GSA Daily Staff Report

Published May 28, 2010

The Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships will return to Greenville for the fifth consecutive year during the weekend of Sept. 18-19. George Hincapie, three-time U.S. Professional Road Race National Champion and Greenville resident, announced that he will be back to defend his 2009 title.

Event organizers and representatives from the event’s many partners, including GHS, which marks its fifth year in partnership and fourth year as the event’s title sponsor, recently joined Hincapie in the announcement

According to Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports, the USA Cycling Professional Championships have continued to gain popularity with each passing year. Last year’s event drew nearly 75,000 spectators over the course of the weekend.

“There is no question that this event offers fans an opportunity to see the nation’s best professional cyclists compete and that Greenville provides an ideal setting to host the championships,” Aronhalt said. “In addition to that, however, I think the fact that fans are not kept at arm’s length, but rather can be actively engaged in the event, is a significant aspect of its appeal.”

Other partners include Duke Energy, GE Energy, WYFF-TV, the city of Greenville, Greenville County, Medalist Sports and the Palmetto Peloton Project.

According to Michael Riordan, GHS President and CEO, the hospital is committed to prevention, education and research and strives to help the community to be healthy, making them a perfect partner for the USA Cycling Professional Championships.

“GHS is pleased to serve as title sponsor of the USA Cycling Professional Championships for a fifth year and to be a recipient of the Palmetto Peloton Project,” he said. “We are grateful for P3’s gift to cancer research because it not only impacts the people in our community but people across the county and around the world. In addition, P3 events, such as the Stars and Stripes bicycle ride, offer our community an opportunity to get out and be active, which reinforces our commitment to total health.”