If you are traveling to Colorado Springs to participate in the Pikes Peak APEX presented by RockShox, you may have heard that the brand-new United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum just opened. This $91 million project is situated right in downtown Colorado Springs and will feature an amazing collection of Olympic and Paralympic memorabilia from years’ past. Here are the top 5 reasons you should check it out when you're in town!
1. This is an incredible building built by GE Johnson.
Supporting partner of the APEX, GE Johnson has overseen the building of this structure with an incredibly unique outside skin and super-accessible interior. See a bit more about this build in their video.
2. This will be the most technological, interactive museum ever seen.
The format for this museum will customize each visitor’s experience and tailor it to create something different for everyone. A wearable chip, carried by each visitor, is pre-programed to know the visitor’s favorite sports, athletes and destinations. Then, technology within each room will feature those preferences and custom create an experience for each person as they walk through the room. For example, visitors who are into mountain biking would get more mountain bike content than any other individual sport and maybe have a virtual interaction with a past Olympic or Paralympic cyclist during the visit.
3. You'll see cool bike memorabilia.
Do you like bicycle racing? Of course you do—you are on the Pikes Peak APEX website. There are some classics in here—like Kelly Catlin’s Super Bike that helped the team to a silver medal in the team pursuit in Rio. And Connor Fields’ BMX bike—he won a gold medal in 2016 in Rio as well. But it doesn’t stop at bike stuff—check out other history-making items like the original scoreboard from the “Miracle on Ice” hockey game where the US upset Russia in 1980.
4. The museum has the most complete collection of Olympic torches in the world.
The museum is proud to have the most complete collection of Olympic torches in the world. There are a few collections that come close like the one at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, but this is the most complete. There is also a very extensive collection of medals from games over the past centuries.
5. Will this bridge be a start line for a future Pikes Peak APEX?
Interestingly enough, the museum offers a pretty amazing backdrop for a possible start line for a future APEX. The bridge that is being built is a work of art in itself and connects downtown with America the Beautiful Park which then connects to the dirt paths that lead out of town and onto Pikes Peak. Building the bridge has been a huge task in itself and as of writing this piece it still isn’t completed. It might be open by the time the inaugural Pikes Peak APEX starts, but whatever the case we are eyeing it to possibly be used in future years.
See more highlights and some great video here.
Visit the museum site for information about hours, tickets, COVID-19 safety and much more.