SILVER CITY, N.M. (BRAIN) — Race directors of the Tour of the Gila are putting out the call for angel sponsors after the 28-year-old stage race’s title sponsor pulled its investment early this week. If new sponsors don’t emerge, the April 29 race in Silver City, N.M., may have to be canceled, organizers added.
“This year was to be the first year for the race to receive UCI sanctioning for the pro women, putting Silver City, New Mexico, on the international calendar of professional women’s cycling for the first time,” organizers stated in a release. “The five-day race is optimally scheduled between Arkansas’ Joe Martin stage race and the Amgen Tour of California, making it an ideal event for international and domestic teams to compete. As a result, the registrations for teams from international and domestic locations are at an all-time high.”
It’s not the first time the race has faced such a challenge. “We faced cancellation in 2009, race director Jack Brennan said. “Once the word went out, the cycling community rose to the occasion and the race became one of the most successfully attended races in Gila’s history. This is a grass-roots event that relies largely on the unparalleled support of the Silver City Community, which is a major feat in a town of 10,000 people.”
For information on becoming a title sponsor, contact Brennan at (575) 590-2612.
