President of the World governing body for cycling, Pat McQuaid will be coming to Trinidad and Tobago for this year's edition of the Tobago International Cycling Classic and the UCI 1.2 Tour of Tobago.
The Tour of Tobago was given UCI recognition last year. And Trinidad and Tobago is the first English speaking Caribbean country to have a national cycling event listed in the UCI's official programme of events.
The 2011 winning Austrian team will be back to defend their crown, after an impressive performance in the inaugural UCI 1.2 Tour of Tobago.
In the lead-up to this race, there will be the four-stage Tobago International Classic competition to be staged in different parts of the island which is open to international, regional and local cyclists.
The 2012 event is expected to surpass the record turnout of international, regional & local riders who participated in 2011. This year, the Division One international event will feature three UCI Pro teams, seven international elite teams and four Caribbean teams, with cyclists coming from Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Denmark, England, Isle of Man, Canada, USA, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Aruba, St Vincent, St Lucia, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and T&T.
Last year, the Classic and Tour of Tobago gained increased visibility and prominence through American sports network ESPN. A 30 minute ESPN programme on the event was broadcast to audiences of more than 50 million viewers in 40 countries. And in 2012, the ESPN team will be coming back with a bigger crew for more days to film extensive footage for a full one- hour programme which they plan to broadcast to a wider cross section of countries around the world.
This year's event will be held from October 2-7.
Source: www.trinidadexpress.com