Olympic Times – Sports Daily

The city of Madison and the surrounding area, home to three major bicycle companies, will serve as the cycling hub for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in the event Chicago is chosen as the host city.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle Friday announced the selection by the Chicago 2016 Committee, which is organizing Chicago’s bid for the 2016 games.
“Not only is Madison a great place to live, it’s the nation’s premier area for bike riding,” Doyle said. “I am pleased that the Chicago 2016 Committee has chosen Madison to be its cycling hub and can’t wait for people from around the world to discover our beautiful region.”
To select an ideal venue, the bid committee worked collaboratively with cycling experts, Olympic athletes and the International Cycling Union (UCI) to select courses that are technically challenging and conducive to high-level competition.
The Wisconsin Road Cycling Course would begin on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, head east through downtown and feature several steep climbs near the finish line in Blue Mound State Park. The Wisconsin Mountain Bike circuit would take place in Tyrol Basin, a popular ski and snowboard destination in the winter that makes for a technically challenging course that meets the needs of the athletes while allowing for a great spectator experience during the Games, state officials said.
Doyle said Madison has one of the most extensive bike trail systems in the United States. Pacific Cycle, Trek and Saris, three of the cycling industry’s leading companies, are based in the Madison area.
Chicago is competing against Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid for the right to host the 2016 Olympics. The four candidate cities have until Feb. 12 to submit their plans to the International Olympic Committee. The final decision on the host city will be made by the full IOC membership on Oct. 2 during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen.

source. bizjournals.com