March 01, 2017 – The Tour of Alberta recently announced updates and plans for the Tour of Alberta which will take place from September 1-4 this year. Now in its fifth year, the Tour of Alberta is Canada’s largest professional 2.1 cycling stage race, and will retain its place on the UCI calendar.

ATB Financial, a partner of the Tour since its inception, has stepped up into the title sponsor role, signing a three-year deal.

“ATB and the Tour of Alberta are a natural fit,” said Dave Mowat, ATB’s President & CEO. “ATB is a huge fan of the Tour, not only because it gives us all a chance to witness the best cyclists in the world compete in our own backyard, but it will hopefully inspire more Albertans, young and old, to get on their bikes.”

The ATB Tour of Alberta will also use a new format, which the organization calls a hybrid of the hub-and-spoke model. The 2017 edition of the race will begin with a mountainous stage entirely within Jasper National Park. The final three stages will then start and finished within metro Edmonton, bringing the action closer to more people.

“The APA has decided to alter the way we create our stages, in addition to hosting four stages total this year, to alleviate some pressure from host communities while the Alberta economy is still recovering,” says APA Chairman Peter Verhesen. “The hub-and-spoke model is being implemented by RPM Events Group LLC in the USA with the Colorado Classic, and the strategy is proving to be a means to ensure long-term sustainability of professional cycling races in North America, where distances between major centres are much further away than stage races being held in Europe and other parts of the world.

The Tour of Alberta has consistently attracted some of the best cyclists in the world, and the condensed format and return to the mountains should only increase the excitement in 2017.

Full release here.