Tucson, AZ – Riders and staff from the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis joined Mayor Bob Walkup Monday night in a ceremony proclaiming Tucson the Winter Training Capital. The proclamation ceremony was held in conjunction with the Evening With the Pros reception hosted by team sponsor TriSports.com. More than 50 people attended the event at the retail store of TriSports, which is in its second year sponsoring the team. Another 40 guests of TriSports joined the team for a two-plus hour training ride through the Saguaro National Monument Tuesday morning.

Trisports-Reception

Mayor Bob Walker of Tucson, AZ receives a UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis team jersey after proclaiming Tucson, AZ the world's "Winter Training Capital"

“Both events were really well attended and professionally done,” said new UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis directeur sportif Gord Fraser. “It was a shot in the arm for the team to see that we already have some good fans out there.”

TriSports.com and the Tucson Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered to celebrate and reward the City of Tucson and local athletic community in its efforts to accommodate and encourage winter seasonal training, by proclaiming Tucson the “Winter Training Capitol.” The designation will be used by local event promoters, athletic coaches and other tourism-based businesses to increase awareness and interest in selecting Tucson as a destination venue for winter training.

Fraser, who started training in the Tucson area in 1991 and has called Tucson home for over 12 years, knows full well how good the winter training is there.

“Tucson is one of the best cycling destinations, not just in winter, but all year round,” he said. “But certainly in the winter it’s hard to beat for weather. It’s usually pretty sunny. This has been the wettest it’s been in years here and we’ve only had one day of rain so far during camp. We may have another, but it’s perfect for what we need right now. Guys are getting what they need for training. Camp’s going really well.”

Members of UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis arrived in Tucson last Friday and will continue training there through Thursday before moving to Scottsdale for the remaining few days of camp, which will include sponsor events and the team presentation Saturday evening.

Photo courtesy of Trisports.com