Ride the Rockies, the popular Colorado cycling event, acquired by USA TODAY/Gannett Ventures
One of Colorado's popular annual cycling events has a new home.
The race isn't going anywhere, but it will be under new administration, starting with Ride the Rockies' 37th annual edition Jun 11-17, 2022.
Ventures Endurance Events, a subsidiary of Gannett’s USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures, has acquired the Ride the Rockies Bicycle Tour from The Denver Post Community Foundation.
The Denver Post or its community foundation has put on the event since 1986, annually drawing more than 2,000 cyclists from all 50 states and nations across the world.
Ventures Endurance will be responsible for operations of the tour, which has historically been held in June across the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. The route is different every year, traversing the state's vast array of mountain towns and spanning the Front Range to the Western Slope.
Participants ride for 60 to 80 miles daily for six days, and the route often drives visitors and tourism to some of Colorado's most beautiful destinations. The 2021 route was largely in the state's southwestern corner, including Cortez, Durango, Ridgway, Ouray, Norwood and more.
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Ventures Endurance Events
organizes Iowa’s popular and long-standing Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) event, the largest multi-day bicycle ride in the world, in addition to the Great Iowa Fall Ride and Tour of Battenkill in New York.
“Ride the Rockies has a strong tradition as one of the country’s premier cycling events,” said Brad Scudder, senior vice president of development, USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. “We look forward to building on the legacy of this great event while continuing to support its host communities.”
The 2022 event director will be Dieter Drake, Ventures Endurance Events' ride director for RAGBRAI and other cycling events under the VEE umbrella. Drake is also a Colorado native.
Tracy Ulmer, president and CEO, Denver Post Community Foundation, said, "We have had the honor of producing this great event for over 35 years and are now looking forward to its new chapter under the accomplished leadership and expertise of the Venture Endurance Events team."
Chris Abshire is the sports and stats content coach at the Coloradoan. Contact him at ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Ride the Rockies cycling event acquired by Gannett/Ventures Endurance Events
