03/17/2015
Regretfully we are posting the following press release: Gasparilla Criterium and Time Trial Canceled—Pinellas Park Circuit Race Will Go On As Planned
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tampa, Florida, USA (March 16, 2015)
Gasparilla Criterium and Time Trial Canceled—Pinellas Park Circuit Race Will Go On As Planned
For the past 6 years, Tampa, Florida, has hosted the Gasparilla Criterium + Action Sports Festival presented by Coppertail Brewing Co. (GC+ASF), A/K/A Tampa Twilight or Tampa CRIT, one of the most exciting Criterium cycling races in the United States.
Over the past six years, the GC+ASF has evolved into a great American race, a feature on both USA Cycling’s National Criterium Calendar and the USA CRITS Championship Series, a race equally important to major pro teams as it is to regional pros and amateur clubs. The event management team in Tampa has been focused on developing and diversifying the program with a focus on Pro Women, Para-cycling and a new Collegiate program that was set to begin this year. With this mix of participants and Tampa’s thriving downtown, river and waterfront as the backdrop, the GC+ASF offers a unique community engagement opportunity and is a showcase of Tampa’s Downtown as well as the Tampa Bay region as a whole.
In the last two weeks, the race directors of the GC+CF received word that a major new sponsor was unable to participate in this year’s program. Because of this and the compounding effect of other challenging circumstances inherent in the production of top level cycling events, the 2015 event, which was set to begin in St. Petersburg’s Fort De Soto Park on Friday March 20th, will not happen. Friday was the inaugural Individual Time Trial and Collegiate Team Time Trial. Saturday, downtown Tampa featured the best criterium racers and men’s and women’s professional teams in the United States. Sunday’s Pinellas Park Circuit Race, produced by TopView Sports is still on. “Fortunately we sit on our own,” said Tim Molyneaux of TopView. “We were really excited to partner with the Gasparilla CRIT this year, to work directly on their program and tightly integrate the weekend. It’s devastating. Our races have shared the same weekend the last seven years, so this is a huge disappointment. However, Sunday will be a great day of racing and we hope everyone comes out.”
Some of the teams registered to race this year included UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling’s men’s and women’s teams, Astellas Oncology Professional Cycling Team, Texas Roadhouse Cycling, Credité Velo – Trek, DOM360.com, and women’s teams DNA Cycling p/b K4, Colavita/Bianchi p/b Fine Cooking , Pepper Palace p/b The Happy Tooth, along with many others.
With this announcement, over 600 racers will not be able to experience the Tampa kick-off of the NCC calendar. This pushes the NCC season opener to the Sunny King Criterium on March 28, Anniston, AL.
“We are all terribly upset,” said David Green, Chairman of the GC+ASF. “So many important individuals contribute to the production of this program. Our heartfelt apologies go out to all of the teams, management, support staff and sponsors. We know it requires a great deal of time, discipline, energy, planning, and money to prepare for and participate in our event,” Green continued. “We were fighting it out to the last moment, with the belief that we could pull this together for everybody. I’m upset for the athletes and I’m upset for the fans. It really hurts me for Tampa. We have a strong mission to expose, educate and inspire children to a healthy active lifestyle and this event is the center-point of our programing,” Green expressed further. “Right now, I’m not sure what’s next, it is up to the Board of Directors. After seven years as a volunteer committee member, chair, and now steward of the GC+ASF, it is time for me to get everything on track, personally and professionally, and to breathe and take time to decide if this is worth continuing to pursue in years to come.”
GC+ASF has overcome a similar challenge in the past. The event faced race cancellation in 2013 and 2014, “I thought we could overcome it. I knew we could,” Green stated.
This year’s race was tracking to be the strongest participation ever, with key new programs and community centered participatory events like the Running For Brews 3K Beer Dash presented by Taco Bus and the Corporate Team Charity Relay race presented by Tampa Bay Technology Forum and 83 Degrees Media benefitting onbikes. New this year was the Brewers Cup, a take on what was the soon to be famous Corporate Relay, but exclusive to local Tampa Bay breweries and the related industry. Coppertail Brewing Co came on as a new presenting sponsor in a big way, receiving the baton pass from Cigar City Brewing Co, but it was not enough to make it all work in the epic downtown Tampa venue.
“While posting this press release was very difficult, we felt that it was important to go forward with this decision to cancel. From the board, this announcement is released with the goal of informing our stakeholders, and furthering the GC+ASF for the future,” Green continued. The door is open for a key area companies and inspired individuals to participate. We encourage entities interested in title sponsorship, or other opportunities to call us to have a discussion about the unique community engagement property that is the Gasparilla Criterium. The board of directors and action committee are committed to making this an institution in the Tampa Bay Area, the very best event of its kind in the country by 2020. We will be back, we will make amends with all of the athletes we have disappointed and created hardship for,” Green concluded. All pre-registered events will be refunded in the next 48 hours on the platform from which purchase was made.
Contact:
David Green
[email protected]
813-992-2205
