Breakaway to put on U23 & Elite Road Nationals!
Colorado Springs, Colo. (February 4, 2009)—The 2009-10 USA Cycling Junior, U23 & Elite Road National Championships have been awarded to the city of Bend, Ore., the national governing body announced today.
The announcement comes six weeks after the cycling-friendly community was also awarded the next two editions of the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships.
The dates for the 2009 USA Cycling Junior, U23 & Elite Road National Championships will be July 28 through Aug. 2.
Since the Junior, U23 and Elite fields were combined into one national championship event in 2005, the 2009 edition marks the event’s first visit to the Pacific Northwest. Previous hosts include Anaheim, Calif. (2008), Seven Springs Resort in Champion, Pa. (2006-07) and Park City, Utah (2005). The six-day event will host approximately 1,000 competitive cyclists as they compete for national titles in three different disciplines of road racing – the individual time trial, road race and criterium.
“Bend is a destination for both recreational and competitive cycling, and we’re excited to bring another national championship to Oregon,” commented USA Cycling chief executive officer Steve Johnson. “Bend’s long tradition of community-wide support and passion for cycling convinced us to award them two national championships in the same year.”
Chad Sperry, longtime race director for national-caliber races such as the Cascade Cycling Classic, the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and the Tour of Utah, will serve as race director for the national championships. Also, the national championships’ place on the calendar creates a natural synergy for elite men and women as the 2009 Cascade Cycling Classic – a National Racing Calendar event – will occur in Bend, July 22-26.
“Destination sporting events like USA Cycling’s road national championships are a great way to increase awareness of Bend, with the added value of providing a significant economic boost to the community at the same time,” said Drew Mahalic, executive director of the Oregon Sports Authority. “Bringing events like this to Oregon is a great example of how tourism through sports can be used as an outstanding form of economic development during challenging times.”
