AVON — Cyclist Jennifer Valente earned nearly $4,800 for herself and the same amount for the Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project on Friday by winning a crowd-sourced “prime” lap prize during Stage 2 of the Colorado Classic.
A first for Colorado stage racing, the tour is putting up $1,000 in “seed money” for a lap sprint at each of the four stages while encouraging fans to contribute as the lap unfolds. Valente, an Olympic hopeful for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics who trains in Colorado Springs, was first to complete lap four a little more than halfway through Friday’s 50-mile stage. Fan contributions brought the payoff to $9,589, which is believed to be a record for a crowd-sourced prime. Valente will split that with the Chris Anthony organization.
The Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project, founded by its extreme skiing namesake, seeks to enhance educational opportunities for children in the classroom and the outdoors. The charity beneficiary for Saturday’s stage in Golden is Golden Giddyup, which supports trail building for mountain bikes in the Front Range. The beneficiary for the Denver stage on Sunday is Girls on the Run, which teaches life skills through physical activity for girls in grades three through eight.
To contribute during those races, spectators can text GOLDENCO or DENVER to 797979.
