What if the Ohio State University football team played the Chicago Bears, or if the best college basketball players got to take on LeBron James? That David vs. Goliath dynamic happens every year at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, where smaller domestic American pro teams take on the big squads from the Tour de France.
The town of Golden has become a regular feature for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge as both a start city and a mid-stage spectating zone. That's because of Golden's versatility as a cycling destination, not to mention its vast array of restaurants, cafes and breweries. And the city's "Howdy Folks! Welcome to Golden: Where the West Lives" banner makes for great race photos.