Vail, Colo., becomes a new stop on the Pro Cycling Tour next year.
The PCT, the professional bicycle road-racing circuit that launched in 2000, is teaming with the Vail Valley Chamber & Tourism Bureau to create the annual PCT Rocky Mountain Classic at Vail. The inaugural event, expected to be announced today, will take place Sept. 3-5, 2004.
Under terms of the partnership, Vail also will be the official resort of the 2004 Pro Cycling Tour, said David Chauner, chief executive officer of Norristown, Pa.-based Threshold Sports, the sports marketing and event management company that owns and operates the tour.
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| The circuit rides in three cities this year. |
Hooking up with Vail is part of Threshold's continuing efforts to expand the Pro Cycling Tour, which is sanctioned by USA Cycling, the sport's governing body. This year, the circuit features seven races in three markets: Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco. Target markets include Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston, Chauner said. The 2003 Pro Cycling Tour started last month and wraps up in September.
As part of the PCT-Vail deal, the two parties agreed to team up to offer sponsorships that include marketing tie-ins to the Rocky Mountain Classic at Vail and to the tour's other events.
According to Chauner, the asking price for title sponsorship of the Vail event will be $1.5 million. Currently, two of the three stops on the Pro Cycling Tour have title sponsors.
An additional six sponsorship packages, each including an association with the Rocky Mountain Classic and the tour's other stops, will be priced at $500,000-$700,000 apiece.
Among the elements of the sponsorship packages would be on-site signs, corporate hospitality and commercial time on television coverage of the events on local affiliates and the Outdoor Life Network.
Tying in with the Pro Cycling Tour enables Vail to gain additional exposure in key markets and "gives us a platform to reach our target demographic," said Rick Chastain, director of event marketing for the Vail Valley Chamber & Tourism Bureau. Bicycle road racing attracts an upscale audience, which the resort region covets.
For the inaugural event, Vail's goal is to attract 20,000 visitors to the resort area.
