Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced that Sugarhouse Casino and Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia have stepped forward with sponsorship dollars to help save the 25^th running of the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship scheduled for Sunday, June 7, 2009.  Joining the Governor for the announcement was U.S. Congressman Bob Brady who was instrumental in securing the sponsorships, as well.

Both SugarHouse and Foxwoods  have each contributed $100,000 as sponsors of the race.  Race organizers emphasized that there is still a budget gap to close but that with this level of commitment from these new sponsors, there was enough momentum to commit to producing the race for June 7.

“This is one of the most important and exciting annual sporting events in the Commonwealth and nation, as well as a unique Philadelphia treasure,” said Governor Rendell.  “For more than two decades, the race has demonstrated our commitment to good health and good fun while fostering civic pride and economic development for our citizens.  I am thrilled and grateful that Sugarhouse and Foxwoods were able to step in to bring the race back to life this year.”

“We are very happy to make this donation to support the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship,” said Bob Sheldon, president and COO of Sugarhouse Casino.  “We understand how important this race is for the City of Philadelphia and to all of the athletes who have competed here over the years.  We have always said that we intend to be a good neighbor and corporate citizen to Philadelphia, and we hope our support of this event is a real example of that.”

Congressman Brady added that the race was too much of a Philadelphia tradition to let slip away.  “I’m extremely happy that we got a chance to save this great institution for the city, and I want to thank Sugarhouse and Foxwoods for their help.  I must emphasize though that we cannot get to this point again next year.  We need people and companies to start talking now about how to keep this important Philadelphia event rolling for many years to come,” he said.

Mayor Michael Nutter said, “This is great news.  I’m very happy that a 25-year tradition in Philadelphia will continue.”

“We are grateful to our sponsors, fans, racers and volunteers for truly embracing the race,” said David Chauner, president of Pro Cycling Tour and co-founder of this signature international cycling race.  “I especially want to thank our title sponsor TD Bank for hanging in there with us and also recognize one of our newest sponsors, MINI Cooper as the official vehicle of the race.  Although we still need more funding to close the gap in our budget, we are on our way to hosting another exciting race this year,” he said.

Since the news broke last week that the race may be in jeopardy, thousands of fans have expressed their support in emails and phone calls to Pro Cycling Tour offices and via VIP ticket purchases and donations to the Embrace the Race campaign online at www.procyclingtour.com. 

This race will mark the 25^th year since David Chauner and Jerry Casale of Pro Cycling Tour founded it in 1985.  The race brings the greater Philadelphia region an estimated $15 million in economic benefit, and last year’s race brought a crowd estimated at over 300,000.  In addition, the event made Manayunk world-famous with the “Manayunk Wall,” the steepest and most challenging feature along the annual 14-mile Championship course. The bike race has become an annual tradition for businesses and families in the area.

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