Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
West Chester race extended
Benchmark Federal Credit Union is new sponsor
WEST CHESTER » With a new primary sponsor and name, the annual twilight bicycle race through the streets of West Chester just received a five-year extension.
Benchmark Federal Credit Union is replacing Iron Hill as the title sponsor of what is now a summer tradition since making its debut in 2006. The Benchmark Twilight Cycling Classic will take place on Aug. 12, but other than the name, not much is expected to change.
“Let’s face it: a lot of people refer to it as the Iron Hill Race,” said race spokesman Jay Gundel. “That is definitely a challenge, but we are getting there and the public is coming around and starting to realize it’s really the same event with just a different name.”
Previously the Iron Hill Twilight Race Series, Benchmark has signed a five-year sponsorship agreement. And that is significant because it comes at a time when economic realities are claiming similar sporting events,
“Let’s face it: a lot of people refer to it as the Iron Hill Race. That is definitely a challenge, but we are getting there and the public is coming around and starting to realize it’s really the same event with just a different name.” – Spokesman Jay Gundel
like the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. It was recently cancelled after a 28-year run due to a lack of sponsorship.
“Our race was never in jeopardy,” said Mark Yoder, President of the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.
“Iron Hill came to us a couple years ago. They said it’s been a great branding opportunity but they didn’t want to hog the spotlight. So it was really an open opportunity for us to go out and see if there was anybody else who wants to step up.”
In stepped Benchmark, who previously sponsored the Community Festival, which is part of the day’s family activities along with the Kid’s Zone and Market Street Block Party.
“The pieces just all fit together,” said Rebecca Worthington, Vice President of Marketing for Benchmark. “We are super excited to have been passed the baton from Iron Hill and to carry on the tradition that community has grown to love the last 12 years. But we also want to try to put our own spin on the event.”
Iron Hill will continue its involvement by sponsoring the marquee pro men’s event, which caps a busy day of racing over the sixthtenths mile course through the heart of West Chester. Brumbaugh Wealth Management will continue to sponsor the Pro Women’s Criterium, which will follow the Rothman Institute Amateur Criterium.
The Iron Hill Twilight Pro Men’s Criterium is the next to the last race on the USA CRITS Championship Series. The day’s events also include the West Chester Dental Arts Kid’s Race and the Tolsdorf Trike Challenge.
“We are thrilled,” Yoder said. “Benchmark has jumped in, they are inclusive and they want to be respectful of Iron Hill. And we still get to keep Iron Hill in the mix as the pro men’s sponsor. So in my opinion, it’s a win-win for all of us.
“Obviously, when you have a new brand, a lot of work goes into making people understand this is still the same day of events.”
Until getting its community charter two years ago, Benchmark was a private credit union for Wyeth Pharmaceutical for 75 years.
“This bike race has become part of the fabric of our community,” said Benchmark President and CEO David LaSala. “As the only federal credit union to exclusively serve Chester County, we are proud to support one of our community’s most iconic events.”
Benchmark’s yearly financial commitment was not disclosed, but Worthington said it was the largest in the credit union’s 77-year existence. It reportedly cost $1 million annually to put on the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic, but Yoder acknowledged that it costs much less to stage the West Chester race.
“We are not asking for $500,000, but a lot less,” he confirmed.
Now slotted into the second weekend in August, race organizers are hoping to keep that date for the foreseeable future. The first few years, the event was held in late June and gave way to an early July date for a decade. The race was moved to various August dates in 2015.
“We’ve bounced around a bit, but we like the second Saturday in August, and I’ve had conversations that we’d like to own that date going forward,” Yoder pointed out.
In a partnership with West Chester University, the Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce is conducting an economic impact study of the bike race this summer. It conducted an earlier study and found that the West Chester Christmas Parade generated more than $500,000 from visitors coming from outside the region.
The total purse for the Benchmark Twilight Cycling Criterium is $15,000, which will be equally split between the men’s and women’s races. The only significant change from a year ago is that the VIP area will be moved from the corner of Matlack and Market streets to a new location on High Street, just north of the start-finish line on Gay Street.