A 2017 national cycling competition kicked off in Hartford’s Riverside Park today, and runs through Jan. 8, with a promise of amassing $1.8 million in revenue for the Greater Hartford region.
Announced a year ago, the USA Cycling 2017 Cyclocross National Championships awards national championship titles in age groups from 11 years old to age 70 and older.
The event takes place at the park at 20 Leibert Road, with hundreds of spectators expected, along with 1,800 athletes, plus coaches, staff and supporting vendors. Eighteen hotels in the region are hosting participants, with downtown’s Hilton Hartford serving as the host hotel, said H. Scott Phelps, president of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB).
The bureau is Connecticut’s official meetings and sports event sales and marketing organization.
Phelps said the event will generate $1.8 million in economic activity for the region.
The Middletown-based Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program Inc. is the local organizing committee for the championships, said David Hoyle, executive director.
