Robson Park will be ground zero for all things cycling when the Tour of Alberta rolls into town on Sept. 1.
Adjacent to the Library and Cultural Centre, the site will ensure the downtown core remains open to traffic on one of the busiest weekends of the year – a major concern for business owners the last time the race was held in Jasper in 2015.
“We are very proud of the collaborative effort that went into selecting the site,” Christine Nadon, co-chair for the local organizing committee (LOC), wrote in a press release.
“We considered everything from hosting the event outside of the townsite to using the information centre lawn again, but ultimately we felt Robson Park best met out needs.”
According to the press release, the LOC worked closely with the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Jasper and business owners to gather feedback on several proposed sites before choosing Robson Park.
“Business buy-in is critical and is what will make the event the best it can be,” wrote Hana Dankov-Bye, the LOC’s business liaison director.
With Robson Park as the official festival site, there will be limited road closures on Elm Avenue and Robson Street starting on Aug. 31. The closures will expand to include Geikie Street (on either side of Elm Avenue) on Sept. 1. There will also be a short rolling closure as the racers depart the townsite at approximately 10:30 a.m. Friday morning. Expected road closures, as well as parking restrictions, will be confirmed in the next few weeks and communicated to affected residents and the community, according to the press release.
“The racers will be on their way and outside the townsite before mid-day, alleviating delays and concerns for visitors travelling to Jasper on the Friday evening of the long weekend,” stated Nadon. “The LOC has worked closely with the Tour of Alberta in an effort to find the balance between hosting an exceptional event and yielding the most benefit for the community, and I think we’re on our way to doing just that.”
Stage 1 of the Tour of Alberta takes place on Sept. 1 beginning in town with three laps around Highway 93A and the Icefields Parkway before ending with a mountain top finish at Marmot Basin.
To host the race, the municipality approved spending $50,000 in December. The money was contingent on support from other members with the Jasper Partnership Initiative, including Tourism Jasper, the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and Parks Canada.
According to the Tour of Alberta the 2015 race reached 47 million viewers in more than 160 countries around the world. This is the second time Jasper has hosted the Tour of Alberta, having hosted two stages of the international bike race in 2015.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering is encouraged to fill out a volunteer application at www.tourofalberta.ca/volunteer.
Paul Clarke
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