Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 17, 1994 TAG: 9405170104
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Organizers in both localities as well as in Blacksburg are hopeful Medalist Sports, Inc., the Richmond-based company that produces the Tour, will provide sequels in 1995 when the race enters its seventh year.
The Tour DuPont is already recognized as the world's top-ranked non-European race and it will take on even more prominence next year when a major European race moves to the fall. Many of the world's top cyclists have opted in the past to compete in the Tour of Spain, which has often occurred near or on the same dates as the Tour DuPont.
``Without the conflict of the Tour of Spain, it will put us in a unique spot with the elite cycling community,'' said Mike Plant, executive director of Medalist Sports. ``... With a better field, we need to make the race harder. That's our first priority.''
Medalist provided immense difficulty this year by adding the Roanoke Valley time trial and a grueling Lynchburg-to-Blacksburg mountain stage to the course.
The Roanoke Valley hosted the first mountain time trial in the race's history during Stage 5 on May 9. The addition brought rave reviews from Medalist and the field of riders, raising hopes that the valley will be included on next's year's course.
Plant said he was pleased with the organization and support for the time trial which ran through three jurisdictions in the valley. The riders started at the Salem Civic Center and made climbs over Twelve O'Clock Knob and Mount Chestnut in Roanoke County before finishing in downtown Roanoke.
``It set the tone for the race, which is what we wanted. The course was great and the support of the community was great,'' Plant said. ``If you look at the crowds we had there, we're going to keep building on those.''
Greg LeMond, who has defined cycling in the United States, said the Tour DuPont needed even more difficulty to attract the world's elite cyclists. LeMond explained that most riders want the course to emulate what they will see in the Tour de France, the pinnacle of competitive cycling, in July
``Next year, when the competition gets stiffer, we're going to need this [Blacksburg] type of stage and they kind like the [Roanoke Valley] time trial,'' LeMond said.
LeMond made a significant attack and breakaway in the mountains of Stage 6 on May 10 and was awarded the Most Aggressive Rider jersey for the day. An estimated 30,000 people were in Blacksburg for the event, most watching the action unfold on a huge-screen TV set up by Medalist on the Virginia Tech campus.
``I don't see how it could have been any better,'' said Mike Matzuk, chairman of Blacksburg's local organizing committee. ``... What I was really hoping for is for the fans to have the opportunity to see LeMond and applaud his accomplishments. I honestly don't think the Tour would be [in the United States] if it weren't for Greg LeMond.''
The stage was commended by the race commissioners whose job it is to police the race and make sure everything is in compliance with international rules. Matzuk said it was the first time in the Tour's history that a community's performance had been singled out by the officials, a move that will help Plant in his effort to upgrade the event's status within the international cycling community.
Plant said he was working with UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), the governing body of cycling, to extend the length of the Tour next year and move it up a week.
Blacksburg would benefit from the Tour being earlier in the year. The past two years, Virginia Tech and Radford commencement activities have caused a shortage of hotel rooms in the area.
Plant said Medalist is also working toward an overall finish in Atlanta in 1996 where the summer Olympics are being held. The Tour ran through Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina this year.
Plant said he already had positive interest from three additional states - Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina - and that a total of 45 cities had expressed interest in participating in 1995. Only Richmond, Lynchburg and Asheville, N.C., have contracts that guarantee them spots on next year's route.
The Tour's success will allow Medalist to become more demanding when selecting sites for subsequent races, Plant said.
``The documents will go out and we'll have to see who really wants to come to the party,'' he said. ``We'll be more demanding in a friendly way and the requirements will reflect that.''
Some cities pay as much as $60,000 to participate in the Tour. Host cities are also required to provide a set amount of hotel rooms and meals for the cyclists and their entourages.
Most communities appear to think the rewards - in the form of advertising, exposure and revenue to local businesses - are worth the concessions to Medalist.
``The communities, once affiliated with the Tour DuPont, don't want to give it up,'' Plant said.
Matzuk said Blacksburg definitely fell in that category.
``All I can say is we'll do everything within our power to keep it here. Everyone would love to have it return, but we'll have to see what they're asking before I can give a definite answer,'' Matzuk said. ``If there's a quantum leap, it might be hard. Blacksburg is a small town. It might be tough financially.''
Pete Lampman, a member of the Roanoke Valley's organizing committee, said the Valley would also do whatever it takes to keep the Tour DuPont.
``As far as the commitment, the crowd and the organization, we're in good shape,'' Lampman said. ``Financially, is where a question could come in. We would have to look [at the demands] open-ended. But we all agree that we want it back in the valley, it's good for the valley and we'll do whatever necessary to bring it back.''
by CNB