If fire danger remains extremely high in late August when the USA Pro Cycling Challenge’s much-anticipated sixth stage passes through Boulder, city officials acknowledge they could be forced to move the race finish off Flagstaff Mountain.

Boulder spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said fire and emergency officials are continuing to work on a response plan for a variety of emergency situations, and part of that planning includes monitoring conditions and evaluating fire risk.

“How to evacuate large crowds of people is something we’re still looking at,” Huntley said. “There is no doubt that it would be incredibly difficult given the numbers of people and the terrain. That’s why part of our evaluation is the level of risk. We don’t want to have to be evacuating large numbers of people from an active fire.”

While the now-contained Flagstaff Fire highlighted the fire danger in the foothills west of town for both Boulder residents and officials, Huntley said city leaders have been aware of the risks for some time.

‘We need some changes’Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said he’s been increasingly concerned about the race. Plans call for a dramatic finish at Flagstaff’s Sunrise Amphitheater, and officials believe as many as 50,000 spectators could line the narrow road.

“The current conditions are extreme,” Pelle said. “As you know, fire races uphill, and my concern is putting tens of thousands of spectators on that steep hillside.”

Pelle said race organizers “need to think about alternatives if conditions don’t moderate.”

Read more about summer conditions on Flagstaff Mountain.