Red Zinger Bicycle Classic
Encyclopedia
The Red Zinger Bicycle Classic (1975-1979) was a road bicycle racing
stage race
.
herbal tea company, launched the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic race to promote alternative transportation in the Greater Boulder area, particularly bike lanes, bike paths, and community awareness. The Classic was named after their popular Red Zinger tea.
In 1979, Michael Aisner, the race's then PR
director, bought the race for one dollar from Siegel, and with his blessing took the idea of a grander event to Peter Coors, the beer
impresario.
Over the next 8 years, the Coors International Bicycle Classic grew into two weeks of racing in California
, Nevada
and Colorado
, with stages in some years in Hawaii
and Wyoming
.
From 1981-1992 a youth bicycling series called the Red Zinger Mini Classics
was held in Colorado, its name inspired by the original Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, inspiring a generation of young cyclists to enter the sport.
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
stage race
Stage (bicycle race)
In sports, a stage, or leg, or heat, is a unit of a race which has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages are held as an individual time trial or a...
.
History
In 1975, Mo Siegel and John and Wyck Hay, founders of the Celestial SeasoningsCelestial Seasonings
Celestial Seasonings is a tea company based in Boulder, Colorado, United States that specializes in herbal tea but also sells green, wellness, red, white, chai, holiday and black teas. They account for over $100,000,000 in herbal tea blends sales in the United States annually. All of their teas are...
herbal tea company, launched the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic race to promote alternative transportation in the Greater Boulder area, particularly bike lanes, bike paths, and community awareness. The Classic was named after their popular Red Zinger tea.
In 1979, Michael Aisner, the race's then PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
director, bought the race for one dollar from Siegel, and with his blessing took the idea of a grander event to Peter Coors, the beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
impresario.
Over the next 8 years, the Coors International Bicycle Classic grew into two weeks of racing in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, with stages in some years in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
From 1981-1992 a youth bicycling series called the Red Zinger Mini Classics
Red Zinger Mini Classics
Red Zinger Mini Classics is a series of youth boys and girls road bicycle races held annually across the state of Colorado from 1981–1992, and revived again in 2010...
was held in Colorado, its name inspired by the original Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, inspiring a generation of young cyclists to enter the sport.
Winners
- 1975 - John HowardJohn Howard (cyclist)John Kennedy Howard is an Olympic cyclist from the United States, who set a land speed record of 152.2 miles per hour while motor-pacing on a pedal bicycle on July 20, 1985 on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats...
, Hannah North - 1976 - John HowardJohn Howard (cyclist)John Kennedy Howard is an Olympic cyclist from the United States, who set a land speed record of 152.2 miles per hour while motor-pacing on a pedal bicycle on July 20, 1985 on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats...
, (no women's division) - 1977 - Wayne Stetina , Connie Carpenter
- 1978 - George MountGeorge MountGeorge Lewis Mount is an American former professional cyclist. Mount was sixth at the 1976 Montreal Olympics road race which launched his professional career and propelled the US into post-war international cycling.American riders were among the world's best at the end of the 19th and the start of...
, Keetie van Oosten-HageKeetie van Oosten-HageCornelia Hage, known by her married name Keetie van Oosten-Hage, is a Dutch former cyclist from Sint-Maartensdijk, Zeeland. She came from a family of cyclists, sister of Bella Hage, Heleen Hage and Ciska Hage, and aunt to Jan van Velzen...
- 1979 - Dale StetinaDale StetinaDale Stetina was a United States Olympic and national team cyclist in the late 1970s through the 1980s. He competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He is a former U.S. National Road Champion and two-time winner of one of America's greatest bicycle races, the Coors Classic of Boulder, Colorado. ...
, Keetie van Oosten-HageKeetie van Oosten-HageCornelia Hage, known by her married name Keetie van Oosten-Hage, is a Dutch former cyclist from Sint-Maartensdijk, Zeeland. She came from a family of cyclists, sister of Bella Hage, Heleen Hage and Ciska Hage, and aunt to Jan van Velzen...