January 18/11 19:48 pm - Tour de Victoria Registration has Strong Opening Week

Posted by Editor on 01/18/11
 

Registration for the May 28th inaugural Tour de Victoria is off to a terrific start, with nearly one-third of the available 1,500 spots sold in the first week, Race Director, Seamus McGrath announced today.

"The first week of registration was a smashing success and is going better than I ever imagined with almost 500 registrations in a matter of days," says McGrath. "This just shows that this is the kind of event that people have been waiting for in Greater Victoria."

The ride will be led by Canadian cycling hero and Olympian Ryder Hesjedal, who placed seventh in the 2010 Tour de France and has been named Canadian Cyclist’s male cyclist of the year for the second year in a row. Registration opened January 10th at www.tourdevictoria.com. The Tour de Victoria will be the marquee event of the Victoria International Cycling Festival (VICF), which hosts several cycling events and races from May 28th until the end of June.

McGrath also announced that several high-profile Victoria athletes will be joining Hesjedal on the Tour de Victoria, including Olympic Gold Medalist Simon Whitfield. "I moved to Victoria for the excellent cycling available here and I can't wait to ride with everyone on May 28th," Whitfield told race organizers.

Other confirmed Victoria champions include 2006 Canadian Ironman champion Jasper Blake, 2008 Olympic Gold medalists Jake Wetzel and Adam Kreek, and Canadian mountain biking legend and Olympian Andreas Hestler.

"We are really excited to be tapping into the large group of talented athletes who either live in Victoria now, or have in the past and want to join us," said McGrath.

The Tour will cater to participants of all ages and fitness levels, offering a choice of three distances: 140 kilometres for the enthusiast, 90 kilometres for the entry level rider and a community ride of 1-20 kilometres for beginners, families and those who want to see what cycling is all about.

All proceeds from the Community ride will be donated to Power to Be Adventure Therapy Society, a charity helping to improve the health and quality of life for youth, adults and families facing significant life challenges.

The route will start and finish in downtown Victoria, and travel down many of the scenic cycling routes in the capital region used by Hesjedal to train for the Tour de France.

Visit www.tourdevictoria.com to register.