After meeting with city and fire officials, organizers of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb expressed hope that the 90th annual "Race to the Clouds," which is set for July 8, can go ahead as planned despite the major wildfire currently besetting the Colorado Springs area.
“We are cautiously optimistic concerning the running of the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on July 8 after an informative and thorough meeting this morning with Mayor Steve Bach and officials from the City of Colorado Springs," said PPIHC president and CEO Tom Osborne. "We are in consistent touch with these officials, and monitoring the constantly developing situation related to the wildfires.
“We are grateful for the support of the city and for the efforts of the agencies involved in protecting our community from the fire. Our constant thoughts are with the hundreds of men and women who are in the air and on the ground giving us their best, and with our residents and neighbors. In the meantime, our systems for the staging of the race and the ancillary events connected to it are fully operative.”
Some 30,000 people have been evacuated from the Colorado Springs area, which is beset by the Waldo Canyon Fire. Only a small portion of the blaze, which is threatening the Air Force Academy, has yet been contained.
Entrants for this year's Hill Climb include six-time defending overall champion Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, who has entered a new all-electric prototype for the race to the summit of the 14,110ft. mountain.