High host community charges means there will be no mountain stages in the 2014 Tour of Alberta cycling race.
Ryder Hesjedal and many of the top road cyclists in the world will skip Kananaskis and Canmore again this year as high costs mean the Tour of Alberta won’t make a stop in the Bow Valley, while the national parks have yet to make a pitch for the prestigious road race.
Instead, Calgary, Lethbridge, Innisfail, Red Deer, Wetaskiwin, Strathcona County and Edmonton will host the second annual event, which is billed as one of the top races on the continent.
Rundle Mountain Cycling Club president James Kendal said the financial burden to host a stage race is too high this year, as Tour race organizers tripled the cost for host communities.
“The Tour of Alberta has a financial need from each host town or city and this year the fee to host the race finish tripled from $50,000 to $150,000,” Kendal said. “The Alberta Peleton Society gave Canmore the opportunity to bid on a stage, but the cost is too high for the town, and they came after Tourism Canmore Kananaskis and the Town of Canmore budgets were set. We could look for funds for future years, but that would probably require private funding and sponsorship.”
Last year, the September race was set to ride through Kananaskis Country on Highway 40 before finishing in Canmore, however, local stakeholders pulled the plug after flood damage ravaged the route. Organizers weren’t able to guarantee Highway 40 would be repaired in time for the Sept. 4 stage race, however, the road was open to traffic by that time.
Last August, CBT President and CEO Andrew Nickerson approached Canmore town council to support the Tour in 2014, however no money was set aside for the bid in the budget.
Tour of Alberta organizers did not respond to the Outlook by press time.
