Gastown Grand Prix awarded UCI status

The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix has become the only criterium in Canada and the second BC Superweek race to receive UCI status. Every year it attracts a high-caliber international field of racers. Over the races history that spans over 40-years, the race has brought high-speed bike racing to the cobblestoned streets of Vancouver’s historic Gastown district.

The race was founded in 1973. After a three-year hiatus, Global Relay, a local tech company that specializes in cloud-based electronic message archiving, revived the event in 2012.

“We’re very pleased to have grown the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix to where it is now officially recognized as a UCI sanctioned race,” said Warren Roy, CEO and founder of Global Relay. “As a global company with most of our clients based in the United States and Europe, adding the UCI’s prestigious international brand to one of our community initiatives is a point of pride.”

The president of Cycling Canad, John Tolkamp said, “Gastown provides up-and-coming Canadian riders with a chance to match their talent against some of the world’s best riders and also get a taste of what it’s like to race for large prize purses in front of huge crowds,” said Tolkamp. “Through the years, Canada has been superbly represented internationally by B.C. riders like Ron Hayman, Alex Stieda, Brian Walton, Alison Sydor, Svein Tuft and others. Without a doubt, the Gastown Grand Prix played a key role in inspiring and motivating those riders, and this UCI designation is a reflection of the race’s importance to bike racing in Canada.”

Tolkamp is a member of the Switzerland-based UCI’s ethics commission and track cycling commission and says the Gastown Grand Prix tremendous impact on Canadian cycling is extremely important. The elevation to UCI status reflects the prestige and importance of the race.

Mark Ernsting of M1 Sports Management is responsible for staging the Gastown Grand Prix and has been since 2012. “Becoming an official UCI race marks another significant milestone in the history of our race,” said Ernsting. “As race director, I am proud to have been involved in helping take the race to this next level. I’m also proud of our race organization and the many people at Global Relay who make the race possible, as this UCI endorsement reflects a tremendous amount of hard work on their part.”

Another beneficiary of the elevation of the race is Cycling BC. It’s executive director, Jim Richards said, “As an organization dedicated to inspiring the sport of cycling and fostering quality competition from the grassroots through to high performance levels, we congratulate everyone at the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix on this international recognition. The Grand Prix continues to be a showcase of BC bike racing and event organization at its very best.”

In the men’s race in 2015, Ryan Roth of Silber Pro Cycling ahead of Garrett McCleod of H&R Block Pro Cycling. Denise Ramsden of Trek Red Truck Racing powered by Mosaic Homes won the women’s race in 2015.

The Gastown Grand Prix takes place on July 13 in 2016. The race is also a member of the USA CRITS Championship Series and has the highest one day prize purse for both the winning prize and total prize purse for a Canadian criterium. In years past, the course has been lined by as many as 20,000 spectators.