August 1, 2003 – The Hamilton 2003 Road World Championships organizing committee is excited to announce that the new online merchandise store is now up and running at www.hamilton2003.com. This first collection of the official merchandise captures the spirit of the Road World Championships. The collection was launched at the 2003 Tim Horton's Road National Championships and was enthusiastically received by spectators in attendance resulting in strong on-site sales. Fans from all over the world will be able to take home a part of the Road World Championships by visiting the new merchandising program at www.hamilton2003.com.

The online store offers a range of adult apparel including short and long t-shirts, tank tops, golf shirts, hooded sweatshirts and a windbreaker, one youth t-shirt and two styles of baseball caps. The collection features a mix of quality fabrication in a predominantly light and navy blue colour palette. The collection features the World Championship logo and clean graphics. The official souvenir pin and cowbell is also available. Prices for the Official Hamilton 2003 merchandise range from $4 to $85.

The Road World Cycling Championships will be staged in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from October 6 to 12, 2003. Over 800 athletes from over 50 different countries will compete in ten different races. There are two disciplines – the individual time trial and the road race with five different classifications, elite men and women, junior men and women, as well as Under 23 men. It will be only the sixth time the Road World Championships have been held outside Europe and the second time in Canada, the first occasion was 1974 in Montreal. For more information, visit the official web site, www.hamilton2003.com.