“World Cup Festival” Planned For 2008
by Steve Frothingham
July 18, 2007
North American cyclocross fans were disappointed last month when organizers announced that a 2007 World Cup 'cross race in Rhode Island, which had been rumored for months, would be held off until 2008.
Now the race's organizers, who say they have a verbal agreement from a Fortune 500 sponsor, are laying out their unique and ambitious approach intended to give the most prestigious international cyclocross series solid traction on North American soil.
GSD Event Productions is promising a three-day “World Cup Festival,” Oct. 11-13, 2008, at Providence's Roger Williams Park, site of the last two national championships. The festival will comprise the showcase mens and womens World Cup races on Saturday, followed on Sunday and Monday by another pro-level UCI race, amateur races, kids events and concerts. All will be presented in a fun atmosphere aimed at the active families that GSD's putative sponsor is interested in reaching.
In an unusual move for US bicycle racing, organizers will charge an admission fee – likely $30 for a weekend pass, with racers each receiving two free tickets.
GSD's partners are Lyle Fulkerson, a Massachusetts lawyer best known for promoting the Super Cup cross series in the late 1990s and early 2000s; Richard Fries, a race announcer and publisher; and Tom Stevens, a course designer. The group put on the last two national championships and several other major races over the last decade.
Fries said they could have held the event this year but held off to develop the plan more fully. “To have muscled it through this year would have risked longer term support,” he said.
Fries also cited personal reasons for the delay, and said the sponsor is more likely to make a major commitment if cycling's doping scandals calm down over the next few months.
“A scandal-free Tour de France would greatly help us all,' he said.
Hosting a World Cup requires unprecedented support for a US cross race. For several years, promoters on both coasts have looked into hosting a Cup, but found it too expensive. What’s a World Cup Cyclocross and How Much Does It Cost?
Fulkerson said the budget for the three-day festival could approach $500,000 – that's nearly nine times the budget of a major cross race such as the US Grand Prix race in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
So, how will GSD get it done?
Fries and Fulkerson said the key is rolling the World Cup race into a larger festival that will attract expo exhibitors, food and concession sales -- and paying spectators. Although UCI rules prevent non-World Cup competition on the course the same day as the Cup, amateur races later in the weekend will help bring in some entry fee revenue.
They decline to name their sponsor, but said they have a verbal commitment from a company with multiple brands “interested in an active family demographic.” The extra time gained by postponing the race will help the company find ways to involve several of its brands.
“I'm sorry to break people's hearts, but a World Cup cyclocross event doesn't mean anything to an American Fortune 500 company,” Fries said. “But you start talking about something that takes on childhood obesity, the environment, and safe routes to school, and that strikes a chord.”
UCI officials are keen on the festival idea, Melanie Leveau, the UCI's cyclocross and mountain bike coordinator, said in an email.
Leveau pointed to the three-weekend Velirium festival at Canada's Mont St. Anne ski resort. The festival includes a World Cup mountain bike event that attracts an estimated 10,000 spectators.
“A festival can please the whole family, but a cyclocross by itself, maybe not,” Leveau wrote. “It is a very different approach compared to Europe, where the cyclocross races are the only activities of the day.”
GSD is venturing into unchartered territory by charging admission, but observers say it can't hurt to try.
“It's standard in Europe to pay 10 Euros (about $8) or so to get in,” said Adam Myerson, a Massachusetts-based pro racer, race promoter and coach.
Admission to European World Cups and World Championship races is closer to $30.
“People should expect to pay to see a World Cup. What professional sporting event do you not have to pay for? Have you tried to get a Red Sox ticket?” Myerson said.
“World Cup Festival” Planned For 2008 Part II
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