News

Global Relay Brings Bicycle Racing Back to Gastown for 2012 and Beyond

Gastown Technology Services firm commits to multi-year title sponsorship of historic race.

January 27, 2012

Vancouver, BC – January 27, 2012 — Global Relay, a Gastown-based technology services firm, today announced a multi-year commitment to bring back the Gastown Grand Prix, (formerly the Tour de Gastown) as title sponsor. Wednesday, July 11, 2012 will mark the revival of this prestigious professional cycling race which ran for 28 years, beginning in 1973.

The event, now named the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix, is a Pro 1/2 Criterium cycling race where male and female riders complete 30 to 50 laps around a 1.2km circuit, reaching speeds of up to 70km/h. The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is proudly supported by Presenting Partner Allstream, Canada’s all-business communications provider, as well as the Gastown Business Improvement Society.

The race will attract elite teams and independent riders at the Pro-Am level from across North America and around the world. Past winners include stars of the cycling world such as the last winners of the event Andrew Pinfold, Gina Grain (2008), as well as internationally renowned riders Lance Armstrong and Alison Sydor (1991).

Race routing for the 2012 event will remain similar to that of previous years, with the course looping around Gastown and the start/finish line situated at the corner of Cambie and Water Streets. The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix will be free for spectators and promises an exhilarating experience for cycling fans.

The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is a part of BC Superweek — a series of several independent events that happen annually around the second week of July in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, including the Tour de Delta, UBC Grand Prix, Giro di Burnaby and Tour de White Rock.

“The announcement of the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is fantastic news for the cycling community and for fans of the sport as it joins the BC Superweek series,” said Mark Ernsting, Race Director. “Gastown has gone without a pro cycling event for several years due to a lack of sponsorship, and now Global Relay is stepping in to fill that gap.”

The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix continues a rich tradition of professional cycling in Gastown. Since its inaugural year in 1973, the race has become one of Canada’s best-loved professional cycling events thanks to its challenging course, long history and historic location.

“When I was beginning to race back in the 1980’s, Gastown was THE race that all local cyclists dreamed of winning,” said Brian Walton, the 1988 Tour de Gastown winner. “Gastown gave me motivation to ride in the rain and snow, so I could one day stand on the top of the podium. It was a benchmark for greatness. It was a goal. It was the platform. It was a race that developed champions and built a community of athletes that succeeded on and off the bike. And now, it is back. What a great day and future for all! I look forward to watching now and the feeling it inspires in future athletes.”

This community event will be coordinated with the help of many talented volunteers. Those interested in getting involved can visit globalrelayggp.org/get-involved/volunteer

With its headquarters at 220 Cambie Street, Global Relay has been a part of the Gastown community since its founding in 1999. By committing to sponsorship of this event from 2012 and beyond, the company aims to make a lasting contribution to Gastown residents and business, and to the cycling community.

The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is presented with the generous support of the Gastown Business Improvement Area.

About Global Relay

Founded in 1999, Global Relay is a Gastown-based technology services company that provides the worldwide financial industry with cloud-based message archiving & compliance services.

Global Relay Archive securely captures and preserves email, instant messaging, BlackBerry®, Bloomberg®, Thomson Reuters®, social media and more for regulatory compliance. Users have easy access to messages via smartphones, tablets, Outlook or browsers. Global Relay Message, delivered via cloud computing, provides businesses with the tools to communicate and collaborate while staying compliant — anytime, anywhere.

Global Relay’s 15,000 customers in 90 countries include broker-dealers, hedge funds, investment advisors and public companies, as well as 22 of the top 25 global banks. Global Relay has offices worldwide, including Vancouver, New York, Chicago, London and Singapore.

ONE, Alleycat Acres Hold Bike Ride to Raise Awareness of the Poverty-Fighting Power of Agriculture in Africa: Seattle, Wash. – ONE, an advocacy organization with more than 44,000 members in Washington dedicated to poverty-reduction in Africa, is joining with Alleycat Acres, an urban farming collective with three locations in Seattle, to plan the “Streets...
Bicycle Alliance of Washington to Host Open House Thursday, March 1: Join us in celebrating our new office location in Pioneer Square. It's a party! It's a celebration! It's First Thursday Art Walk - rolled into one! Our final First Thursday gathering of 2011 will be a party for Bicycle Alliance members to...
John Vander Sluis Recognized as a Safe Routes to School Champion: John Vander Sluis of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington received national recognition from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for his strategic thinking and efforts to advance Safe Routes to School policies and programming in South...
Superior Morgul Classic Partnership with Pro Challenge Will Foster Next Level of Pro Riders: The 2012 Superior Morgul Classic, the largest amateur race in Colorado, has teamed up with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, one of the largest professional cycling races in the United States. The partnership, which features special Pro Challenge...