Greensboro makes the first cut for the US Bicycling Hall of Fame
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Greensboro makes the first cut for the US Bicycling Hall of Fame

by Steve Jones at 5:00 PM EST   comments
Categories: General 		 
The US Bicycling Hall of Fame, which currently resides in Sommerville, New Jersey, announced last Spring that it was searching for a new home.

The town of Sommerville with the tradition of it's marquee event the Tour of Sommerville, had been an excellent host for the growing collection of memorabilia. But forced relocation to a smaller space in the town meant it was time for the hall of fame organization to weigh it's options.

Stewards of the Hall of Fame are searching for an accessible downtown setting to showcase their collection of historical mementos and exhibitions. The Hall of Fame focuses on giving recognition to those members of the cycling community that have made a positive impact on the sport.

For the past couple of years Greensboro, North Carolina has been making a concerted effort to make it's mark on the cycling scene. With the influence of their adopted son, Team Columbia - High Road rider George Hincapie, Greensboro has taken the US National Championship road race from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and made it a US riders only race.

The move to exclude the international field from the race had been a debate amongst the community for years. When it was held in Philly, the prize list was one of the richest in the sport, so despite it being the national championship race non-citizens were allowed to race. While that decision made for a star-studded field bringing in throngs of cycling fans to spectate, the results were diluted as a national championship because of the impact non-nationals had on the race. In many cases the tactics would allow foreign riders to play the American contingent against itself so they could take home the cash. They could use the fact that the "First American" would be national champion, which in many cases would not be the race winner.

Now Greensboro is aiming to further solidify their place as an American cycling Mecca by putting in a bid to host the US Bicycling Hall of Fame.

It was reported on Wednesday by the News & Record of Greensboro that the city had made the "first cut" of choices as the potential "new home" for the Hall of Fame. Having entered the ring several months after the eleven other candidates, the news was very encouraging to Greensboro's task force leader Neil Belenky.

Reportedly, Greensboro is one of the top four cities being considered at this time.
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