With snow blanketing the region’s highways, byways and trails, road riding may be a fading memory for the dense population of avid bicyclists who call Durango home. But the shorter, colder days that send cyclists scurrying to their trainers during the winter months will yield to road-ready weather that in 2012 will draw top riders from around the world to compete in the second annual USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which will start in August in Durango.

Winning the race’s first stage is a boon for all involved. Competitors could not ask for a more appropriate venue from which to kick off the seven-stage race that will end in Denver after traveling through such iconic Colorado towns as Telluride, Aspen, Gunnison, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs and Golden. As home to a rich legacy of a who’s who in cycling’s past, present and future, Durango provides a perfect staging area to send off the professional cyclists on their grueling tour of the state. The riders, their support crews, friends and families will bring much bustle to Durango as well – and provide a welcome influx of visitors.

The inaugural 2011 Pro Cycling Challenge brought 135 high-profile professional cyclists to Colorado for a 518-mile race that organizers billed as “the most challenging race ever held on American soil.” The follow-up race, then, is likely to meet or surpass that high bar, and Durango is fortunate to have won a significant role in the event. With bids to host the event from 24 cities across the state, there was stiff competition, but this community’s lengthy roster of cycling greats as well as robust history with the sport made Durango a natural fit for the tour.

Not least among the qualifications is the town’s 40 years of practice with putting on the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic – the annual bike vs. train hustle from Durango to Silverton. That event draws 4,000 cyclists, plus their various supporters, for the Memorial Day weekend schlep over Coal Bank and Molas passes. Pulling together such an event is a significant undertaking that organizers have nearly perfected over the race’s decades, and their expertise will be helpful to those producing the Pro Cycling Challenge.

There is much work to be done before the cyclists roll into town for the August race, beginning with deciding which way the riders will leave. The tour’s first stage goes from Durango to Telluride, though whether the cyclists will travel over Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes or through Mancos and Dolores and eventually over Lizard Head Pass is still being discussed. Either way, those accepting the challenge will have a grueling first day on the road. Fortunately, the pain wrought by the significant elevation gains will be offset by the stunning vistas either route will offer – providing a backdrop of Colorado’s finest scenery.

As cycling in all its forms continues to gain popularity, Colorado – and Durango in particular – are ideal settings to celebrate and participate in the sport. Securing the first stage of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge is a victory for Durango and an appropriate recognition of all that this community has contributed to the cycling world.