Tour of California chief to become CEO of World Triathlon Corporation
Andrew Messick is happy to have closer ties with ASO (Image credit: Jon Devich)
Andrew Messick has stepped down from his role as President of AEG and will become the CEO of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). Messick has worked at AEG since 2008 and has helped build up the Amgen Tour of California into one of the biggest races in the calendar but will switch roles in July of this year.
"I've given the role everything I could," Messick told Cyclingnews.
"We've created a partnership with ASO and the Tour de France, we've moved the race to a better part of the calendar, we've been able to attract the best riders and the teams, we've had some really good stages, and we've been able to create an independent and strong anti-doping programme."
Messick's shift will mean that a number of AEG's existing staff take on more responsibility, principally Kristin Bachochin. She is currently VP of Cycling at AEG and has been with the race since its inception and she, along with Medalist, currently oversees all of the operational aspects of the race.
"I've recommended that Kristin Bachochin, who has been with the race since its inception, will assume a number of my responsibilities and the other members of our core team will step up. I have complete confidence in them that the race will carry on in the same trajectory and carry on its bright future," added Messick.
The Amgen Tour of California aims to join the UCI's WorldTour and Messick confirmed to Cyclingnews that talks with the sport's governing body would start within the coming weeks.
"That's certainly something we want to talk to the UCI about, becoming a WorldTour race and it's it something that we value and want to embrace. There are a lot of things that we need to sort through but that's something that will start in the next few weeks."
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World Triathlon Corporation organises around 150 events world wide, roughly 30 of which are Ironman competitions.
Messick is the second high profile member of the cycling community to move into triathlon in the last 18 months. Last year, Anne Gripper left the UCI to take up the position of Secretary General at Triathlon Australia.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
