January 17, 2015 (Cobourg, ON) – We received the following note from Greg Cushing at the Tom Jehlicka Memorial Criterium which may be cancelled for 2015. Staged by the Cobourg Cycling Club, the current event has been held since 2007, but it has a legacy of 20 years. With more sponsors and volunteers it can continue so interested parties should get in touch with Cushing via his contact info below.

Greetings for the New Year and Hello,

As a fellow cyclist and bike racer I am sending you this email with mixed emotions. I thought it best that I explain things in writing as it provides me time to choose the best words. Please feel free to share this email with those that may have some interest in the news.

Over the past number of years, I have lost track of the exact number now, I have been the Race Director for the Tom Jehlicka Memorial Criterium. Along with lots of help from the Cobourg Cycling Club, friends and family, we have hosted what I believe has been a fun, small, local but very competitive event.  The TJ Crit, as I like to call it, has taken lots of good energy. Everything has a lifecycle though and the race has run its course.

This week the Cobourg Club held a Board of Directors meeting where it was decided that the ROI (return on investment) was too great a risk. The Club is not adverse to working to renew an event if an interested party was to “magically appear”. The Board agreed that it would work with another source to help host the race should fate have it. However, it was agreed that holding the race has become too onerous for this small club.

Noteworthy here is that personally, I do not have the contacts and/or resources to find good sponsorship. I know that a person with excellent sales and marketing skills would be able to rustle up some financial support with a little applied grit. However, this is out of the realm of my experience. This is simply just reality.

Unfortunately this is the way our “beloved” sport is going too. An aging demographic, the increased costs of insurance, the risks of litigation due to injury, community resistance and poor racer turnout all share the root of this decision. Holding bike races in this “mono-sport” country is discouraging to say the least. It is disappointing to me from the perspective of a racer but as for the TJ Crit, it is a fact that the majority of racers have been more than satisfied with the event. However with such low numbers over the years the Club is left with little choice. If it was a hockey game we hosted, the storyline would be different.

Being involved with the organization of the TJ Crit has been a rewarding challenge for me. I am very grateful for the experience. If I have not thanked you each in the past for your participation and/or support, I want you to know that you have earned my respect . With that I wish you a very, hardy “Chapeau” and “Adieu!”

Greg Cushing

(905) 372 8571 (h); (289) 251 4803 (c); or tjcrit@cobourgcyclingclub.com