WILTON, Conn., Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cannondale and EF
Pro Cycling today announced an initiative that will help create
opportunity and increase racial diversity in cycling at the
collegiate level in the United
States. Starting in 2021, with an initial commitment of
three years, they will partner with USA Cycling, the national governing body for
cycling in the United States, to
launch two new co-ed cycling programs at one HBCU and one TCU.
Inspired by St. Augustine's University's start of the first HBCU
cycling team earlier this year and understanding the dearth of
other college programs, Cannondale and EF Pro Cycling, together
with USA Cycling, recognized the
opportunity to support and take action.
"As the dialogue about racial equality came to a head in the US,
we listened, we learned, and we looked for ways we could make a
lasting impact and provide access to the sport of cycling to young
Black and Indigenous people," said Dennis
Kim, Vice President of Marketing for Cycling Sports Group.
"It was important to Cannondale and EF that this was a multi-year
commitment to work with these schools to help grow
participation."
As co-founding members of this project with USA Cycling, Cannondale and EF Pro Cycling
believe in the importance of inclusion in the cycling community. In
year one, the team and Cannondale will support co-ed cycling teams
at these schools through equipment, funding, and mentorship.
"We believe that cycling is for everyone. Yet, in reality, not
everyone feels welcome or has access today," said Mary Wittenberg, EF Pro Cycling President. "We
want to help increase diversity in our sport, starting with racial
diversity in cycling in the USA.
Success will require a comprehensive approach across the industry,
so we turned to USA Cycling to
talk about how we could best target our energies in concert with
others looking to help from grade school to masters-age
athletes."
After the launch of two programs, Cannondale and the team hope
to broaden the program in the years to come. The goal is to build
long-lasting programs for students to experience the benefits of
cycling as well as foster inclusivity, community, and
adventure.
"USA Cycling, as the Governing
Body for our sport, believes we have a unique opportunity to grow
participation in cycling. As part of our investment in rebuilding
Collegiate Cycling, we are thrilled to be starting this program
with EF and Cannondale. Cycling has many of the challenges seen
across our society today and we believe working directly with the
HBCU and TCU communities we can begin to open doors with the help
of partners in our industry," said Rob DeMartini, Chief Executive Officer of
USA Cycling.
In a continued effort to support this initiative, Cannondale, EF
Pro Cycling, and USAC will host a raffle to win one of the Rapha +
Palace + Cannondale collab bikes ridden by EF Pro Cycling at the
recent Giro d'Italia. This is a rare chance to own a piece of
cycling history and provide support in continuing to help build
HBCU and TCU cycling programs. Net proceeds from the raffle will be
in addition to the contributions made to help fund these programs.
Two winners will be randomly selected to receive one of these
limited team edition bicycles. The sweepstakes will run for several
weeks during the height of the giving season, and winners will be
announced in December at the completion of the donation period.
Stay tuned for details to come.
Colleges or universities interested in applying for the program
should reach out to lkollar@usacycling.org.
About Cannondale:
Cannondale is a premium brand of
Cycling Sports Group, a division of Dorel Industries' (TSX: DII.B,
DII.A) Dorel Sports segment. Dorel
Industries Inc. has annual sales of US$2.6
billion and employs approximately 8,000 people in facilities
located in twenty-five countries worldwide. With a reputation for
continuous innovation and quality, Cannondale is a global industry
leader with a strong heritage in design, development and
manufacturing of high-performance bicycles and accessories. For
more information, visit www.cannondale.com.
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SOURCE Cannondale