Tadej Pogačar just won his fifth Tour de France - what does a race against the clock have to do with the tax bill Denver heirs are sitting on right now?

Tadej Pogačar won his fifth Tour de France this week, and the coverage focused almost entirely on the finish line. What it glossed over is the thing that actually decided the race weeks earlier: the cumulative time lost in stages most people weren't watching closely. Denver families who inherit property make a similar mistake. They focus on the eventual sale and underestimate what's quietly running against them in the meantime. Here's the practical reality that catches people off guard: when you inherit a property in Colorado, the cost basis is stepped up to the fair market value at the date of death, not what the original owner paid decades ago. That single fact can mean the difference between a modest tax bill and a significant one, depending on when the sale closes relative to when the estate is settled. Sit on the property too long, and values shift, carrying costs pile up, and the clear financial advantage that existed at the time of inheritance starts to erode. Move too fast without understanding the stepped-up basis, and real money gets left on the table because the plan wasn't built around it. The tax clock in an inherited estate isn't dramatic. It's just steady, and it doesn't pause while the family figures out what they want to do. The most practical question an heir in Denver can ask right now isn't 'should we sell?' It's 'do we actually understand what the tax picture looks like before we decide anything?' That answer shapes every choice that follows.