The Providence Cyclo-Cross Festival, presented by Interbike, returns to Providence, R.I. Oct. 7-9, 2011, this time with a retailer-only day scheduled for the first day of the three-day festival.
The enhanced expo and trade event will offer the industry a means to reinforce business with retailers in New England, extend their brand visibility to consumers, and celebrate the growing cross category and culture.
Roger Williams Park, the same location where the 2008 and 2009 editions of Interbike’s OutDoor Demo East were held, will be the site of the Providence Cyclo-Cross Festival, presented by Interbike, as well as the retailer-only day on Friday, Oct. 7.
Established in 1871, the 427-acre city park is home to what is widely considered to be one of the best cyclo-cross venues in North America. Retailers will be able to take part in educational sessions, to be held in the historic Roger Williams Park Casino, and test product on the official cyclo-cross course. The weekend of Oct. 8 and 9 will offer a consumer show in the infield of UCI cyclo-cross races. Interbike will again be the presenting sponsor of the weekend event.
“While Interbike draws a large number of key New England retailers, we understand it’s challenging for seasonal retailers to bring all of their staff to Las Vegas,” said Interbike Show Director Andy Tompkins. “Holding the retailer-only day with the Providence Cyclo-Cross Festival is a cost-effective way for the industry to influence this key audience and then take advantage of the enthusiast consumer traffic throughout the race weekend.”
“Cyclo-cross in America has doubled in participation in the last five years, with 72,000 race starts last year,” said Richard Fries, marketing communications director for GSD Event Productions LLC, which produces the Providence event. “And in the Northeast, that popularity is especially pronounced amongst shop employees. We want to create a strong draw for retailers and their staffs to make it a fun and informative weekend.”
Last year there were 381 cyclo-cross events in the U.S. Of those, just 56 were UCI events held to international standards. When graded by the UCI officials, Providence received the highest marks available. Hence the UCI has granted Category 1 status to the Providence event.
“We recognize how popular cyclo-cross has become in the United States and we actively support the Cross Vegas event during the Interbike show in Las Vegas,” said Tompkins. “Interbike believes in the potential of cross to create more cycling enthusiasts and expand the overall business of the industry and we want to help support its continued growth.”
