USA Cycling Awards Junior, U23 and Elite Road Nationals to Bend

Visit Bend today announced that USA Cycling has awarded the 2009 and 2010 Junior, U23 and Elite Road National Championships to Bend. Dates for the 2009 event are July 28 through August 2, and the announcement comes barely a month after Bend was awarded the 2009 & 2010 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. This marks the first time that two USA Cycling National Championships will be held in the same city in the same year.

“Bend has become a top destination for both recreational and competitive cycling, and USA Cycling is excited to be bringing another national championship race to Oregon,” said Tom Vinson, National Events Manager for USA Cycling. “Bend’s continued community-wide support and passion for cycling convinced us to award them an unprecedented two national championships in the same year.”

Officials from USA Cycling will visit Bend in the coming weeks to preview the race courses, meet with key stakeholders and begin the process of preparing for the event. The Road National Championships are expected to attract approximately 1,000 competitors to Bend each year for six days of racing, including a time trial, criterium and road race. More than 2,000 additional visitors, including support staff, families and media, are also expected attend the event annually.

Because of the timing of the event, which begins just two days after the conclusion of the Cascade Cycling Classic, many competitors and spectators are expected to remain in town for both events.

“The Road National Championships are a perfect fit with Visit Bend’s efforts to attract large events that will help our destination weather uncertain economic times,” said Doug LaPlaca, president and CEO of Visit Bend. “We are thankful to USA Cycling for the trust they have put in us by awarding not one, but two National Championships to Bend.”

Nationally-renown race director Chad Sperry, who has directed such races as the Cascade Cycling Classic, Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and the Tour of Utah, will serve as race director for the National Championships.

“Destination sporting events like the Road National Championships are a great way to increase awareness of Bend, with the added value of providing a significant economic boost to the community at the same time,” said Drew Mahalic, Executive Director of the Oregon Sports Authority, and supporter of Bend’s bid for the event. “Bringing events like this to Oregon is a great example of how tourism through sports can be used as an outstanding form of economic development during challenging times.”

Hosting major national sporting events is not new to Bend, which is home to the Cascade Cycling Classic – the longest continually-running elite stage race in the country, the XTERRA Trail Running National Championships, the USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon National Championships and the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships.