AST Dew Tour returns to Portland

The AST Dew Tour, the world’s premier season-long action sports tour, today announced Portland as the site of the Wendy’s Invitational, Aug. 21-24, at the Rose Quarter. For the fourth consecutive year, the Portland event will be the third of five stops on the 2008 tour. The event will feature the greatest talent in skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross.

In making the announcement, AST president Wade Martin said: “We are very excited to be returning to Portland and to be debuting Wendy’s as the new host sponsor this year. The city of Portland has shown a passion for skateboarding and action sports as a whole, as well as a commitment to the Dew Tour, we are looking forward to our return to Portland.”

“The AST Dew Tour has quickly become one of the annual highlights of Oregon’s busy summer sports season,” said Drew Mahalic, CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority. “Over the last three years the Tour has helped establish Portland as a premier action sports destination, and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome it back for the fourth consecutive year.”

Entering its fourth year, the AST Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world. Attendance for the 2007 AST Dew Tour totaled nearly 300,000 and an average of 41 million total viewers tuned in via NBC and USA each year. The top athletes in the world will take part in this year’s Tour, all competing for the highly coveted Dew Cup that will be awarded in Orlando at season’s end to champions in each of the six disciplines. The 2007 Dew Cup winners include Nate Adams (Freestyle Motocross), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert), Ryan Nyquist (BMX Dirt), Daniel Dhers (BMX Park), Shaun White (Skateboard Vert) and Ryan Sheckler (Skateboard Park).