Summit County Citizens Voice

The official poster for the Breckenridge stage of the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, designed by Nikki Arcieri.

Local artist Nikki Arcieri makes it two in row

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Racers in the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge will face a big climb to start the day when they leave Breckenridge for the start of Stage 5 this summer. They’ll climb to 11,542 feet at Hoosier Pass before accelerating down into South Park, and local artist Nikki Arcieri captured the feeling of the pass in her design for the official Breckenridge stage race poster.

Arcieri won the friendly design competition for the second year in a row, this year with bold colors depicting  a cyclist against the backdrop of the alpine peaks surrounding Hoosier Pass.

The race rolls through Colorado Aug. 20-26 with the Stage 5 Start in Breckenridge, Colo. on Friday, Aug. 24, heading for a finish in Colorado Springs.

“I started out designing something reminiscent of a vintage-style poster but kept moving in the direction of a cleaner, more straightforward design,” Arcieri said.

Input from friends helped the poster evolve and the final form emerged as the winning design, selected among several submissions by a panel of local guest judges including former Breckenridge Town Council member Jeffrey Bergeron “Biff America”, former Bachelorette winner Jesse Csincsak, Summit County Commissioner Dan Gibbs, fifth judicial district judge (and local mountain bike competitor) Mark Thompson and Breckenridge Mayor John Warner.

The second annual USA Pro Cycling Challenge will take place August 20-26, 2012, a week proclaimed by Gov. John Hickenlooper as “Colorado Cycling Holiday,” and visit 12 host cities from Durango to Denver.

More than 1 million spectators are expected to once again line the route, while millions more around the world watch the race live on television and online through the Tour Tracker. More information can be found online at www.USAProCyclingChallenge.com and on Twitter at @USAProChallenge.

Connect with the Breckenridge Stage online Twitter.com/BreckProCycling or Facebook.com/BreckenridgeQPC for the latest news and updates on the Stage 5 Start.

Filed under: biking, Colorado, recreation, Summit County news Tagged: | 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, art, bicycle racing, Breckenridge Colorado, Hoosier Pass, posters