US pro road championships return to Greenville for 2010

The US Professional Road Cycling Championships will return to Greenville, South Carolina for a fifth consecutive year in 2010, with the event scheduled to take place three weeks later than previous years. The time trial championship will take place on Saturday, September 18, 2010 and the road race championship on Sunday, September 19, 2010.

The date change was precipitated by a number of changes to the international racing calendar. In 2010, two new UCI-sanctioned ProTour events have been scheduled in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada (September 10 and 12, respectfully), thus shifting the Tour of Missouri to August 30-September 5. The US Professional Road Cycling Championships will be followed by the UCI Road World Championships, scheduled for September 29-October 3, in Melbourne, Australia.

"We appreciate the ongoing support of the city of Greenville and the Greenville Hospital System," said Sean Petty, USA Cycling chief operating officer. "We also appreciate Greenville's understanding and flexibility in adjusting the dates for the 2010 event. While the date change was out of our hands, the result is a good one as US riders who are preparing for the World Championships will have the ability to do quality, final preparation at North American events starting with Tour of Missouri, followed by the Canadian ProTour events and the USA Cycling Pro Championships."

Current US professional road champion and Greenville, South Carolina resident George Hincapie is looking forward to next year's championship with the intent to defend his title. "I'm very excited that the USA Cycling Professional Championships are coming back to Greenville for 2010 and the new dates should fit nicely into a very exciting fall schedule," said Hincapie. "I'm proud to have won the championship for the third time and I'm looking forward to defending the title with my new team, BMC Racing.

"The only thing better than winning the stars-and-stripes jersey is being able to wear that jersey for the entire racing season. With my new team, I will focus on the Spring Classics, and the fall will be my second priority. It looks like my season will end up with great races like the Tour of Missouri, the new Canadian ProTour events, the US Pro Championships and the World Championships."

USA Cycling, which owns and sanctions the event, has extended the licensing agreement for 2010 with Medalist Sports, a sports management company that specializes in the planning, promotion and production of professional cycling and fundraising events. Medalist Sports has produced the Championships since 2006.

"The amazing community support since being awarded the Championships in 2006 is one of the main reasons to stage the event in the Upstate for another year," said Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports. "These Championships provide a first-class venue for the best professional cyclists in the country, and has now become an annual tradition for the Greenville community."