It’s the most exciting cycling news Jason Lewis has heard all year.
One of his favorite events is coming back to Alberta, and it will be making a stop in his own back yard.
“I’m over the moon. This is just going to be fantastic for Lethbridge and fantastic for cycling,” adds Lewis.
The Tour of Alberta is a world class cycling race. This will be it’s second tour, and this time its set to hit Lethbridge.
The race has several parts, and which portion of the race will come to Lethbrdge is still not known.
“What’s not for sure is if we are going to get a prologue, which is one stage of the race or the circuit. Prologue is interval racing against time, and circuit is the group racing against each other,” adds General Manager of Culture and Recreation for the city of Lethbidge.
City council voted in favor of hosting one stage of the six day competition after being approached by tour organizers.
The Tour of Alberta is broadcast across the world with millions of viewers.
Lewis and his family took in two staging areas last year. He says the energy brought to the race by spectators is contagious, “The atmosphere around it was fantastic, people were super charged and excited. What it brought to the community was huge. With the amount of people in Black Diamond, you couldn’t find a parking spot in the entire town.”
Being a host community for the event comes with a price tag. The city has secured $300 thousand dollars for the hosting rights.
“It’s a lot of money, but at the end of the day $300 thousand dollars is just a drop in the bucket when you look at the economic spin off,” says city councilor Ryan Parker.
Matthews added the economic impact is projected to bring in $4 million dollars for the city.
City officials say an exact route for the tour hasn’t been chosen yet, but with the lay of the land within the city there are plenty of options.
“They like the idea of the various terrain Lethbridge offers and the weather is not a problem. Last year they raced in winds and in rain,” says Matthews.
It’s projected the Tour of Alberta will bring in about $35 million dollars within the province.
The confirmed route is expected to be announced this month and will run from September 3rd to the 8th.
For more information on the tour you can visit: www.tourofalberta.ca
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