The POW, the PIX, the PEOPLE.
Go BIG, or Go Home.
August 16, 2012 BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW (click the links for info and tickets).
USA PRO CHALLENGE Bike Race August 22-23
MOUNTAIN SUMMIT FILM FEST: August 23-26
JAZZ ASPEN/SNOWMASS Labor Day Fest August 31-Sept2
May 16, 2012 
Stage 3 & 4 in Aspen, August 22 & 23The USA Pro Cycling Challenge will be rolling through the Rocky Mountains on August 20-26. 683 miles in 7 days.
Known as the toughest bicycle race in North America, USA Pro Cycling Challenge (USAPCC, click for all the info) will be in Aspen on AUGUST 22 and 23, so save the dates. 9 huge mountain passes (along with thousands of awesome viewing sites) makes the USAPCC an extremely grueling task for the pro cyclists and a great time to enjoy the mountains for spectators.
So whether you're a local or a tourist, a 2nd homeowner, a fractional owner, a hotel / lodge guest, or a camper just passing through...get to Colorado in late August for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. "The Aspen Stages are the coolest"...A. Party. Book it.
Stage 3, August 22. Gunnison to Aspen 130 Miles. Two 12,000+ foot passes. Cottonwood and Independence
Stage 4, August 23. Aspen to Beaver Creek 97 Miles back over Independence Pass
August 24, 2011 
UPCC Podium in Aspen. 8/24/11Gunnison to Aspen. 131 miles. Up and over two 12,000 foot mountain passes. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge (UPCC) rolled into Aspen on Wednesday to the delight of 25,000+ spectators and a world-wide TV audience on Versus. A huge travelling bike expo, sponsor's row and a 3-day Pro Women's Stage Race with a criterium through town completed the scene.
The Silver Queen stage is the "highest, longest and hardest" stage of the entire race according to the UPCC Media Guide. A dirt road ascent up Cottonwood pass to the highest point in the 7-day event was followed by a grueling climb up Independence Pass. Then a nerve rattling decent on the rain-slicked, swithchbacks on highway 82 into the jam packed streets of Aspen. These guys were cruising down Independence Pass a 60 MPH on 1 inch thick tires.
SEE OUR PHOTOS Aspen Bike Circus and SPINNING Aspen
The entire Aspen Core was buzzing with excitement although strict street crossing regulations inhibited any kind of travel through town. Wagner Park was swag central and filled to capacity with vendor booths and sponsor tents. The $750 per person VIP tent was packed with well heeled supporters, many wearing bike jersey's. The entire Aspen City Council and the all the Pitkin County Commissioners were visible fans. An entire downtown block was loaded with satellite trucks making cell service a little more dicey than normal. The media pit was a multi-national festival of fun. Apparently bicycle racing is the second most popular televised sport in the world, with soccer being #1. Aspen Spin didn't get up the pass, but all the podium finishers mentioned that the festive crowd at the top of Independence provided them with extra motivation. Part-Time Aspenite and current owner of the yellow jersey TeJay Van Garderen joked that "it took balls" to ride the rain slicked "sketchy" decent. Stage winner George Hincapie concluded the day by saying " it was nice to finish in this beautiful city, with my hands in the air".
The whole thing happens again in Vail tomorrow.
The Results:
Stage 2 Top-3
Jersey Winners
We topped off the night at the Bicycles for Humanity event at Belly Up. Bicycles for Humanity has recently opened a Aspen-Roaring Fork Chapter to raise money and to collect used bikes to send them to Uganda. The fundraiser with celebrity hosts Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett.
Click our pix ASPEN BIKE CIRCUS and SPINNING Aspen
UPCC from high atop Indenpendence Pass. Proud to be a Coloradan. Photo: AspenSnowmass
Inside the Peloton on the streets of Aspen. Click for more pix 
Rowdy cycling fans were lining the streets of Aspen.
Levi Leipheimer gets the treatment from the Podium Girls after winning the Smashburger Sprint Jersey
The Bass Boyz were everywhere at UPCC in Aspen.
August 24, 2011 
Summer in Aspen is not quite over yet. The action in Aspen is non-stop. AspenSpin has been working overtime in our first week back from ski-hab. While the pay is not great, the life-style and the perks are phenomenal.
Click THE ASPEN FLOW to see a few photos from around town.
Today is the 2nd stage of the of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The world's best cyclists will be testing themselves at elevation over 7 days in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The Silver Queen Stage is a grueling 131 mile ride from Gunnison to Aspen crossing over two different 12,000 foot passes. In addition to the race, the entire town will be turned into a bike expo with sponsor tents, food vendors and a VIP experience. Click USA PRO for all the info.
Thursday begins the 3rd annual Mountain Summit Film Festival, a collaboration between Telluride's Mountain Film and Aspen's Wheeler Opera House. Mountain Summit is 4 days of award winning documentary films focused on activisim and adventure. Real People...Unreal Stories. This is one of AspenSpin's favorite events of the year as many of the filmmakers attend the festival to discuss their work, interact with the attendees and generally celebrate filmmaking. See the schedule and buy tickets by clicking MOUNTAIN SUMMIT.
Saturday is the first ever Aspen Backcountry Marathon. Imagine running 26.2 miles on high country dirt trails through the woods, on the ridges with ascents and decents and incredible views. If you are a highly trained mountain athlete, this race is for you. Click for info: ASPEN BACKCOUNTRY MARATHON.
Sunday is the Power of Four Mountain Bike race. A super-rad single track ride that goes up and down all four of Aspen's ski hills. Aspen Skiing Company is sponsoring this killer event, click their site for more info.
See ASPENSPIN photos, click: THE ASPEN FLOW.
Aspen's famous Dancing Fountain.
Pick a Line. Aspen Highlands Bowl.
Eye Candy is part of the scenery in Aspen
August 9, 2011 
My name is AspenSpin and I'm a ski-a-holic. It's been 120 days since my last confession.
Southern California has plenty of positives, but soon the A-Spin mothership will be packing up and heading back to Colorado to prepare for the upcoming ski season. Summer has flown by. Aspen Spin's self imposed ski-hab visit to La Jolla is almost over.
We look forward to returning to Aspen. The Rocky Mountains, the roaring rivers, the lush greenery, the crisp alpine air, the wide open spaces, the crystal clear bluebird skies and even the afternoon showers. While Summer is waning, it's not over yet and we are gonna get our Ya Ya's out at 3 HUGE events coming up in Aspen.
USA PRO CYLING CHALLENGE.
128 of the world's best pro riders will be tooling through Colorado for 6 stages of racing. The second stage, the Silver Queen Stage...will finish in Aspen on August 24 after 131 miles and a vertical rise of more than 9700 feet. You can watch live TV coverage on Versus and NBC..but there's nothing like being there in person to see the peloton thunder through town. There are plenty of activities, parties and events planned around the Challenge.
Click to learn more about the USA PRO CYCLING CHALLANGE
MOUNTAIN SUMMIT.
One of our favorite events of the year. The 3rd annual Mountain Summit Film Festival is a unique collaboration between Teluride's Mountainfilm and Aspen's historic Wheeler Opera House. Four days of painstakingly selected films that reflect Adventuring and Advocacy. These films are passionate stories that don't show up at the multi-plex. It's an intimate festival with many of the filmmakers in attendance and free coffee talks and sessions relating to the films. Do not miss Mountain Summit.
Save the dates August 25-28. Click for schedule and tickets; MOUNTAIN SUMMIT
JAZZ ASPEN/SNOWMASS.
3 days of fun and music, and nothing but fun and music...."yeah New York stay thruway is closed man"....ooops wrong festival....and it's 2011, so join thouands at the Snowmass Town Park for 3 days of fun and music at Jazz Aspen/Snowmass's annual Labor Day Festival on Sept 2,3,4. Big names on the docket include Thievery Corporation, Steely Dan and The Zac Brown Band.
Click for LINEUP and Ticket info. JAZZ ASPEN/SNOWMASS
