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About
Peak Region Cyclist Bicycle Festival scheduled for Aug. 29; PikesPeakSports.us will help sponsor event
Region Cyclist magazine. He has practically done the impossible – started a print publication in a tough economy. And he is making it work.
On Wednesday, Pico made another bold statement. He has moved the Peak Region Cyclist Show from February to this August 29. And he has changed the name to the 3rd Annual Peak Region Cyclist Bicycle
Festival.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs, where riders in the Assault on the Peak will begin and end their ride to Pikes Peak's summit.
Register for the ride; Assault on the Peak website; Peak Region Cyclist
We tracked Pico down and grilled him with some hard-hitting journalistic questions. But he’s cool. He was happy to oblige.
You moved the bike show from February to August. What kind of opportunities do you see in holding your event on the same day as the Assault on the Peak ride?
The "Assault on the Peak" is an event that has been long awaited by the cycling community. Just the idea of riding up Pikes Peak is enough to get people excited. Nothing sums up what a Peak Region Cyclist is more than a bike ride up Pikes Peak. This cycling event gives the entire cycling community a chance to come together and see exactly what the Pikes Peak Region has available for local cyclists from the local shops and frame-builders, to the top bike manufacturers and world class coaching that are all a part of this bike crazy region. Moving the event from February/March to August opens up the range of spectators we'll see at the show. In February/March the only people thinking about bikes and outdoors are the hardcore cyclists who are willing to pay $5 at the door. Now the event is free and we'll see those same hardcore cyclists, but we'll also see the family of four who are new to cycling and want to find a new way to spend quality time with each other during these warmer months.
What do you see this event becoming, what are your goals?
I see the "Assault on the Peak" growing pretty quickly into an event that will attract not only the local cyclists who have waited a long time to conquer Pikes Peak, but also some of the top cycling talent in Colorado who are looking for a challenge. The Peak Region Cyclist Bicycle Festival has grown from the first year to the second. This third year, it will be an outdoor extravaganza that the entire outdoor community can take part in. Colorado Springs was recently voted the 18th most cycling friendly city by Bicycling Magazine. I'd like this event to help bring together the cycling community, get folks involved even more, and move Colorado Springs up closer to the No. 1 spot on that list. That's a high goal but I believe we can do it. We have all resources here: great shops, great trails, experts around every corner. It's just a matter of an event like this pulling it all together.
Who will find this show interesting and why?
Anyone who enjoys the great Colorado outdoors will find this event interesting. People will be able to see firsthand the riders taking on America's mountain, and also see what a great outdoor community we have locally. Whether you are that competitive cyclist who is looking for a challenging ride, or the casual cyclist who rides once or twice a month, you're going to have a good time. It's outdoors, it's free, it's an exciting atmosphere, and there will be something for everyone to take part in.
Anything else about this show that people should know, or that you would like to add?
In addition to the cycling aspect of the festival, we're teaming with Pikes Peak Sports to include the entire outdoor aspect to the festival. Pikes Peak Sports has done a great job of giving outdoor enthusiasts a platform to see the big picture. If you're a cyclist, a runner, a hiker, a climber, or a camper, you're going to love this festival. The Pikes Peak region is home to some of the greatest outdoor activities on earth. Here's a chance to become more involved and start enjoying the outdoors even more.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jon Severson on
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I'd like to respectfully to Tim make some corrections to this entry that weren't brought to light by Dave.
Part of the reason Peak Region Cyclist won't be doing a show in March/February is because that I ran it 100% and organized the first two shows while I owned part of the publication. When I left I retained the rights to put on the show which will still go on as planned in it's true "3rd year" though it will be labeled the 1st Annual Front Range Cyclist Bicycle Show. We have almost 60 verbal "we'll be back next year" from some of the top shops in the area and from industry leaders such as Magura Direct (Magura disc brakes, Vaude packs, UVEX helmets/sunglasses) and SRM...makers of Lance Armstrong's fancy power meter cranks....and based here in Colorado Springs. We're set to continue the strong momentum February 12th at the Norris-Penrose Arena with some special guests in the works. Oh yes, you'll have to pay $5 to get in...and many non-hardcore cyclist did the last two years....but it's still cheaper than Veloswap by $5 :)
I'd also disagree with Dave that "March/February" is a bad time to do a bike show....over 500 people and 70+ booths would as well. But I won't just use the highly successful show that I built over the last two years tell that story. In my years of working in the bicycle industry (almost 21 years now), bike shows for the public are always held during the winter months. I worked a long standing show put on by International Bicycle Centers in Boston while I was at LEW Composites back in 2001 that has a long tradition of being one of the most successful east coast bicycle shows...and it's in February. Velonews has had their "Still the one to beat" Velowswap up in Denver for God knows how many years that attracts vendors from around the country. It's in November. But one should not fault Dave for his casual observation, with no background in the bicycle industry to speak of it's hard to know these things.
I will agree that the "Assault on the Peak" will be a very interesting event. I've been having talks with various people from the organizers of the Pikes Peak Hillclimb (2nd Oldest automobile race in North America) about what it would take to do a bike ride or race up the peak. Andy Bohlman (the man behind Sand Creek Sports) and I have discussed what it would take to get some of the top riders in the world out for it and how to get sponsors. Then Gerard Bisceglia, former head of USA Cycling and the original liaison to the 7-11 team from 7-11 back in the day, and I bumped into each other this winter with a unique twist on the idea.....to just do a ride. His teams solution, which would be tough to get racers on board for, was to charge $150 to ride up the Peak. Brilliant. So while at PRC, I brought them in and offered them space to promote this wonderful event.
The cost of shutting down the peak is huge and the park does not budge a cent. If memory serves me well, it costs the hillclimb even $25,000 to shut it down from 6am-8pm. I do strongly support Gerard's team's efforts with this ride. $150 is a lot, but then it isn't to experience America's mountain via a bicycle. Sure, we have two great local companies that shuttle you up to ride down, but you don't get to do it on your bike and well some of us are sick enough to say "I wanna ride UP the mountain". So to me, the $150 is a bargin. This is truly a hardcore, demanding ride for the hardcore cyclst or the adventurous weekend warrior.
My new publication, Front Range Cyclist, will be there to cover the Assault on the Peak and the PRC show. Find out more about us at www.Facebook.com/FrontRangeCyclist and look for www.FrontRangeCyclist.com to be up and running soon :) -
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