Bicycle race bites the dust

Nature Valley Grand Prix won't return

By Shane Frederick

MANKATO — By Shane Frederick

sfrederick@mankatofreepress.com

MANKATO — The pro bicycle racers who compete in the Nature Valley Grand Prix don’t have to worry about Main Street hill any longer.

Race director David LaPorte said the race will not return to Mankato next summer. Instead, LaPorte said in an e-mail, the race and the accompanying Minnesota Bicycle Festival has accepted an offer from Menomonie, Wis., to hold the Saturday road race portion of the annual five-day event in June.

Mankato City Manager Pat Hentges and Liz Sharp, business events and sales director for Greater Mankato Growth, which sponsored the race, both confirmed the move on Friday.

Mankato was part of the race for five years, including a stage here on June 13.

During that race, LaPorte said that both he and the racers and their teams “love Mankato.”

There was already talk then that the race was on rocky roads here, chiefly due to local city budget cuts and poor economic impact from the race.

On the other side, LaPorte expressed frustration with a lack of communication from local officials, especially regarding construction on Second Street, which forced the race’s downtown finishing circuit to be rerouted.

LaPorte said during the race that he would be “looking at alternatives,” despite considering Mankato and its course ideal for one of the race’s five stages.

The city budgeted $7,300 for in-kind services, including public works employees and police. However, officials said that money probably wouldn’t be available any longer.

“We had not said this is the last year,” Hentges said, “but we said we had to look at the costs.”

There was some question about future sponsorship from Greater Mankato Growth.

Although the city itself is not part of the proposal, Hentges said, “I get the impresson from Greater Mankato Growth that the economic impact — visitors and racers staying here — has been minimalized over the years. For the effort put in, the return wasn’t that good.”

Greater Mankato Growth estimated the cash and in-kind support for the bike race to be $230,000 over the past five years.

Sharp said that a local organizing group had been planning to meet to discuss the race’s future but didn’t get the chance before learning of the move to Menomonie.

LaPorte could not be reached Friday for comment.

The Nature Valley Grand Prix is considered the top women’s stage race in North America and one of the top men’s races. It has featured Olympic gold medalists such as four-time Grand Prix champion Kristin Armstrong and Tour de France riders like Floyd Landis.

The Grand Prix also takes place in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Cannon Falls and Stillwater. The Mankato race was a 90-mile road race that took place on roads throughout Blue Earth County and concluded with a downtown circuit that featured four grueling climbs up Main Street hill.

Proceeds from the event are donated to pediatric hospice care at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

“The profile for the city was positive,” Hentges

said.