For the primary time since 2001, Washington, D.C. will host a day of racing and actions for a rebranded Amazon Armed Pressured Biking Basic, the previous Crystal Cup changing into the Capital Cup and providing opening omnium factors for professionals within the two-day format.
Amazon broadened their sponsorship to incorporate naming rights for the weekend occasion, scheduled for Could 31-June 1. The Clarendon Cup returns for a twenty seventh 12 months on Sunday utilizing a particular five-turn, 1km course positioned seven miles west of the nation’s capitol in Arlington, Virginia.
“I hung a clothesline over Clarendon Boulevard in 1998. Clarendon has been the unique, after which we had the Crystal Cup. We have been tweaking and adjusting and rising for all these years,” Rob Laybourn, race founder and govt director at Arlington Sports activities, advised Cyclingnews in regards to the two-day occasion.
“I am honoured to carry racing again to D.C. now. Amazon additionally stepped as much as take over the naming rights of it.”
The Clarendon Cup has served because the opening day race in previous years, then switched with the race in Crystal Metropolis, Virginia and a Problem Experience was added, which is now one of many nation’s hottest newbie journey. The Problem Experience affords a 21km closed course that welcomes biking lovers of all ability ranges and can begin and end on one facet of the Capital. Individuals can intention for gold, silver, or bronze medals, awarded based mostly on the variety of laps accomplished throughout the three-hour occasion.
Laybourn expects greater than 30 firms to take part within the Problem Experience on Could 31, with eight of these companies aligning with elite groups for co-branding within the professional/am races. It’s a very distinctive technique to generate assist for the races, in addition to enhance branding for the professional groups.
For instance, the DNA Professional Biking crew was rebranded BlueHalo/DNA with a particular version package for the 2 days of racing. Laybourn has finished this for the previous 10 years, which has confirmed to be a win-win for each the crew and for companies who in any other case would by no means be concerned in professional biking, like BlueHalo, a worldwide protection firm.
“I need to attempt to create alternatives and media protection for a top quality occasion. We’re attempting to promote our spot exterior of simply the individuals who find out about it. We get most of our assist from company relationships,” Laybourn stated, saying he would have extra particulars quickly in regards to the crew co-branding companions. “I feel now we have a really mature property that continues to develop and achieve success with the assist we get right here regionally.”
Particulars on the course used for the Problem Experience and the Capital Cup shall be launched later within the spring. The 2-day occasion continues to thrive as a stand-alone omnium occasion and isn’t a part of a US criterium sequence.
In 2019, Eric Younger (Elevate-KHS) and Kendall Ryan (TIBCO-SVB) made historical past as the primary riders to win each days of races on the Armed Forces Biking Basic, each sweeping omnium championships. Ryan repeated the feat for L39ION of Los Angeles in 2022, additionally successful the Crystal Cup in 2024.
“Amazon has been a proud sponsor of this occasion for the previous three years,” stated Patrick Phillippi, head of neighborhood engagement for Amazon in Larger Washington. “The Armed Forces Biking Basic displays so many key essential core values for our firm, together with well being and wellness, assist for our army neighborhood, and interesting our workforce and local people, all going down in our yard.”
