Tour of Alberta press conference
Inaugural early-September race starts in Edmonton, ends in Calgary
Organizers of the brand new Tour of Alberta held two linked, simultaneous press conferences in Edmonton and Calgary Monday to  present the six-day stage race. Several government and organizational luminaries spoke at the two podiums to outline race details.
The Tour of Alberta will launch in Edmonton on Sept. 3 and finish Sept. 8 in Calgary. Although the exact route is still in the proposal phase, the titles of the stages hint at the parcours: A Capital Start, Heartland Highway, Rural Roads, Dinosaur Trails, Race in the Rockies, and A Stampede Finish. Twenty Alberta communities will be start or finish towns, or will be staging areas for intermediate sprints and feed zones.
Because of the race’s UCI 2.1 ranking, the Tour of Alberta is able to invite eight ProTour teams out of 16. Garmin-Sharp’s Giro d’Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal was featured in the presentation’s opening video and we can expect his team to be invited.
KOM Sports Marketing, Colorado Springs’ promoters of American cycling events such as the Tour of Missouri and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, will be integral for the race’s sponsorship, marketing and communications. Community festivals will add plenty of pageantry and entertainment to the occasion.
Rogers Sportsnet will broadcast all stages of the Tour of Alberta.
