TOBAGO CYCLING CLASSIC 2011

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TOBAGO CYCLING CLASSIC 2011
POST MORTEM REPORT
The 2011 Tobago International Cycling Classic featuring the UCI Sanctioned
1.2 Tour of Tobago took center stage in Tobago from September 28th to
October 2nd. with an impressive contingent of 152 International, Regional &
Local cyclists from Germany, Austria, Holland, United Kingdom, Sweden,
Belgium, Denmark, Russia, Uruguay, Canada, USA, Cuba, Czech Republic,
Columbia, Dominican Republic, Curacao, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana,
Antigua, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago. The level
of competition was by far the best the Classic has seen in its 25 year history
and is testimony of the impact that this race is having on the international
cycling community.
The organizers were proud to have staged the first ever UCI Sanctioned Race
in the Caribbean and we were delighted to have officials from the world
governing body of cycling coming in to take charge of this new internationally
rank event.
The inclusion of the Tobago Cycling Classic into the UCI calendar of events
will have a significant impact on the attraction & visibility of the event
worldwide. With this new alliance with the World Governing Body for
Cycling, we can expect an increase in participants from the major cycling pro
teams and with them, international sporting associations, corporate sporting
brands & endorsements, leading sport media networks and spectator interests
will be greatly enhanced in the not too distant future.
The 2011 Classic Event was by all accounts a huge success. The races were very
competitive & exciting and were expertly managed by the capable road
management and support team of the Tobago police, Red Cross and officials.
Tobago was abuzz with activity as throngs of visitors converged on this gem of
the Caribbean for the week’s activities which combined high quality cycling,
local entertainment and tours to some of Tobago popular spots.
The Tobago Cycling Classic continues to position Tobago as a prime sport
tourism destination and the island is becoming better known not only for
this Event, but also for its remarkable beauty and unique charm.
This year the UCI have officially listed the Tobago Cycling Classic in their
calendar of events. This is a new and historic phase in the development of
Caribbean Cycling which became quite evident when ESPN agreed to cover
the race for the first time.
ESPN arrived in Tobago with a crew that included ESPN’s Vice President
& General Manager for Caribbean and Maritime Media, Mr. Bernard
Stewart, a Producer, Program Director, Presenter, Commentator and 5
Camera crew. ESPN’s network provided 6 days of extensive coverage and
they were all very impress by the high international level of competition
hosted in such a small island. ESPN like what they saw and have committed
to sign a long term partnership agreement with the Event Organizer.
Additional media exposure was obtained from sports journalists from the
USA, Canada, Germany and Austria. It is estimated that the Tobago
Cycling Classic 2011 will reach international, regional and local audiences
of over 50 million persons in 40 countries.
Since its inception in 1986 when the Tobago Classic started off as a
primarily local event, participation from competitors has grown significantly.
This year 152 cyclists registered for the Event (38% increase over 2010)
with international participation increasing by over 65% and regional and
local participation increasing by almost 15%.
The quality & level of competition continues to improve each year with the
2011 Event raising the bar of cycling to new highs never seen before in this
part of the world. This Event is now viewed by most international teams &
cyclists as an important race on their calendar of events to increase their
performance level and improve their rankings internationally.
Jeff Charles
Event Chairman & Race Organizer
THE EVENT
Opening Ceremony Wednesday September 28th
Cycling Village – Crown Point Hotel Grounds
Opening remarks Event’s Chairman – Jeff Charles
Sponsors’ remarks – Heineken Trinidad Ltd - Arjen Reijnierse.
Caribbean Cycling Federation President remarks - Trevor Bailey
UCI Tour Advisor remarks – Pierre Hutsbaut
Participants: Team Managers, Cyclists, Officials, Sponsors,
Road Management & Security and Special Guests.
International Journalists; T&T electronic & print media
Event Organizer, Jeff Charles along with UCI Officials and Sponsors at the Opening Ceremony
Closing Ceremony Sunday Ocotber 1st
Esplanade, Scarborough
Opening remarks - Event’s Chairman – Jeff Charles
Greetings – ESPN VP – Bernard Stewart.
Greetings – TDC Chairman – Mr. Stanley Beard
Address from THA Chief Secretary – Hon Orville London
Vote of Thanks – Event’s Chairman – Jeff Charles
Mr. Bernard Stewart
ESPN’s VP/GM Caribbean,
Mr Stanley Beard – Chariman TDC
siCeremony
Chief Sec THA,
Hon Orville London
Cycling Classic Race 2 Thursday 29th September
Start/Finish – Les Coteaux Village
COURSE: Les Coteaux//Arnos Vale/Claude Noel Highway/Mt Marie
DISTANCE: Division 1 International – 4laps/117km
DISTANCE: Division 2 Open – 2 laps/60km
PARTICIPANTS: International, Regional and Local Cyclists
Cycling Classic Race 3 Thursday 30th September
Start/Finish – Shelbourne Street, Plymouth
COURSE: Coral Plymouth Criterium
DISTANCE: Division 1 International – 60 laps/80km
DISTANCE: Division 2 Open – 30 laps/40km
DISTANCE: Division 3 Casual Riders – 10 laps/7km
PARTICIPANTS: International, Regional and Local Cyclists
Cycling Classic Race 4 Saturday 1st October
Start/Finish – Market Square, Scarborough
COURSE: Market Square Criterium
DISTANCE: Division 1 International – 60 laps/80km
DISTANCE: Division 2 Open – 30 laps/40km
DISTANCE: Division 3 Casual Riders – 10 laps/10km
Special races for children of all ages – 1 lap/1km
PARTICIPANTS: International, Regional and Local Cyclists
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd.
TOUR OF TOBAGO UCI 1.2 INTERNATIONAL ROAD RACE
TOUR OF TOBAGO UCI 1.2 INTERNATIONAL RACE
DATE - Sunday 2nd. October 2011
TIME – 9.00am – 1.00pm
VENUE – Start/Finish – Esplanade, Scarborough
COURSE - Scarborough/Castara/Charlotteville/Speyside/ Roxborough / Esplanade.
PARTICIPANTS - International Pro Teams/Elite Teams/ National Teams
ATTENDEES - The public was invited.
L-R Mathias Wiele - Germany (3RD PLACE), Riccardo Zoidl - Austria (WINNER),
Daems - Belgium (2ND PLACE)
TOBAGO CYCLING CLASSIC FUN ACTIVITIES
The Cycling Classic mixes high level international competition with a party
atmosphere, a formula that Trinbagonians have perfected. All cyclists, officials,
media, sponsors, guests and spectators were invited to a beach picnic lime at Pigeon
Point where Denise Plummer was the special guest artiste performer. Internationals
and Caribbean friends were treated to true Trinbagonian hospitality which makes
the Tobago Classic uniquely different from any other sporting event in the region.
OUR SPONSORS
The Tobago International Cycling Classic provides positive return on
investments and 2011 saw a marked increase in the level of support from loyal
and new sponsors.
The Classic organizer would like to thank the following for enabling the success
of the 2011 Classic:
SPECIAL THANKS TO…
Classic 2011 Partners:Ministry of Sport, Tourism Development Company & Tobago House of Assembly
Classic 2011 Sponsors:Amstel Beer; PowerAde; Desani; Vita Malt; Angostura; British Airways; Yoplait; Stonehaven Villas
Crown Point Hotel; Johnston Apartments, Econo Car Rentals; Peter Gremli, NLCB; Standard Distributors,
Plumbing Solutions & Brydens
Classic 2011 Tobago Providers for Event coordination assistants & support:Brent Hart; Diane Hadad; Colin Williams; Jason Cesar, Michael Baker; Arron Reid; Brett Kenny;
Duane Kenny; George Leacock; Martin Superville; Gerald Moses, Seon Anthony, Keith Cox, the Tobago Police,
Red Cross & so many others who have given generously of their advise, time & effort
FEEDBACK ON THE 2011 EVENT
To date the organizer of the Tobago Cycling Classic has received very positive
feedback from Cycling organizations, the media, sponsors and competitors.
Hi Jeff
Thank you for having us again in your beautiful country.
It was a great weekend, plenty of good competition. Thank you too for
all the entertainment, we had a good time.
There were a few minor problems with the UCI Tour of Tobago, but we
all can deal with problems and find solutions as they come.
I want to congratulate you again for bringing the first UCI sanctioned
event to the English speaking Caribbean. Your International Tobago
Classic has grown over the last years. Let s all continue to work
together, to build Cycling in our region. The sport is growing rapidly,
look at the many cyclists that participated in the Classic over the
weekend. Cycling will unite and bring our Caribbean people together.
Let us build the sport throughout the Caribbean.
God bless you all
Regards
Trevor Sailor Bailey
Vice President,
COPACI for the Caribbean
To the Tobago Cycling Classic Management Team
ESPN was extremely pleased to be associated with the Tobago International
Cycling Classic 2011.
Kudos to Jeff Charles and the team for their passion and tremendous efforts
towards building on the valuable legacy of 60 years of cycling history in Tobago
and in elevating the event on the world stage.
The millions of viewers who enjoy ESPN's coverage of major meets like the Tour
de France and Espańa, will no doubt be similarly engaged when we broadcast
highlights of the Tobago International Cycling Classic in a special one hour
programme across the network in the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, United
Kingdom, Africa, the Middle East and the USA.
This event has tremendous potential. The impressive list of racers from across the
Caribbean, South America, North America and Europe, makes for exciting viewing
and we expect, the publicity offered on the ESPN Network will translate into future
growth including increased racer and spectacular attendance.
We look forward to deepening this relationship.
Bernard Stewart
Vice President & General Manager
ESPN Caribbean and Maritime Media
Hi Jeff,
At first I want to say: every sports fan in Germany now knows your
famous event. Check out the link below:
http://www.sportschau.de/sp/radsport/news201110/05/bg_tour_of_to
bago_111005.jsp#mbContent
And now a few words to your race:
I'm a German freelancer-journalist - it was my first time in Tobago.
Before I travelled to the Tobago cycling week I couldn't imagine that
there can be a professional cycling race on a small Caribbean island
like Tobago. But then I arrived and got to know Jeff Charles and his
team - so I learned that everything is possible if you have a
passionate organizing staff like this. The one-week Cycling Classic
was perfect organized and I saw that every visitor from Europe cyclists, fans and journalists - were filled with enthusiasm about the
race. So we had much fun and a really good cycling-time. Next year
we're coming back - certainly.
Olaf Jansen,
editor from Cologne, Germany
October 10, 2011
The Organizer
Tobago Cycling Classic
Westmoorings, Trinidad.
Attn: Mr. Jeffrey Charles
Dear Sir,
It is with great pleasure that I am writing to express my deepest appreciation to
be associated with co-coordinating the Plymouth Leg of the Tobago Cycling
Classic.
This inaugural event proved to be an enormous one for this community. The
highlight for me was seeing the many school children who lined the route
cheering and screaming as the riders zoomed by.
There is great potential for growth for next year in terms of cross participation
and the development of our cultural aspect.
I was also privileged to witness the Saturday event and was heartened by the
turn out of young BMX riders which will no doubt result in an increased and
renewed interest of the sport on the island.
Sunday event was marvelous and obviously with the presence of ESPN will
serve to expand this event beyond measure.
The remarks from Mr. Stanley Baird of TIDCO and the Chief Secretary of the
THA Mr. Orville London emphasis the importance of this event as the premier
sports/tourism tool of the island.
Thank your for affording me the pleasure of being involved in this prestigious
event. The Plymouth Community is anxious to host this event again in 2012
Yours
Colin Williams
Plymouth Resident
Mr. Jeffrey Charles
Tobago Cycling Classic
Trinidad
Aigle, 3 October 2011
Ref: Road / PH
UCI Report - Tobago Cycling Classic Edition 2011
Dear Jeff,
The first UCI sanction edition of the Tobago Classic attracted considerable attention from the international cycling community and the UCI
Pro and Continental registered teams are looking at what happened this year to decide their participation in 2012.
Although considerable efforts have been made from your organization, I want to point out some important topics in order to maintain the UCI
sanction for the next edition.
The first and foremost point of improvement is about the security around the event. Being the international sport governing body, there is no
compromise to be accepted when we talk about the safety and the security of the event. The athletes and teams are coming to compete in UCI
registered events knowing in full confidence that all the measures will be taken to ensure their security.
The start and finish area on Milford Road didn’t meet the minimum requirements of security. A road race event needs the use of the road for
the period of time necessary for the operations of the start and the finish of the race. The Milford road is an ideal location to do these
operations but the authorities need to give you more support for better road management. I would see the westbound traffic being diverted at
Wilson road and the east bound traffic being channelled by cones and using one lane only which will leave enough space for the sprint finish.
Also, a minimum of barriers should be positioned at the start/finish line to ensure the safety of the competitors & spectators. Again, the
Tobago authorities fail to fulfil this responsibility to your written request to have these barriers in place. These are important measures to
facilitate a UCI race so you need to have better support from the Tobago authorities. This traffic conditions are a must to comply with for next
year. We would like to receive confirmation of this with enough lead time in 2012.
The second important topic concerning the safety of the athletes is the repair of the roads where it’s destroyed. We came in full halt at some
points on the course where there were deep road depressions and holes. This is unacceptable for an international event. The Public Works
department needs to repair these disasters for a safe competition in 2012. I am committed to inspect the course three days in advance if
necessary in 2012.
There was some confusion in the last 20km of the race because of lack of signs for the direction to follow. When the race arrives at an
intersection, the role of the police is to ensure the safety of all vehicles and to control the traffic; the role of the organization of the event is to
ensure the race is heading in the right direction. For this objective, we use “arrows” and volunteers with flag and whistle. This is the next
important topic to be looked at for the 2012 edition.
The Chief Official report outlines the other weaknesses of the organization and I would not repeat them all, but just make a few comments.
The start and finish structure was well designed but not solid enough to resist to the winds, please make the necessary improvements. The
racing numbers must be made of material without glaring when looking at them in the video-finish. Before ordering new ones for next year,
make sure the size of them comply with the rules. The registration of the teams must be done according to the UCI rules, many teams thought
they could go away with their wishes, they could not. And now, the know that. As for the composite teams, you should aim at make teams
with riders of the same nationality or same clubs. And my last point is to work to get some radio communication between cars for the next
edition.
It was a pleasure to see the event growing in stature; the race series format was well organize and appreciated by the foreign teams and we
should keep that format. I will continue to work closely with you to ensure progress for the 2012 edition.
Best regards,
Pierre Hutsebaut
UCI Tour advisor for the Americas
CLASSIC 2011 ADVERTIZING & PROMOTIONS
Classic 2011 TV commercials & Radio commercials to feature as follows:
 Four TV Commercials per day for 14 days on CNC3 from Sept. 18 th. – Oct. 1st.
 Four TV Commercials per day for 10 days on CCNTV6 from Sept. 21 st. – Oct. 1st.
 Seven Radio Commercials per day for 14 days on Vibe 105 from Sept. 18 th. – Oct. 1st.
 Seven Radio Commercials per day for 14 days on Radio Tambrind from Sept. 18 th. – Oct. 1st.
 Classic 2011 TV Commercials were featured daily on both inter island ferries, the T&T Express
and the T&T Spirit in- house Television network from Sept. 9th. – Oct.2nd
 TV & Radio Interviews & Talk Shows with Race Organizers & Participants.
 CNC3 featured a special 3 minute summary report with video coverage on 7.00pm. sports news
after each day of racing from September 28th. – October 2nd.
 Michael Baker Mobile PA advertising & announcements throughout Tobago for 6 hours a day for 21 days
from Sept. 12th. – Oct. 2nd.
10,000 flyers & 200 Posters were distributed throughout Tobago:
 Tobago Port & Airport, Schools, Lowlands Mall; Super Markets; Bars; Hotels; Village Councils...
Classic 2011 Event was featured & promoted on international websites & facebook
 International Cycling Websites in Europe, North America, South & central America, Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong & the Caribbean
 T&T Websites - Trinbagowheelers.com, TDC & THA visittobago.com
 Daily updates & reports with photos, videos, interviews & results showcasing the race, Classic entertainment, personalities
& the island of all 5 days of the Tobago Cycling Classic 2011 will be featured on T&T & Caribbean electronic media
and on international websites including www.trinbagowheelers.com; www.cyclingnews.com; www.cycling.tv
www.uci.com; www.canadiancyclist.com & more with a suggested targeted audience of over 10 million households worldwide..
CLASSIC 2011 INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE
 Canadian Journalist, Charles Brassard – Media Consultant & journalist for cyclingnews.com; Directvelo.com;
Pro Cycling magazine, Velonews magazine, Pezcyclingnews; Pedal Mag; Canadian Cycling Magazine; Journal de Québec;
Journal leSoleil; Québec Hebdo. was in Tobago for 6 days doing Daily reports on the Event.
 German Journalist, Olaf Jansen - Freelance Journalist for website of ARD-Sportschau and regional newspapers in
Germany, Austria & Switzerland. Will be in Tobago to do daily reports on the Event.
 Quebec Journalist, Jean-Michel Lachance – Journalist for Canadiancyclist.com was in Tobago doing daily reports on the Event
ESPN International TV Coverage
 The ESPN Network was in Tobago in full force to do extensive TV coverage of the 5 days of the Event highlighting Tobago
the ultimate venue to host an international Cycling Race. ESPN will come with a full Crew of 8 persons which include
5 camera crew, a producer, asst. Producer & a presenter.
 ESPN is now in the process of producing a 1 hour Post Production Programme to be broadcast on ESPN network in over
40 countries with one original airing and one guaranteed re-air of the program.
 ESPN will advertise the Tobago Cycling Classic program with Promo trailers – 40 per day for 4 days prior
to the 1 hour original airing and re-airing of the program. .
 ESPN Vice President, Mr. Bernard Stewart was in Tobago as our special Guest for 5 days.