**note** all text, including thread title was copied and pasted from the Hudson-Catskill Newspapers newspaper article.
By Michael Ryan
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 2:18 AM EST
WINDHAM One of the most prestigious mountain biking races on the planet will be rolling into Windham next summer if enough you-know-what can be found.
Racers wont be in short supply, according to Nick Bove, the owner of Windham Mountain Outfitters and a member of a special committee formed recently to find the you-know-what.
There could be as many as 350 professional athletes competing in the Union Cycliste Internationale sanctioned event, representing 35 countries, according to Bove.
Spectators, too, should be plentiful on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 for what is being billed the Windham World Cup, attracting 10,000 visitors, which is a conservative estimate, Bove said.
All those racers and spectators will pump as much as $2 million into the local economy but before they arrive and spend, the special committee has to come up with roughly a hundred grand of its own.
The deadline for raising the money, or as Bove put it, developing a profit and loss statement that will satisfy the UCI is fast approaching or has already passed, depending upon your perspective.
Lets just say we have a lot ot do in a very short time, Bove told Windham town board members at a meeting where he and his committee colleagues sought support for the effort.
Local leaders embraced the idea.
Itd be a shame to let something like this slip away, Councilman Donald Murray said. Im all for doing whatever we can to make sure it doesnt leave Windham.
Greene County officials have signed on, as well.
This is definitely something wed love to see happen, Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning director Warren Hart said.
Bove acknowledged the committee and Windham Mountain, which would host the race, face a monumental task, but was optimistic the challenge could be met.
Windham Mountain will be providing a world class site, chair lifts to move the competitors, visitors and race officials around and labor on the ground, setting up the race course.
Bove was not certain, at this point, exactly what form the towns and countys support would take, whether it would be cash or in-kind services, but he was sure of one thing.
We need help to bring this to Windham, Bove said, noting the committee is simultaneously reaching out to the business sector, foundations, Chambers of Commerce and other entities.
This would not only give the economy a shot in the arm on a traditionally soft weekend, it would also give Windham international recognition in the mountain biking community, Bove said.
If it takes place, the Windham World Cup would be one of nine global races leading up to the World Cup Championship in early September in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec.
This is an amazing opportunity, Bove said, noting the last time a World Cup series race took place in the United States was in July, 2005, in Angel Fire, New Mexico.
Other sites have included Val di Sole, Italy; Fort William in the Scottish Highlands; Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and Durango, Colorado, with neighboring Canada serving as the final tour stop.
Windham earned the bid after hosting a successful national mountain biking race two years ago, drawing riders from the U.S. Olympic team while demonstrating that mountain bikers are good folks.
Organizers at the UCI are being super cooperative, giving us the time we need, Bove said, noting Windham is an ideal spot for concluding their East Coast series, right next door to Canada.
They wont wait forever, however, or probably even for another month. We think this is doable and Windham Mountain believes this would work better as a community project, Bove said.
Assuming all goes well, any money made through the committee and its not-for-profit fund would be channeled back to a multi-use biking and walking trail concept being developed in Windham, Bove said.
The World Cup Series began 18 years ago and was composed exclusively of cross-country events. The Windham World Cup would feature downhill, cross-country and four-cross races.
Organizers of the annual Mont Sainte Anne World Cup Championship refer to the media coverage they receive as priceless, according to public relations information distributed by Bove.
Members of the local World Cup Community Committee include Bove, Lori Torgersen, Antonia Schreiber, Rick Rasmussen, Drew Shuster, Marie Case, Chuck McRoberts and Jay Fink.
We either get this done or the UCI will have to send it to another city in another country, Bove said, telling council board members he would return as soon as possible with more details.
By Michael Ryan
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 2:18 AM EST
WINDHAM One of the most prestigious mountain biking races on the planet will be rolling into Windham next summer if enough you-know-what can be found.
Racers wont be in short supply, according to Nick Bove, the owner of Windham Mountain Outfitters and a member of a special committee formed recently to find the you-know-what.
There could be as many as 350 professional athletes competing in the Union Cycliste Internationale sanctioned event, representing 35 countries, according to Bove.
Spectators, too, should be plentiful on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 for what is being billed the Windham World Cup, attracting 10,000 visitors, which is a conservative estimate, Bove said.
All those racers and spectators will pump as much as $2 million into the local economy but before they arrive and spend, the special committee has to come up with roughly a hundred grand of its own.
The deadline for raising the money, or as Bove put it, developing a profit and loss statement that will satisfy the UCI is fast approaching or has already passed, depending upon your perspective.
Lets just say we have a lot ot do in a very short time, Bove told Windham town board members at a meeting where he and his committee colleagues sought support for the effort.
Local leaders embraced the idea.
Itd be a shame to let something like this slip away, Councilman Donald Murray said. Im all for doing whatever we can to make sure it doesnt leave Windham.
Greene County officials have signed on, as well.
This is definitely something wed love to see happen, Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning director Warren Hart said.
Bove acknowledged the committee and Windham Mountain, which would host the race, face a monumental task, but was optimistic the challenge could be met.
Windham Mountain will be providing a world class site, chair lifts to move the competitors, visitors and race officials around and labor on the ground, setting up the race course.
Bove was not certain, at this point, exactly what form the towns and countys support would take, whether it would be cash or in-kind services, but he was sure of one thing.
We need help to bring this to Windham, Bove said, noting the committee is simultaneously reaching out to the business sector, foundations, Chambers of Commerce and other entities.
This would not only give the economy a shot in the arm on a traditionally soft weekend, it would also give Windham international recognition in the mountain biking community, Bove said.
If it takes place, the Windham World Cup would be one of nine global races leading up to the World Cup Championship in early September in Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec.
This is an amazing opportunity, Bove said, noting the last time a World Cup series race took place in the United States was in July, 2005, in Angel Fire, New Mexico.
Other sites have included Val di Sole, Italy; Fort William in the Scottish Highlands; Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and Durango, Colorado, with neighboring Canada serving as the final tour stop.
Windham earned the bid after hosting a successful national mountain biking race two years ago, drawing riders from the U.S. Olympic team while demonstrating that mountain bikers are good folks.
Organizers at the UCI are being super cooperative, giving us the time we need, Bove said, noting Windham is an ideal spot for concluding their East Coast series, right next door to Canada.
They wont wait forever, however, or probably even for another month. We think this is doable and Windham Mountain believes this would work better as a community project, Bove said.
Assuming all goes well, any money made through the committee and its not-for-profit fund would be channeled back to a multi-use biking and walking trail concept being developed in Windham, Bove said.
The World Cup Series began 18 years ago and was composed exclusively of cross-country events. The Windham World Cup would feature downhill, cross-country and four-cross races.
Organizers of the annual Mont Sainte Anne World Cup Championship refer to the media coverage they receive as priceless, according to public relations information distributed by Bove.
Members of the local World Cup Community Committee include Bove, Lori Torgersen, Antonia Schreiber, Rick Rasmussen, Drew Shuster, Marie Case, Chuck McRoberts and Jay Fink.
We either get this done or the UCI will have to send it to another city in another country, Bove said, telling council board members he would return as soon as possible with more details.
