The international sanctioning for both the men’s and women’s White Spot | Delta Road Race ensures the fields will include some of the best professional cyclists in the world.
The men’s race received the distinction from the Union Cycliste International (UCI) in 2013, while the women’s race was internationally sanctioned for the first time last year.
“The UCI sanctioning allows countries to accumulate valuable points towards international rankings, which increases the number of athletes who can compete at World Championships and the Olympic Games,” says Cycling Canada president John Tolkamp.
“Racing on Canadian soil also allows more Canadian riders to participate. That, combined with home field advantage, allows us the opportunity to hopefully maximize the amount of points our riders can achieve,” says Tolkamp.
Not only has international sanctioning drawn more top teams from North America to the Tour de Delta, but it has given individual riders greater incentive.
“It’s inspiring to see how much the riders push themselves knowing that it could result in an opportunity to represent their country on the grandest stages in sport,” says race director Mark Ernsting.
For fans and aspiring cyclists watching the UCI sanctioned competition at the White Spot | Delta Road Race, the experience of seeing Canadian athletes up close and personal accumulating points with an eye on international competition should definitely leave an impression.
“These athletes serve as wonderful role models for any youth looking to get involved in competitive cycling, especially since the Tour de Delta is a top level road race right in their own backyard,” says Ernsting.
