GREENVILLE, S.C. – With two months until the nation’s top professional athletes vie for the prestigious U.S. national cycling championships, a solid roster of 20 South Carolina businesses have committed to support this prestigious event. Organizers expect over 60,000 spectators for the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships, now in its fourth year in Greenville, S.C., which will take place August 29-30, 2009.

Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS), one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare providers in South Carolina, returns for a fourth year in partnership, third year as title sponsor, for the championship weekend. Both the City of Greenville and County of Greenville return as official event hosts, providing valuable public safety support that is vital to all spectators and competitors. One of the new sponsors for 2009 is Duke Energy, which joins as the event’s presenting sponsor of the Individual Time Trial Championships held at CU-ICAR.

“Obviously, we are grateful for the continued public and private support of the Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships, especially during these challenging economic times,” noted Chris Aronhalt, managing partner of Medalist Sports, which produces the event on behalf of USA Cycling, Inc. “The Championships are a perfect fit to the Greenville community in many ways – a world-class cycling event which brings national attention to Greenville, promotes health & wellness activities, and, at the same time, raises significant fundraising dollars for the local cancer community.”

On Saturday, Aug. 29, the 20.7-mile Professional Individual Time Trial Championship will return to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). On Sunday, Aug. 30, the 110-mile Professional Road Race Championship will be contested, utilizing a start/finish location in the West End section of downtown Greenville and challenging athletes with four climbs over Paris Mountain on the north side of Greenville County. Both courses will also host new races for the U.S. Handcycling Series, presented by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, giving these elite athletes a final tune-up for the world championships in Europe in September.

Along with branding as the title sponsor, GHS plans to implement community wellness programs for recreational athletes and event spectators during championship weekend. GHS’ Oncology Research Institute will be one of the recipients of funds raised through the Stars and Stripes Challenge (www.palmettopelotonproject.org). In addition, Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas (SHCC), a partner of GHS, will provide orthopedic services and an on-site emergency medical team for the 150 or more professional athletes expected to compete in the USA Cycling and U.S. Handcycling races.

Official media partners play an important role for the Championships with advance promotion and regional/national exposure for the Upstate. Returning for 2009 are The Greenville News, GO Magazine, WYFF-4, and Entercom Radio (B93.7, WORD, Rock 101, and The Planet). The Universal Sports Television Network has signed as a new media partner for 2009, providing a national 60-minute recap of the dual championships on Saturday, Sept. 12 (scheduled air time at 4:00 p.m. EST). This program will be televised locally by WYFF-4 on Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m.

2009 marks the fourth year of the Stars and Stripes Challenge and a partnership with the Palmetto Peloton Project (P3). Last year a record $110,000 was presented for cancer research by P3 with Stars and Stripes Challenge events. In the three years that the P3 organization has partnered with the Championships, it has raised over $400,000. Recreational cyclists, with advance registration, again can challenge themselves to the same road race course as the pros, including the Paris Mountain climb, or enjoy a six-mile Family Fun Ride. Funds this year will be distributed to GHS’ Oncology Research Institute, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Activate Upstate. Event details and registration can be found at www.p3ride.org.

This will mark the 25th anniversary of the Professional Road Race Championship. After 21 years in Philadelphia, Pa., the Professional Road Race Championship moved to Greenville in 2006. That same year the Professional Individual Time Trial Championship was added to the schedule. USA Cycling, Inc., which sanctions the event, extended a three-year licensing agreement for 2009 to keep the dual championship in Greenville. Strong corporate and community support are key factors in keeping this event in the Upstate. The Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Championships is part of an eight-event schedule for the USA Cycling Professional Tour. It is also one of 16 national championship events that USA Cycling sanctions across five disciplines in the sport for amateurs and professionals.

“We’ve come to consider the USA Cycling Professional Championships our signature event in Greenville, and we are just as excited to be a part of this today as we were four years ago,” added Jim Bourey, City Manager of Greenville.

Having commitments from 20 sponsors prior two months prior to the 2009 GHS USA Cycling Professional Championships allows organizers to get a head start on activation programs. In addition to providing product and services for the Championships, Medalist Sports encourages all corporate and community partners to support the P3 charitable events and to get involved with volunteerism. Close to 400 volunteers are utilized for all events. In addition to the Greenville Hospital System, Duke Energy, City of Greenville and County of Greenville, sponsors for 2009 include:

• AT&T
• AVF Creations, official web services and technology provider
• AVIS/Budget, official rental car agency
• Budweiser of Greenville and Michelob Ultra, official beer products
• COSTCO Greenville, providing food and beverage supplies for volunteers and P3 charitable events
• CU-ICAR, official host of the Individual Time Trial Championships
• Jani-King, official commercial cleaning services
• Hincapie Sportswear, official cycling merchandise vendor
• Hilton Greenville, official hotel
• Level 42 Vodka, providing spirits for hospitality functions
• MAVIC, providing neutral support services to both events
• Rosen Associates Development
• Sutter Home, providing wine for hospitality venues
• Wachovia, official banking services
• Yakima, official roof rack/bike rack equipment

Additional sponsorship packages are available for 2009. For more information on sponsorships, as well as hospitality and volunteer opportunities, contact Medalist Sports at 770-631-1239 or chris.aronhalt@medalistsports.com. Visit the official website for maps and news updates at www.usacyclingchampionships.com.