North American News: Hyundai signs on at Sea Otter; Phinney hosts evening in Boulder

By VeloNews Interactive

Organizers of California’s annual spring bike bash, the Sea Otter Classic, have announced that they have signed a title sponsorship agreement with Hyundai Motor America.

This year’s Hyundai Sea Otter Classic Cycling Festival is scheduled for April 15-18 at Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California.

Hyundai has long been an active sports-related sponsor. Its recent partnership with the Mongoose mountain bike team marked the brand’s entry into the cycling category.

“Hyundai Motor America’s sports related sponsorships have proved an effective medium to promote the Hyundai Santa Fe,” said Paul Sellers, director of Marketing Communications at Hyundai Motor America. “This partnership with Sea Otter Classic LLC will enable Hyundai to reach beyond its core customer into the market of the active family enthusiast.”

Now in its 14th year, the Sea Otter has become the USA’s largest cycling festival, attracting some 10,000 entries, over 50,000 spectators, and 200 journalists from 15 nations.

Phinney to host evening at Boulder Theater
Some of the biggest names in American cycling are scheduled to attend the Colorado premier of the film “The Tour Baby!” at the historic Boulder Theater on Thursday, February 5.

The event’s host Davis Phinney, who won two stages of the Tour de France and a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics, has invited his friends including many former and current professional cyclists and film maker Scott Coady to join him at the event which will include a raffle, silent auction, and after party.

”The Tour Baby!” chronicles Coady’s journey following the 2000 edition of Tour de France from start to finish. Going from a complete outsider at the start of the race to standing atop the winner’s podium in Paris, Coady not only filmed the race, he became a part of it. Along the way he met and filmed Lance Armstrong in his hotel room, cut it up with Robin Williams, picked up insights from Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, team mechanics and masseurs, and crazed tour fans. We encounter U.S. Postal riders in the team bus and in their hotel rooms, and attend post race parties in Paris.

Every single cent of profit from the evening will go directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Lance Armstrong Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for those living with, through, and beyond cancer.

Tickets, $10. Available at the Boulder Theater website. www.bouldertheater.com