Wednesday, June 25, 2003

The preparations have shifted into high gear as Hamilton is getting ready to host over 800 athletes from 50 different countries, approximately 800 to 1,000 media and an estimated 250,000 spectators over the course of the week. The worldwide television audience is expected to be between 350 and 500 million people. The 2003 Road Worlds mark only the 2nd Time the event has been held in Canada, the first time was in Montreal in 1974.

This weekend the best Canadian cyclists will challenge the course that will test the World's best in October as the Tim Hortons Road Nationals Championships take place. The schedule of events features the Time Trial on Friday, June 27, a Criterium on Saturday, June 28 and the Elite Men's and Women's Road Race on Sunday, June 29. The Elite Men's and Women's Road Races are open to international competitors. The Road Race for the other categories will be held in Pelham (near St. Catharines) on Monday, June 30.

The Hamilton 2003 Organizing Committee is working very hard to put all the elements in place for a large-scale World Championship event and the week-long Festival celebrating Canadian arts, culture and entertainment that will complement the cycling races.

UCI Technical Officials Pat McQuaid and Phillipe Chevalier visited Hamilton in May and declared preparations are well in hand - Pat McQuaid, a member of the Board of Management of the UCI and President of the Road Commission said, "We are very pleased that all the preparations for Hamilton 2003 are very much on schedule and are very pleased with all the work that has gone into preparing the circuit for the races. The team that is now in place in Hamilton and managing the other aspects of the operation have everything well in hand. I can predict an excellent World Championships series in Hamilton in October."

It will be a very busy fall in Hamilton on the sporting front with the PGA Tour's Bell Canadian Open being played at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club from September 1 to 7. The City of Hamilton is also bidding to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games against New Delhi, India, and the successful city will be announced in November.

Here are a few updates on the Hamilton 2003 Road World Championships.

Government Funding in Place for 2003 World Cycling Championships

• Canadian government contribution of $10 million
  
  
• Ontario government contribution of $2.25 million
  
  
• Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant of $1.25 million for the Festival and volunteers
  
  
• The City of Hamilton a key partner with over $1.3 million in support with value in kind for services to the event

Tremendous response from community - over 2,500 volunteers already, organizers estimate approximately 1,800 to 2,000 required

2,500 Week passes have been sold - with ticket buyers coming from eight Canadian provinces and 40 American states; tickets are available through Ticketmaster by phone or on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca.

Team Representatives from Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America have performed site inspections in Hamilton.

The following companies have signed as corporate partners with Hamilton 2003 - Cable 14, Canoe.ca, Colnago, Dofasco, The Hamilton Spectator, Standard Radio Hamilton (CHAM, CKOC and K-Lite) and Triumph with more announcements expected in the coming weeks.

VeloNews has agreed to be the Official Program Supplier for Hamilton 2003

Some facts about the course:

All three courses (Short and Long Time Trial and Road Course) are entirely within Hamilton city limits and share the same Start / Finish line, in front of Hamilton City Hall

The UCI has commented that this course is as challenging as one of the most difficult mountain stages at the Tour de France.

Throughout the Elite Men's Road Race at the Hamilton 2003 Road World Championships, the amount of climbing per lap, two climbs of the Niagara Escarpment is 215 meters (705 feet), which totals about 15,000 feet (4,572 m) of total elevation gain upon completing the 21-lap road race course. This is equivalent to climbing halfway up Mount Everest (29,000 ft or 8,839 m).

The Road World Cycling Championships will be staged in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from October 6 to 12, 2003. Hamilton, a city of 500,000, is located on the western edge of Lake Ontario, roughly midway between Niagara Falls and Toronto, and approximately a one-hour drive from Buffalo, New York. Over 800 athletes from over 50 different countries will compete in ten different races. There are two disciplines - the individual time trial and the road race with five different classifications, elite men and women, junior men and women, as well as Under 23 men. It will be only the sixth time the Road World Championships have been held outside Europe and the second time in Canada, the first occasion was 1974 in Montreal. Preceding the Road World Championships will be the Tim Hortons Road National Championships from June 27 to 29, 2003. For more information, visit the official website, www.hamilton2003.com.