informed that the Quiznos Pro Challenge will not visit their cities this year. Also, according to Reporterherald.com in Loveland is out of the mix.That all bodes well for Colorado Springs. We should know more on Thursday.
Update Oct. 29: Nothing official, but the word is Medalist Sports and Quiznos plan to announce the host cities and stage routes for the Quiznos Pro Challenge on Nov. 4 at the state capitol in Denver. An official announcement about the Nov. 4 event should be coming soon.
PikesPeakSports.us has also learned that Durango has submitted an application to host the first stage, adding more competition for the coveted prologue.
The Colorado Springs Local Organizing Committee and the organizing group from Boulder also applied to host the first stage.
Update Oct. 19: Medalist Sports, the organizer of the Quiznos Pro Challenge, has announced the dates of the 2011 race. The pro peloton will ride seven stages in Colorado beginning Monday, Aug. 22, with the final stage slated for Sunday, Aug. 28.
There has been no announcement about stage routes or host cities. And it has been an agonizing wait for everyone involved. The announcement should come within the next week ... then again, maybe not.
The dates have changed twice. Organizers began with a plan for Aug. 22-28, then changed to a start date of Aug. 30.
With that date in mind, a Colorado Springs Local Organizing Committee - headed by Chris Carmichael and the Convention and Vistor's Bureau - submitted an application to host a prologue time trial on Aug. 30. Click here to see the proposed time trial courses in Colo. Springs....
And we've learned that Boulder also wants to host the first stage.
With the dates changed again - and it seems as if they'll stick this time - will Colorado Springs get a stage?
Guessing here, but Medalist probably began the selection process with a list of favorite routes/host cities that it wanted for the first race. In it's inaugural year, the sponsor and organizers are going to want play on Colorado's biggest stages. It's a good bet that Colorado Springs and Boulder are among those favorites. But with both bidding to host the same race, plans have to be changed.
We think Colorado Springs will host the prologue time trial on Aug. 22. Medalist has probably asked Boulder to rework its plans. Boulder is still getting it together, and that is the reason for the
delay in announcing the stages.
One thing is certain. If Colorado Springs does host on Aug. 22, we'll all be in for a crazy three-day weekend of running and riding. The Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon will go on Aug. 20-21.
Update Sept. 24: A Colorado Springs group headed up by Chris Carmichael has submitted a proposal to host the prologue of the Quiznos Pro Challenge scheduled for Aug. 2011. The Colorado Springs LOC has suggested three routes, two that begin and end in downtown Colorado Springs, plus a third that starts in the Garden of the Gods and ends downtown.
Click here to see the proposed race routes.
Race organizers have not announced the final stages and host cities, however, that information is expected to be released soon. Which one do you like?
Read comment below for update on race dates.