Skiing great Lindsey Vonn to present USA Pro Challenge Stage 4 winner with lifetime Vail Resorts ski pass

Some of the greatest bike racers in the world today will share the stage with the greatest ski racer the U.S. has ever produced on Thursday, August 23, as 2010 Olympic Downhill gold medalist and four-time overall World Cup Champion Lindsey Vonn joins Beaver Creek dignitaries to present a lifetime Vail Resorts season ski pass to the winner of the Aspen to Beaver Creek stage of the 2012 U.S. Pro Challenge.

The 27-year-old U.S. Ski Team star is one of only five women to have ever won World Cup races in all five disciplines and currently sits in third place in the race for the most career World Cup victories with 53.

“We're very excited that Lindsey was able to fit it into her training schedule to join us for the UPC race finish in Beaver Creek,” explained Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation and president of the Beaver Creek UPC local organizing committee. “She has always drawn inspiration from other great athletes from all sports and I know she's excited to have the chance to experience world class bike racing in her own backyard.”

The Vail Resorts lifetime season ski pass was rolled out as the Vail Time Trial award during the inaugural U.S. Pro Challenge last summer, with Levi Leipheimer taking home the prize. The pass provides lifetime skiing privileges at Vail and Beaver Creek.

“The Vail Resorts lifetime pass is a truly unique prize,” offered Doug Lovell, Vice President and COO of Beaver Creek Resort. “It's part of Vail's history and will undoubtedly give these riders the incentive to dig deep during the final climb up to the finish. We look forward to welcoming this year's stage winner back to our slopes.”

In addition to the international cyclists that will “ascend” on Beaver Creek for the Stage 4 finish, Vonn will also have snow-related interests on her mind as the resort began construction earlier this summer on a new ladies' Downhill course for the upcoming 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail and Beaver Creek. The new race track, located adjacent to the internationally renowned Birds of Prey men's racecourse, will have its first official World Cup test event in mid-December of 2013.

Vonn and the World Cup women paid their first ever visit to Beaver Creek this past winter as unseasonably warm temperatures in France forced the relocation of a ladies' Super-G to the resort the week following the traditional trio of men's Birds of Prey World Cup races. Racing for the first time on the men's course, the Vail resident ascended to the top step of the podium for the win.

Following her day at the races, Vonn will return to training for the coming winter, with a summer camp in Chile the next order of business. The opening race of the 2012-13 World Cup season is slated for a Giant Slalom October 27 in Soelden, Austria.

The Stage 4 UPC Beaver Creek finish is hosted by the Vail Valley Foundation and Beaver Creek Resort. For more information on the 2012 U.S. Pro Challenge, visit www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com.