Bike race decision is down to nailbiting finish
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
By: Peter Crimmins
pcrimmins@whyy.org
The 25th annual professional bicycle race in Philadelphia is less than 6 weeks away and organizers still do not know if the race is on or off. But today one of the country's most prominent 1-day races may have found a helping hand.
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About 80,000 dollars in tickets have already been sold, and according to race organizers Governor Rendell himself bought 50 thousand dollars of tickets on behalf of state employees. But that's a fraction of the 1/2 million dollars needed.
He's not saying who it is yet, but race founder Dave Chauner says he has been talking with a new potential sponsor who could go a long way toward the finish line.
Chauner: We anticipate we'll be able to close the remaining gap with ticket sales and other smaller sponsors on the fence waiting to see if a major sponsor can close most of the gap.
Chauner says Mayor Nutter has been supportive of the race, but has made it clear that the city is not in a position to offer free street services as it has in the past.
Comcast… could they be the sponsor? They should, with all of the favors the city has done for them and it would be a great PR move. Imagine the headline, "Comcast Saves Philly Bike Race"