Quebec Prepares for 2010 World Championships
Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec, Canada is an exception as a mountain-biking venue, which typically have a reputation for being short-lived. Mont-Sainte-Anne won the award for 2009 Event of the Year and was ranked in the top three cross-county and down-hill World Cups last year. The ski resort has hosted an event in the World Cup for the last 20 years, and this year the World Championships will be held between September 1-6th.
"We feel so blessed that people seem to enjoy coming to Mont-Sainte-Anne. Our whole organization is very passionate about this event," said Chantal Lachance of Gestev to Cyclingnews. "We put all our heart into it for 20 years, and I think it shows. We've always gone beyond racing to have all the athletes, media and guests feel at home and welcome."
The 2010 World Cup began the weekend of April 24-25th in Yorkshire, England, with the first cross-country event. May saw the first debut of the four-cross competition in Houffalize, Belgium, and the down-hill in Maribor, Slovenia. The second half of the season kicked off in Champery, Switzerland in preparation for the two triple-events. The fifth of all three competitions was held last weekend in Val di Sole, Italy and the sixth will be held in Windham, New York on August 28-29th.
The technical mountain-biking courses of Mont-Sainte-Anne are world-renown. The venue has a history with mountain-biking that goes much further back than 1991, the first time it hosted the World Cup. The first off-road race was held in 1983.
"Using the cross country skiing trails, a long loop in the forest was marked and about 30 riders took the start, some of them wearing just a small cycling cap on their head!" recounted Drouin. "From that moment, mountain bike racing never stopped at Mont-Sainte-Anne. From that local race, provincial, regional, national and international-level events were produced including 48 World Cup races and two World Championships."
The Canadian venue is the only venue which has hosted an event every year since the founding of the World Cup, and the UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships celebrates its 20th year in 2010. The event will be organized by Gestev, who organized the championships in 1998, the first time they were held in Mont-Sainte-Anne. The ski resort will be hosting a variety of events during the three weeks leading up to the world’s most prestigious mountain bike competition.
"There is a lot more importance around the worlds: more media attention, more TV interest, more spectators to welcome which means a bigger infrastructure, more volunteers and a longer event in terms of days. There are more athletes, too," said Chantal Lachance of promoting World Cups versus World Championships. "We can easily say that the worlds are twice as big as a World Cup. The operational budget is also twice as big. So for the organizer, there is twice as much stress."
The World Championships is the only race in which the winner has the right to wear the winner’s rainbow-striped jersey the following year. 850 athletes representing 50 different countries, and at least 100,000 spectators, are expected to attend the four weekends of the Velirium Mountain Bike Festival, which culminates with the championships in the first week of September.
"It's not as warm and humid as July, but it's perfect to be outside and enjoy the day. The average day time temperature will be around 68 degrees Fahrenheit," said D'Aoust.
Attendees can enjoy the weather while attending the expo, offering representation from over 150 companies, including bicycle test-rides and autograph sessions from famous cyclists past and present.
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