October 31, 2003 – Great news, based on the success of the Transrockies Challenge, Alberta will host a 2004 UCI World Cup July 2-4 at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
Nearly 500 of the best mountain bike riders, representing 23 different nations around the globe, will be pumping their pedals in Calgary when the 2004 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit makes its stop on the western edge of the Olympic city, July 2-4, 2004, CODA and Travel Alberta announced on Thursday.
“Having Canada hosting international events, such as World Cups, are a tremendous benefit to high-performance sport in the country,” said John Mills, president, CODA, whose organization supports eight World Cup competitions each winter. “Mountain biking has been a core component to the recreational and high-performance environment established year-round at Canada Olympic Park. Putting an event of this magnitude front and centre in a city of Calgary's size promises to foster the development of mountain biking in this region and encourage more Canadians to get involved in sport.”
CODA and Travel Alberta's partner, Transrockies Inc., the event promoter for the UCI World Cup, recognized the potential in having a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event in the heart of a major centre like Calgary. While the Transrockies team visited the site four times over the past year, the UCI Mountain Bike Commission gave its stamp of approval on the location in Calgary during a final site inspection earlier this October.
“This will be the most beautiful cross-country World Cup course of the year,” said Daniel Baal, president, UCI Mountain Bike Commission, following his tour of Canada Olympic Park. “With this course nestled in the foothills between Calgary's city skyline and the Rocky Mountains, it provides a perfect location for the UCI World Cup.” In addition to the cross-country event, athletes will also compete in a four cross and downhill competition that will be staged throughout the three-day cycling extravaganza. Canada will be well represented in both the men and women's categories. Taking place just six weeks before the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece, this competition will be a primer event for Canadians Roland Green of Victoria, 2002 world champion in the cross-country discipline, and North Vancouver's Alison Sydor, an Olympic silver medalist, who has put Canada on mountain bike podiums all over the world.
Travel Alberta has been a partner for the past two years with the Transrockies Challenge, considered to be the toughest mountain bike race in the world. International media exposure of the 600-kilometre event, from Fernie, B.C. to Canmore, Alta., has positioned Alberta as a mountain bike adventure destination.
“The UCI World Cup is a tremendous opportunity to showcase Alberta's outstanding recreational facilities to outdoor enthusiasts around the world,” said Mark Norris, Minister of Economic Development. “I wish the organizers and participants in this event every success.” Preliminary estimates by CODA indicate the financial impact of hosting this event is more than $1-million for the Calgary area. Races will also be broadcast to a worldwide audience.
Canadians wishing to take in the July spectacle will be more than just spectators. In addition to the featured event, organizers are planning the Bike Calgary Festival that will include a series of cycling events and activities for average citizens, and junior races that will all be open to the public.
“CODA recognizes Canadians live in a participatory culture, and mountain biking is at the heart of it in Alberta each summer,” said Mills, whose organization is campaigning to create the nation's first Canadian Centre of Sport Excellence, which will deliver the resources needed for Canadian athletes to compete on a level playing field, and win, in nearly every summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic sport. “This event promises to be a success, and will be a welcome addition to the Canadian sport calendar.” CODA's Canada Olympic Park welcomed more than 40,000 mountain bike visits this summer, and attracts more than a million visitors each year from around the world for its internationally recognized Olympic appeal. The 2004 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event is one of two stops on the Canadian World Cup circuit. Mont-Sainte-Anne, Que. will host Canada's other stop one week prior to the Calgary event. The only other time a World Cup mountain bike event has been held in Alberta was in 1998 when it was contested in Canmore.
Home of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Alberta is Canada's fourth largest province. Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. For more information on Travel Alberta, visit TravelAlberta.com or, in the U.S.A. and Canada, dial 1-800-ALBERTA. CODA is Canada's leader in developing Olympic winter sport excellence from the grassroots level to the country's best athletes. A not-for-profit organization, CODA financially supports national sport organizations, educational opportunities and subsidizes the operation of unique training and recreational facilities used by the nation's top athletes and the general public including: Canada Olympic Park; the Olympic Oval; the Ice House; Haig Glacier; and the Bill Warren Training Centre at the Canmore Nordic Centre. The country's largest private financial supporter of Olympic winter sport, CODA is working to create the nation's first Canadian Centre of Sport Excellence in southern Alberta where athletes can access world-leading advanced human and technical resources and training facilities. For more information on CODA, or the Canadian Centre of Sport Excellence, please visit us at www.coda.ca on the Internet.