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DEL.ICIO.USMending broken spokes: A new chapter in the history of bicycles and Georgia politics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bicycles and politics have a mixed history in Georgia.
Lester Maddox rode a two-wheeler into the Governor’s Mansion. Backwards, of course.
Nearly 20 years ago, Andrew Young — while mayor of Atlanta — pedaled across the state to sample public opinion for his 1990 run for governor.
At the end of each day’s ride, in the limo that carried him home to his bed in the Big City, Young would close his eyes and listen to country music, to help him channel the wants and desires of rural Georgia. It didn’t work.
In 1998, chocolate chip cookie magnate Michael Coles, holder of two cross-country cycling records, ran for the U.S. Senate. The Democrat lost by seven points to Paul Coverdell, a Republican. Trim as he was, campaign photos of Coles in a helmet and tight pants didn’t help.
On Wednesday, bicycles and politics merged again, but in a way that Georgia has never seen.
In an auditorium at the hospital complex once known simply as Scottish Rite, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle announced the route of the 2008 Tour de Georgia, which over the course of five years has become the highest-ranking cycling event in North America.
The April race through Georgia is now the last major stop before cycling’s top riders cross the pond into Europe, to ready themselves for the Tour de France.
But Cagle was not at Wednesday’s event as a bit of suit-and-tie icing on a cake. He was there as the boss, the new chairman of the reconstituted, state-created board that owns the Tour de Georgia. His 2006 campaign manager, Elizabeth Dewberry, is its new director.
Never before have a sporting event and a political figure in the state Capitol been tied so closely. Yes, a governor or two might have had a hand in picking a football coach at the University of Georgia. But they were never given control of the program.
It’s as if Sonny Perdue were handed the Peachtree Road Race. Or Glenn Richardson were made director of the AT&T Classic.
Cagle has assigned himself the task of rescuing a $3 million bicycle race that, while receiving rave international reviews, has foundered economically. Last year’s Tour lacked for sponsors, and operated at a loss.
The lieutenant governor said he was approached by “some business individuals who had been involved with the Tour.”
“The race had been on and off again. They came to me and said, ‘We’ve got to do something with the Tour. Either we’re going to put it on, or we’re not,’” he said. Governor Perdue signed off on Cagle’s plan to reorganize and put the event in the black with nothing but private money.
There is a geographic match to this. The Tour de Georgia was started in 2003 by the state’s economic development arm, part of an unsuccessful effort to persuade Daimler/Chrysler to locate a van plant on the Georgia coast. The auto company was the Tour’s first big-name sponsor.
But cycling is a sport that thrives in the mountains, and Cagle hails from Gainesville, which happens to be the destination of Stage Three next year.
That said, Cagle is not a cycling enthusiast. He saves his outdoor ardor for golf and hunting. “Will I participate in some way? Probably. But I can promise you this — I’m not going to be wearing any tight shorts,” the lieutenant governor said.
Cagle’s primary reason for getting involved is economic development. No other sport shows off scenery, especially in small towns, like cycling.
“What excited me about it is the economic opportunity that exists to showcase Georgia to the world,” Cagle said. This spring, he wants to nearly double, to 1 million, the number of spectators who gather on Georgia roadsides to watch 120 men in spandex zip by.
And there’s the health angle. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, particularly its cancer wing, will be a beneficiary of the event. “For one solid week in Georgia, we can build a campaign around health and wellness,” Cagle said.
Few lieutenant governors have been given such a specific portfolio, and told to run with it.
But there are downsides to Cagle’s venture. This is the South. Cycling is not NASCAR, and building a reliable network of sponsors is far from a certainty.
Then there’s the fact that the cycling world has yet to conquer its doping problem. A dirty race wouldn’t look good on a resume.
Competition among Georgia’s small towns, to serve as hosts to the seven-day event, is fierce. Cagle promised he would have no hand in the selection.
“That’s all done by committee. This thing’s going to be run like a business. This has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with Georgia,” he said.
And the upside for Cagle? One of the facts bandied about on Wednesday was that, in 2007, the Tour de Georgia produced “600 million media impressions.” That’s marketing lingo for the number of people who saw mentions of the Tour in a newspaper, or heard about it on the radio, or watched it on TV.
That’s how household names are made.
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Comments
By Clint
December 5, 2007 10:42 PM | Link to this
This is great! Cycling, biking, whatever you want to call it is not only a great way to get healthy, but it is a great alternative to driving and getting around town. So too is it a great way to spend time with family and friends! As a newcomer to biking, I’m excited that Casey (and Elizabeth) are going to be involved in promoting and leading this effort.
By Speaking of bicycles
December 6, 2007 1:05 AM | Link to this
GDOT has 7,000 employees. There is one GDOT employee, out of 7,000, for bicycle & pedestrian policy, planning, issue, etc.
Just one person out of 7,000. Glad you’re gone, Harry Linnekohl.