Para-Cycling Road World Cup sets new marks for economic impact

Huntsville saw two double podiums and two overall world cup titles cap the first U.S.-hosted UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup for Team USA Memorial Day weekend at scenic Cummings Research Park.

Team USA ended the historic weekend with a dominating medal count of 22 – the next highest countries tied with 16 apiece – and placed second in the overall gold medal count.

However, the Rocket City was a winner as well, as more than 350 athletes representing 41 different countries, including the United States, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, and many others, participated in the event.

The competing athletes’ families, sponsors and spectators traveled to and found lodging in the area and made a significant economic impact on the area, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville-Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Huntsville Sports Commission and Cummings Research Park.

According to the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Para-Cycling Road World Cup brought 3,700 booked hotel rooms and an economic impact of $2.4 million to the area, with some teams staying more than a week in preparation. The Westin Hotel at Bridge Street served as the official headquarters hotel.

“We love having groups visit Huntsville, and this past week gave our city a tremendous showcase that engaged visitors from around the world for the first time,” said Judy Ryals, President/CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The success of this past week is a credit to the teamwork throughout Huntsville to make great things happen.”

In 2020 the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber was looking to bring unique sporting events to Huntsville and contacted the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body of cycling, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The UCI oversees international competitive cycling events and organizes road and track races each year leading up to the world championships in a variety of cities, primarily in Europe. The UCI is located in Aigle, Switzerland, and has 202 National Federations spread across five Continental Federations.

Huntsville has hosted two Para-Cycling road events with U.S. Paralympics Cycling – in 2021 and 2022 – but never one the scale of the World Cup. Director of U.S. Paralympics Cycling Ian Lawless said the past two seasons’ races held in Huntsville proved to the organization and their athletes that the enthusiastic and supportive community makes Huntsville “the ideal place to host an international event.” 

“Hosting the Para-Cycling Road World Cup and introducing the teams and competitors from around the world to our great city carries our message that Huntsville is a great place to live, work and play,” said Chip Cherry, CEO of the Chamber.  “Events like these are tremendous tools for our economic development activities as we show the commitment of our city to a wide array of meaningful quality of life events.”

The Para-Cycling Road World Cup wasn’t the only event of note held in the Rocket City in recent days to contribute to the local economy. Major League Fishing hosted its Sponsor Pro-Am Tournament on May 22 and 23, the RunningLane Track Championships took over Milton Frank Stadium on May 26 and 27, while the USTA Southern Pro Circuit Championship lasted the entire week at the Athletic Club of Alabama.

The Huntsville/Madison County CVB said those events, as well as home games for Huntsville City FC, a five-game homestand for the Rocket City Trash Pandas, and the popular Cotton Row Run on Memorial Day combined to generate $4.2 million in economic impact for Huntsville, generating more than $318,000 in taxes. Between the four events, more than 6,100 room nights were recorded in Huntsville and Madison County hotels.

“This week was a great showcase for Huntsville and the ability of our community to not only host major events, but multiple events simultaneously,” said Mark Russell, executive director of the Huntsville Sports Commission.  “Having great partners enables our community to accomplish great things.”