Organizers of the Tour of Utah cancelled the week-long bicycle race this year due to a lack of sponsors.
Sounds like a familiar refrain? The Tour of Georgia is going ahead without a title sponsor but is depending on smaller sponsors and a hoped for $1 million infusion from Georgia taxpayers.
The inaugural Tour of Missouri also is seeking a title sponsor as is the Montreal-Boston Tour. The only big US tour flush with money this year was the Tour of California, which was sponsored by drug-maker Amgen for the second straight year.
All these tours were on the schedule for the first year of the USA Cycling Professional Tour, which will award points to determine the top international-level rider on US soil.
The Tour of Utah was scheduled for July 1-7, although there aren't many other details on the website for the race, which started in 2006. The race's executive director has stepped down, and the board chairman explained to VeloNews that they decided to postpone the race until next year “in order to time our fundraising efforts with annual corporate budget cycles.”
The Tour of Georgia is going off as planned this year from April 16-22 without a title sponsor. Volunteers for a number of positions are still needed for the race; check the volunteer registration.
Other races on ProTour calendar include the inaugural Montreal-Boston Tour (Aug. 5-12) and the Tour of Missouri (Sept. 11-16).
Let's hope these races don't go the route of the Tour DuPont, Tour De Trump and Coors Classic before they have a chance to get established.
See more at BikeRide.com blog and Tour of Georgia blog.
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