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Mayor Miller unveils biking event of the year - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

Mayor Miller unveils biking event of the year

May 12th, 2008 6:37 AM

Media Release Mayor Miller unveils biking event of the year Details of Toronto’s Criterium at the St. Lawrence Market released (Toronto, May 12, 2008) Mayor David Miller officially launched the Toronto Criterium at the St. Lawrence Market today. The criterium, which is a short, closed-circuit race featuring sharp corners and speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour, will be downtown Toronto’s first professional bike race in 10 years. Canada’s top bike road racers are expected to compete. Mayor Miller was joined by the Chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee Councillor Adrian Heaps, four time Olympic athlete Curt Harnett, Usman Valiante of the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada and race organizer Ziggy Martuzalski to unveil the first place trophy, and recognize the significance of the race. “This is a terrific event for the City of Toronto,” said the Mayor. “It’s a way to get our citizens thinking about alternative modes of transportation, and to demonstrate that bikes are a fun, healthy, ecologically responsible way to get around.” The Mayor went on to highlight Toronto’s long bike racing heritage. “Toronto hosted the Dunlop Trophy Race from 1894 to 1927. Now, the Criterium at the St. Lawrence Market is poised to become the City’s premier biking event.” Paul Devries of LivClean agrees. As the top sponsor and amateur bike racer, Devries sees the event as “a first-class initiative that combines healthy living and a cleaner environment.” LivClean has provided prize money and sufficient carbon offsets to compensate for emissions created by all vehicles and energy used in setting up and running the race. Councillor Heaps also expressed enthusiastic support, stating: “I’m incredibly excited to see bike racing return to downtown Toronto, especially in such an historic area. It’s shaping up to be a really great event. Many thanks to the race conveners, sponsors and City services personnel who are making it happen.” “We’ve received phenomenal support from the City of Toronto,” added Usman Valiante. “The municipal government has removed obstacles at every turn, which is one of the reasons we were able to pull this off.’ The Toronto Criterium at the St. Lawrence Market will take place Friday, May 30, on a road circuit in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market district. For more information, please visit www.torontocriterium.com, or contact: Tina Siegel, Environmental Communication Options, 416.972.7404 The City of Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America. In the past three years, Toronto has won more than 70 awards for quality, innovation and efficiency in delivering public services. Toronto’s government is dedicated to prosperity, opportunity and liveability for all its residents. The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC) is the national voice of cycling in Canada and the hub of the Canadian bicycle industry. BTAC advocates, builds partnerships, promotes trade and commerce and seeks to motivate, unit and inspire Canadians to make bicycling the pre-eminent form of transportation and recreation in Canada. See www.btac.org for more information.