In 1975, Mo Siegel and John and Wyck Hay, founders of the
Celestial Seasonings herbal tea company, launched the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic race to promote alternative transportation in the Greater Boulder area, particularly bike lanes, bike paths, and community awareness. The Classic was named after their popular
Red Zinger tea. In 1979, Michael Aisner, the race's then
PR director, bought the race for one dollar from Siegel, and with his blessing took the idea of a grander event to
Peter Coors, the
beer impresario. Over the next 8 years, the
Coors International Bicycle Classic grew into two weeks of racing in
California,
Nevada and
Colorado, with stages in some years in
Hawaii and
Wyoming. From 1981 to 1992 a youth bicycling series called the
Red Zinger Mini Classics was held in Colorado, its name inspired by the original Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, inspiring a generation of young cyclists to enter the sport. ==Winners==