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Philadelphia to host first ever Brompton U.S. Championship

Folder bike race is lead-in to Brompton World Championship in England. Saturday, March 20, 2010, the first annual Brompton U.S. Championship will take place at Memorial Hall in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, as part of the Philly Phlyer collegiate bike race. Start time is 1 p.m.

This event is inspired by the Brompton World Championship, first held in Barcelona, Spain in 2006. The BWC has now grown into a bona fide international happening, which attracted more than 500 riders for the 2009 event held at Blenheim Palace, England. Like the U.K. race, the Philadelphia event is limited to riders of the Brompton Folder Bike, one of the U.K.’s most famous exports.

That’s not the only unusual element of this race—it will follow the U.K. rules: helmets are a must, but so is a blazer or suit jacket, collared shirt and tie. Sports attire is not permitted, unless it is hidden by business dress!
“Poor dress sense will not be tolerated,” declared the organizers of the 2009 race. In reality, some participants’ concept of “business attire” ran to kilts and wild plaid trousers. One cyclist raced in a gorilla suit—with a necktie, of course. Brompton smiles on this trend, offering prizes for the best-dressed racers, and the U.S. event will do the same.

Brompton dealer Michael McGettigan, who has taken part in two BWCs (finishing well off the front) is helping to organize the Philadelphia race. "This is a big step for U.S. bike culture," says McGettigan. "The Brompton World Championship is one of those events you have to see to believe. It's a bit Halloween, a bit Tour de France, and a bit, 'Hey, let's ride down the pub!"

For all the fun, this U.K. race attracted some fast company: in 2008, Tour de France stage winner Roberto Heras competed—and came in second (!) to Britain’s own Alistair Kay. Heras returned to win in 2009, by just a fraction of a second, with Kay demoted to third. Alistair Kay called the BWC "A fantastically eccentric British day out!"

This first Philadelphia race will be a U.S. Cycling Federation-listed event and spectators can expect to see just how fast these little British bikes can go.

Brompton is sponsoring the U.S. event—hoping to bring America’s quickest Brompton riders to this year’s BWC in England this fall. To that end, the winning man and woman in the Philadelphia races will get their plane tickets—and entry fees--covered by Brompton.

The U.S. event will run a single, 6-mile lap starting near Memorial Hall in West Fairmount Park. As in the U.K., participants will run to their folded bikes at the start, Le Mans style.
In addition to the trip to the Brompton World Championship that awaits the top man and woman, there will also be prizes for second and third—and Best-Dressed.

Full details and registration online please see: www.bromptonbicycle.com/busc

Deadline for online registration is March 11. On the day registration may be available.

Note: the Brompton race comes right in the middle of the Philly Phlyer, a day of top-level collegiate cycling; the first student road races go off around 8am, and continue through the afternoon.

Partners for the event:
- Philly Phlyer Bicycle Race
- Amtrak

Further information email: busc@bromptonbicycle.com

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