Mayor Michael Nutter’s low profile trip to France last week could lead to the top women's cycling race in the Americas coming to Philadelphia next year, according to a key member of the traveling delegation.
Patrick J. Cunnane, president and CEO of Advanced Sports International (ASI), a Philadelphia-based company that markets a line of premium bicycles, parts and accessories under the Fuji, Kestrel, SE, Breezer, Terry and Oval brands, joined the mayor on the trip.
Cunnane said the Mayor and his wife Lisa, a Fuji-sponsored cyclist who has looked to enhance women’s cycling locally, met with Brian Cookson, president of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world governing body for sport cycling.
The mission was to enhance the existing Parx Casino Philly Cycling Classic, an annual professional cycling race held in June with an uphill finish at the top of the famed Manayunk Wall. The race was put together in 2013 to fill a void created after the operators of the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship in January canceled their annual event -- after a 28-year run -- because of financial issues. Read more about this story on PBJ.com.
