The cycling obsessed City of Bend is getting yet another opportunity to show off its passion for cycling when the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships roll into town next week for five days of intense drama as racers compete for the coveted stars & stripes jersey.
Attracting approximately 1,000 cyclists from across the country, the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships will utilize several of the best courses and routes in Central Oregon to help determine who is at the peak of their game. The notorious Mt. Bachelor Loop made famous by the oldest stage race in North America, the Cascade Cycling Classic will be in play as will the famous downtown Bend Criterium course that brings the racers into the heart of downtown. New for the 2012 Championships is the Prineville Time Trial Course, running along the Crooked River on the scenic Prineville Reservoir Road.
Approximately 60 total national championship titles will be awarded during the week across three disciplines of racing: road race, criterium, and time trial. Racers will range in age from 35 to 70+ years.
The 2012 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships will be the second year of a three year hosting agreement between USA Cycling and Visit Bend, the city’s tourism bureau and sports commission. The event is expected to attract approximately 1,000 individual racers and a total visiting attendance of over 2,000 people for an average length of stay of 7 nights.
Last year, the 2011 Masters Road National Championships generated over $1 million in direct visitor spending. Through a partnership between Visit Bend, USA Cycling, and RRC Associates in Boulder Colorado, a comprehensive economic impact study will be conducted during the 2012 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships. Results from the study will be released by the end of November 2012.
Less than a week after the conclusion of the 2012 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships, the national spotlight will once again be directed on Bend when the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships roll into Bend on Saturday September 15.
Complete event information can be found at http://www.usacycling.org/2012/masters-road-nationals or by contacting the individuals below.
Micah Rice, USA Cycling, Managing Director of National Events, phone: 719-434-4283, email: mrice@usacycling.org
Doug La Placa, Visit Bend, President/CEO, phone: (541)788-3788, email: doug@visitbend.com
Chad Sperry, Event Director/Breakaway Promotions, phone: (541) 980-2338. Email: chad@breakawaypromotions.com
