Tour de ’Toona facing dead end

The Tour de 'Toona announced some bad news last week. The annual bicycle race, a staple in Altoona since its inception in 1987, confirmed it must cancel this year's event because of a lack of sponsorship.

The decision did not come as a surprise after tour officials had previously expressed concerns about the race's overall financial health.

Unfortunately, in these trying economic times, other national cycling races have suffered the same fate.

It's especially disappointing for local hotels and restaurants. An analysis by a Penn State economics professor several years ago estimated the tour generated yearly about $1.8 million for the local economy.

Race promoter and state Rep. Rick Geist, whose leadership helped the Tour de 'Toona become one of the nation's premier stage races, said he hopes to return the local tour to a seven-day event in 2010.

We appreciate Geist's optimism, but we have our doubts.

Funds began to dry up in 2008 when the race was scaled back to just one day. Despite Geist's plans, we think it will be very difficult to drum up enough sponsorship for a full tour by this time next year.

Then there is the matter of the civil lawsuit filed two years ago against the Altoona Bicycle Club, which sponsors the race, and USA Cycling by a rider who was left paralyzed by an accident while racing during the Martinsburg leg of the 2005 tour.

Morever, Geist has readily admitted for the past several years that he's been looking for someone to whom to pass the leadership torch.

Rather than chasing the giant shadow of the Tour de 'Toona, we're wondering if a scaled-down version can be staged that the community may appreciate and support - perhaps in the form of a festival featuring a race involving local cyclists.

It may not bring national-caliber riders, and it may not last an entire week, but it would be a tribute to cycling, which could extend the legacy of the Tour de 'Toona.