January 28/01 4:22 am - Toronto Olympic Bid Update

Posted by Editor on 01/28/01
 

Olympic Bid Cycling Site - Update

We spoke earlier today with Curt Harnett, who is the head of the Cycling Committee for the T.O. 2008 Olympic Bid. According to Curt, the situation is as follows:

When the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) came and did their site inspection, they requested that everything be moved closer to Toronto, therefore road and track was moved from Hamilton to Toronto. The Bid Committee have been looking for a suitable mountain bike location in Toronto, but sites that meet technical requirements (such as the Don or Rouge Valleys) have significant environmental concerns. Thus, the UCI agreed that the bid should be submitted with Hardwood Hills as the location for mountain biking. That may change as the Bid Committee continues to research locations in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

Curt also said that the road course "blew away" the UCI delegate. Designed by Curt and Steve Bauer, the proposed circuit will be 20 kilometres in length, with significant climbing. Some of the roads to be used include Pottery Road, the Bayview Extension, Don Mills, and the Rosedale Ravine area.