LANCASTER MAY SEE AMATEUR DOWNTOWN CRITERIUM RACE CONTINUE
The Lancaster bicycle race — a springtime staple since 1992 — is moving to Allentown in 2008.
The professional race, which brought racers from across the globe to Lancaster for the first leg of the Pennsylvania Triple Crown of Cycling, drew a meager crowd of spectators on Sunday, June 3.
Yet, many did stand in the rain along city streets to watch the race.
Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray this morning predicted that fewer would be there to watch if the race was again moved to a Tuesday afternoon.
Race organizers, the Norristown-based Pro Cycling Tour, came to the city in August requesting the race again be held on Tuesday, the city provide an additional $25,000 and 15 additional hotel rooms.
The decision was easy, Gray said.
“It was felt that it just wasn’t worth it,” the mayor said.
After having lawyers review the contract, Gray said it was determined the race organizer could require the changes.
“There was really no negotiation,” Gray said. “It was take it or leave it.”
Gray said the city decided to leave it.
Last month, the city sent the Pro Cycling Tour a letter canceling the contract.
Gerard F. Casale, chief operating officer of the Pro Cycling Tour, did not immediately return calls for comment this morning.
A recorded event listing on the phones at the Pro Cycling Tour offices this morning still had the Lancaster race listed as the start of Triple Crown series on Tuesday, June 3.
According to a schedule released by the international cycling federation, that race will be held in Allentown that day. A second race will be held in Reading two days later.
The largest — and most heavily promoted race — is the final installment of the Triple Crown, the international championship, held in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 8.
For the past two years, the Lancaster race has been held on Sunday. That move — made at the city’s request — removed many of the complaints from previous years. The Tuesday afternoon race had shut down many city streets. Gray didn’t want to see a return of that rush-hour gridlock.
“Basically, it came down to a question of resources and whether they could be better placed elsewhere,” Gray added.
With the race being held on Sunday, the city was spending about $60,000 on the event on such costs as police overtime and clean up. With the additional $25,000, the bicycle race would have cost as much as the city’s Fourth of July celebration, said Gray.
And, unlike the popular downtown fireworks display, the race had little local sponsorship to cover that cost. The city didn’t get any of the sponsorship money that came from the current title sponsor Commerce Bank, said Gray.
“We had a very, very difficult time finding sponsors for it,” the mayor said of the race. “And, for that amount of money, we expect a lot more benefit.”
Gray said he spoke with downtown merchants, local cyclists and the staff of his special events office before the decision was made.
For the past two years, an amateur men’s race and a professional women’s race have been held on a short downtown criterium course in advance of the men’s professional race.
Gray said he as spoken with local race organizers and the amateur races may still be held Sunday, June 1.
Those races are much less expensive to hold and would cause much less congestion, the mayor said.
Rich Ruoff, of Lancaster-based RedRoseRaces.com, said he will be unable to organize downtown races in 2008.
Ruoff said David Butterworth, of Major League Cycling, may hold those races, or they may be held in 2009. Butterworth is in Europe and was unavailable for comment this morning.
“It might happen or it might take a year to get something started in downtown Lancaster,” Ruoff said.
He did not see departure of the professional race as detrimental to Lancaster. Rather, Ruoff said, he is expanding RedRoseRaces’ schedule to 22 events next year to accommodate the increase in popularity.
Five years ago, Ruoff got about 3,000 participants in his inaugural year of RedRoseRaces. Next year, he expects to get between 8,000 and 10,000 participants, with riders coming from the county and from elsewhere.
“We’re getting known for having great races and great roads,” he said of Lancaster County.
The amateur races, if held, would be done on Sunday, he said.
Gray predicted that Allentown officials will soon wish they also held the bicycle race on Sunday.
“After the first few years, the sheen will wear off and they’ll find that they’re just the lead up to Philadelphia,” the mayor said.
