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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2002
PR-207-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG WELCOMES FIRST-EVER
NEW YORK CITY CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP TO LOWER MANHATTAN


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg welcomed the first-ever "New York City Cycling Championship presented by BMC Software" to New York City. The race, which will be through the streets of Lower Manhattan on Sunday, August 4th, will feature four-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teammates. Armstrong will race against some of the finest cyclists in the world, one week after his fourth consecutive Tour de France victory. The 100-kilometer (or 62.5 mile) professional cycling race will feature over 60 top professional cyclists racing through Manhattan's financial district with the start/finish line at Wall & Water Streets. The inaugural event, which will also feature a professional women's race, an amateur race, a corporate challenge and a celebrity chase, will raise money and awareness for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

David M. Chauner, President of Threshold Sports, attended the announcement at City Hall along with Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba, Dr. Harold Varmus, President & CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Match Sprint Olympic Gold Medalist at the 2000 Sydney Games Marty Nothstein, 2001 Junior World Champion Sarah Uhl. The New York City Cycling Championship will be one of ten official events across the country on the 2002 Pro Cycling Tour, and one of only two U.S. races in which Armstrong will compete this season.

"The first 'New York City Cycling Championship promises to be a memorable sporting event," said Mayor Bloomberg. "With Lance Armstrong and a strong field of international riders, we have a real opportunity to focus positive attention on downtown Manhattan while raising significant funds for Memorial Sloan-Kettering's vital cancer research."

"The people of New York have always supported me in my effort to overcome adversity and I would like to return the favor in some small measure," Armstrong wrote in a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Competing with world-class professional cyclists on the streets of Lower Manhattan in a highly-publicized, well-attended race is one of the most valuable contributions I can make to you and your city."

"BMC Software, Threshold Sports and the many other sponsors and organizations involved are honored to bring this historic event to New York," said Chauner. "I urge everyone to join us Sunday at Wall & Water Streets, to join in the excitement and the triumph."

Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service team will compete against top-rated American and international cyclists, including Olympic Gold medalist Marty Nothstein and Italy's Ivan "The Leopard" Quaranta, just one week after the 2002 Tour de France. Working with the NYC Police Department, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Sports Commission and the Alliance for Downtown New York, Threshold Sports has designed a 1.2-mile course through the streets of Lower Manhattan, which will be challenging to the cyclists and viewer-friendly for spectators.

The cyclists will race through Manhattan's financial district with the start/finish line at Wall & Water Streets. The riders will head north on Water Street to Maiden Lane. They will go east on Maiden Lane and then go north on Front Street and turn west on to John Street. Riders will then turn south onto Water Street and continue to Coenties Slip and head west to Pearl Street. Riders will go south on Pearl Street and head east on Whitehall Street and will complete the loop by turning north onto Water Street.

"This event will be a marvelous opportunity for New Yorkers and our visitors to see what will be one of the world's premier cycling races," said Sports Commissioner Podziba. "It is another example of the depth and diversity of sports in New York and heightens optimism in our quest to host the Olympic Games in 2012."

"Racing in New York City, where the people of have dealt with such adversity for the last year, will be one of the most thrilling moments of my cycling career," said Olympic Champion Marty Nothstein. "Challenging this course while thousands of New Yorkers cheer us on will be a great source of inspiration for all the riders."

"As a young rider, I am ecstatic to race against a field of such experienced women who have experienced so much in the sport of cycling," said 2001 Junior World Champion Sarah Uhl. "It is also a real honor for me to race on the same course as Lance Armstrong so soon after he won the Tour de France again. I'm sure the crowd will be a huge motivator for us all."

Proceeds from the event's BMC Software Corporate Challenge will benefit Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to help fight cancer, a disease that almost cost Lance Armstrong his life. At age 25, he was one of the world's premier cyclists before being diagnosed with testicular cancer. With the odds against him, Armstrong embarked on his greatest challenge. Through a combination of physical conditioning, strong support and incredible will, Armstrong survived his illness and heroically won the Tour de France for the last four years.

"We are very pleased to be a part of the bicycle races on Sunday, August 4th, not just because we are a recipient of charitable funds that will come from the Corporate Challenge race, but also because the event is an uplifting one for New York City and for cancer patients and survivors everywhere," said Harold Varmus, president and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. "The funds raised will be used to support all of our activities including patient care, cancer research, and education."

The Pro Cycling Tour is managed by Threshold Sports, which plans to expand the New York City Cycling Championship into a weeklong series with a race in each New York City borough by 2003. This year's race will be telecast live on WABC-TV from 1-4 p.m. For more information, check out the New York City Cycling Championship website at www.nycbikerace.com.

 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk
(212) 788-2958
Andrew Gould (Sports Commission)
(212) 487-5665
  Pat Smith (Rubenstein Associates)
(212) 843-8026