CITY'S STATUS AS EVENT HOST JUMPS AGAIN
Fantasy 165-kilometre Tour de France stage ride to be held next year in Edmonton
Going into the pandemic, Edmonton ranked 33rd in the world as a sports hosting destination.
“We certainly expect to be improving on that ranking, for sure,” said Edmonton Events director Janelle Janis, reacting to the latest revelation.
It's like every second day, lately, there's been an announcement of another sports event headed here.
The day after Tadej Pogacar claimed his second overall victory in as many years at the Tour de France, Edmonton Events confirmed the securing of a threeyear agreement for a cycling first in Canada.
Sister agencies Explore Edmonton and Edmonton
Events have been in overdrive playing an accelerated role to help bring and enhance a wide variety of significant sports activations in the city.
This one is definitely different. As the site inspection group from World Rugby departed the city to prepare to play host to a stop on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on Sept. 26-27, details of a cycling event to be held in the city in 2022, 2023 and 2024 were announced.
Next August, two fantasy Tour de France stages, both aiming to attract 2,000-3,000 entrants, will be held in North America, one in San Antonio, Texas, and one in Edmonton.
L'etape Canada by Tour de France will be coming to Edmonton with a 165-km stage in 2022.
“Explore Edmonton was a big factor,” said longtime local cycler Michael Brown, 48, who will head the project.
“Explore Edmonton wants this to be a signature annual event. There were many opportunities in other communities but Edmonton offered the full package. The economic impact of having one of the largest mass participation cycling events in the world is huge.”
L'etape (translation The Stage) by Tour de France is a concept that's been around for 20 years.
“It started in France, where bike riders get to ride an actual stage before the stage starts,” said Brown. “During the Tour de France, they get 15,000 riders each year and it sells out in minutes. They've expanded the brand because of the success and will have 26 events in 2022 globally.”
Planning is preliminary for Edmonton.
“We hope for 2,000 to 3,000 cyclists in 2022. We haven't determined the exact route yet but expect it will start downtown and head west,” he said. “We will build a Tour de France museum that showcases the 101 years of the Tour de France, including bikes of past champions. It will feature Canadian specific (items) such as Alex Stieda's yellow jersey (the first Canadian to wear the leader's colours), Steve Bauer's time trial bike and many other cool installations about the history of the Tour de France.
“We will have a gala dinner featuring past Tour de France champions and we'll build 100 yellow bikes for at-risk or underprivileged youth in the city that will get to keep the bikes. We'll use all the same signage, including race start and finish, feed stations, lead car, et cetera, as the Tour de France to model what it would be like at an actual Tour de France stage.”
While I believe the Rugby Sevens will be ballistic in September, I have to be sold on L'etape Canada. As the 101st Tour de France hit the Champs-elysees finish line Sunday, I'm not sure how many recreational cyclists in Canada were riveted to it.
It may be one of the strongest sports brands in the world, but I'm unconvinced how strong it is in North America.
I'm having difficulty picturing 2,000-3,000 cyclists paying $199 each for the pleasure of replicating something resembling a oneday stage of the Tour de France, or the lower priced $179 option for 80K or $149 option for 40K.
But Janis says it fits what they're trying to accomplish here and she believes it can succeed.
“When it comes to event hosting, there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter here. We know what it takes to deliver the extraordinary. We have a passion for sport events but also for our city. We are trying to revolutionize the way people perceive the city and the potential it has on the world stage as a leading sport hosting destination.”
So, bienvenue L'etape Canada by Tour de France.
It's like every second day, lately, there's been an announcement of another sports event headed here.