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The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is a criterium cycling race held in Gastown, the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The race is part of BC Superweek, a series of nine races held over 10 days in July in the greater Vancouver area. Founded by a local dentist and bike racer, Roger Sumner, in 1973, the Gastown Grand Prix regularly attracted professional riders from across the continent along with crowds of 20,000 to 30,000 spectators. Following an eight-year hiatus from 1994 to 2001, the race returned in 2002 as the Tour de Gastown, running until 2008 before once again stopping due to lack of sponsorship. On January 27, 2012, Global Relay, a Gastown-based technology services firm announced that it would be Title Sponsor and Operator of the race for five years through 2016. The 29th edition of the race took place on July 11, 2012. It featured the largest winning prizes of any criterium in North America, with $40,000 in total prizes, including $15,000 to the top finishing male rider and $8,000 to the top female. 2013's race marked the 40th anniversary since the first race in 1973, and featured an increased total prize purse of $50,000.〔Gauthier, Jennifer. (2013-07-11) (In Pictures: Gastown Grand Prix | Metro ). Metronews.ca. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.〕 ==History== In 1973, a Vancouver dentist, Dr. Roger Sumner, came up with the idea to have a bike race in Gastown, the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver. An accomplished bike racer himself, he wanted to organize a race that was easily accessible to the public to show them how spectacular top level bike racing in Canada could be. Sumner himself competed in the Gastown Grand Prix until 1978. He was later inducted into the BC Hall of Fame for his 30 years of service to the sport in the roles of racer, coach, manager and racing organizer. He died in 2000 after being hit by a car while riding his bike. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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