GSA Daily Staff Report
Published July 1, 2009

With two months until the nation’s top professional athletes vie for the U.S. national cycling championships in Greenville, a roster of 20 South Carolina businesses have committed to support this prestigious event.

Organizers expect more than 60,000 spectators for the USA Cycling Professional Championships. Now in its fourth year in Greenville, the race will take place Aug. 29-30.

Greenville Hospital System returns for a fourth year in partnership, third year as title sponsor, for the championship weekend. Both the city and county of Greenville return as official event hosts. One of the new sponsors for 2009 is Duke Energy, which joins as the event’s presenting sponsor of the Individual Time Trial Championships held at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research.

“We’ve come to consider the USA Cycling Professional Championships our signature event in Greenville, and we are just as excited to be a part of this today as we were four years ago,” said Jim Bourey, City Manager of Greenville.

Having commitments from 20 sponsors prior two months prior to the championships allows organizers to get a head start on activation programs. Additional sponsors include: AT&T, AVF Creations, Avis/Budget, Budweiser of Greenville and Michelob Ultra, Costco Greenville, CU-ICAR, Jani-King, Hincapie Sportswear, Hilton Greenville,, Level 42 Vodka, Mavic, Rosen Associates Development, Sutter Home, Wachovia and Yakima.

“Obviously, we are grateful for the continued public and private support of the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships, especially during these challenging economic times,” said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports, which produces the event on behalf of USA Cycling Inc. “The championships are a perfect fit to the Greenville community in many ways – a world-class cycling event which brings national attention to Greenville, promotes health and wellness activities, and at the same time raises significant fundraising dollars for the local cancer community.”

Visit the official website for maps and news updates.

(www.usacyclingchampionships.com)