End of the road for SF Grand Prix bike race

The 108-mile bike race over San Francisco's storied hills and past tourist attractions became a political football after some city officials questioned the city's underwriting some costs of the event.

David Chauner, director of San Francisco Cycling LLC, issued a statement Sunday saying the bike race would be cancelled, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. He said the emotionally charged debate has scared away potential sponsors.

While the mayor's office has supported the event, which brings in an estimated $10 million for city businesses, the governing board of supervisors balked at the city paying any expenses.

The issue came to a head last week when it was revealed that the Grand Prix had an $89,000 unpaid bill for police services from the 2004 event. Supervisors questioned how the group could get permits for the September 2005 event, even though it turned out the city had just billed San Francisco Cycling for those 2004 services within the past month.

All is not lost for Bay Area cycling devotees. Next February's inaugural Tour of California is scheduled to start in San Francisco with a 3.2-mile individual time trial. Many of the same cycling luminaries that appear at the Grand Prix in the fall are expected in the peloton.