Win your own polka-dotted jersey.

Two weeks after pros storm up Boulder Canyon during Stage 6 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, riders in the Elevations Credit Union Buffalo Bicycle Classic face the same test.

A GPS timing option is available for Boulder Canyon, a 13.7-mile segment of the 100-mile Buff Epic course. That course follows nearly 60 miles of the most mountainous section of the Pro Challenge.

The top male and female climbers in the Buff Epic’s Boulder Canyon ascent will win polka-dotted jerseys, courtesy of our friends at TIAA-CREF.

All registrants will gain the bragging rights of riding what the Pro Cycling Challenge calls the “arduous climb up Boulder Canyon,” where the pros are expected to ride “fast enough to neutralize the field.”

Members of the CU Cycling Team recently did a time trial up Boulder Canyon, and one now holds the fastest recorded time up our canyon segment. (See http://app.strava.com/segments/1601734.)

Think you can beat that? Go ahead. Make our day.

On Sept. 9, the westbound lane of Highway 119 will be closed to auto traffic for our ride, making the ascent more enjoyable and similar to the conditions during the Pro Challenge.

Even if you don’t crush the competition, you can gauge your time against fellow Buff Bike Classic riders (and anyone else who happens to blaze up the canyon with a GPS device). Winners will be determined by times recorded on ride day up the Buff Bike Classic’s Boulder Canyon climb on Strava.com using a GPS device—an iPhone, Android or Garmin product.

This will be great fun. And here’s why we do it: The Elevations Buffalo Bicycle Classic raises scholarship funds for high-performing University of Colorado students who qualify for financial aid. The tally so far: $1.6 million raised. 730 scholarships awarded.

So… It’s more than a challenge; it’s a scholarship.

It’s also more than an epic century. This year, we host six routes for all cycling abilities. Besides our Buff Epic and Foothills Century rides, we feature the 70-mile, 50-mile, 35-mile and the 14-mile “Little Buff” ride, this year co-sponsored by the Center for People With Disabilities.

If you want to track your training alongside that of other Buff Bike Classic registrants, join the Buffalo Bicycle Classic club on Strava.com. It’s free and found here: http://app.strava.com/clubs/buffalo-bicycle-classic-club

Ready to ride? Register now!

Ride Bikes. Change Lives.