Edmonton will host the first Velothon Majors event in North America on September 5, just before the final stage of the Tour of Alberta.

Origanizers are planning for a similar format to the Velothon events in Wales, Germany and Sweden, which have huge fields rolling over the same closed-road courses as the professional riders in the associated UCI event.

Pro riders at the tour of Alberta. Credit: Tour of Alberta
The Tour of Alberta is now in its fourth year and UCI World Tour team Trek-Segafredo is already confirmed for the event.

"We are delighted to have the possibility to add with Edmonton another spectacular city to the Velothon Majors," said Christian Toetzke, Chief Development Officer and Head of Cycling, IRONMAN and organizing partner of the UCI Velothon Majors .

"The launch of the Velothon Edmonton in 2016 expands the Velothon Majors to a new continent and substantiates the global approach. Our cooperation with the Tour of Alberta - Canada's Largest Professional Cycling Race & Festival - will deliver an unmatched experience for athletes, road cycling enthusiasts and fans alike."
Velothon Edmonton will offer a long and short course with the long in the region of 100-120km and the short half of that. Both will start and finish from the same site as Stage 5 of the pro race, which will follow.

"What an exciting opportunity for Edmontonians. The UCI Velothon Majors will add to what promises to be an exhilarating sports weekend in Edmonton," said Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. "Hosting world-calibre sporting events such as this injects tourism dollars into our local economy, increases the vibrancy of our city, and adds to our reputation as a premier sports tourism destination."

Cheering on the Tour of Alberta Peloton. Credit: Tour of Alberta
Lagardère Sports, which began with the Hamburg Cyclassics in 1995 and now has Velothon rides in Berlin, Wales, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Stuttgart (2017), was bought by Wanda Sports Holdings, which also owns Ironman, In January 2016.

Lagardère Sports' Cycling Events

Hamburg Cyclassics      July 21 (entries capped at 22,000)

Velothon Berlin               June 18/19

Velothon Wales              May 22

Velothon Stockholm        September 11

Part of the huge field at Velothon Wales. Credit: Velothon
A stage of the Velothon Series in Portland, Oregon, has been discussed, but has not come to fruition yet.

As well as Portland, the Velothon website lists Copenhagen, Dublin, Durban (South Africa), Medellin (Colombia) and Portland, Oregon, as potential additions.

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