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The Univest Grand Prix: A Brief HistoryNow into its second decade, the Univest Grand Prix has matured into a great American bicycle stage race, offering consistent top international competition, a tough, rolling course and community support reflective of the European spring classics that served as its model. 
Created for Univest Corporation by Sparta Cycling President John Eustice -- a former two-time U.S. national champion who competed in Europe -- and as a way to reach out to the communities surrounding Univest's corporate hometown, Souderton, Pa., the Univest Grand Prix confronts riders with an extremely challenging course and 6,000 feet of climbing through the hilly countryside of eastern Pennsylvania. Over the past 10 years the race has earned a reputation for showcasing the best rising talent in the sport, and has served as a springboard to professional racing contracts for such stars as Belgium's Tom Boonen and American Mike Friedman. As Univest has grown significantly over the past 10 years, so too has the event. In addition to the difficult course, the presence of top international teams from Italy, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Mexico and Canada give American racers the opportunity to test their mettle against the best in the world. The result has been some of the best and most exciting bike racing seen in North America. The Univest Grand Prix began in 1998 as an event designed to be the great amateur event of North America. Riders from around the world were flown in specifically to test U.S. riders and raise the level of competition. Racers competed over a 60-mile road course that includes communities in both Montgomery and Bucks counties before finishing on a 40-mile circuit that brings added excitement to fans throughout the region. In 2004, the Univest Grand Prix Doylestown Criterium was added to bring the Univest event to Bucks County and offer a full weekend festival of cycling. The community events that have made the Univest Grand Prix such a local favorite were also expanded and enhanced to put more emphasis on related family events encompassing the finish line at the Souderton race, and bring more attention to the Univest Cyclosportif 100K, a community fund-raiser that benefited the Indian Creek Foundation for the first 10 years and in 2008 and again in 2009 will benefit Penn Foundation. In 2009, while many American bike races were feeling the economic pinch and watching sponsors disappear, the Univest Grand Prix continued to evolve and actually became a three county race - Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery - and a full-fledged UCI stage race with the addition of the tough and technical Univest Grand Prix team time trial in Allentown, Pa. The new challenge pits six-man teams against each other and the clock over two laps of a grueling 3.8 mile course that encompassed Allentown's Center City commercial district, its scenic residential neighborhoods and nationally renowned parks system before sending riders up a steep, short chicane and onto the 500-meter finishing straightaway. The Cyclosportif 100K, like the Grand Prix, is also modeled after a popular European event that gives recreational bicyclists the opportunity to pit themselves against the clock on a professional-grade race course. The Univest Grand Prix experienced significant growth in 2006 with the addition of seven miles to the Saturday race course, taking it south through Lansdale, Towamencin, Hatfield and Upper Gwynedd, Pa., for a total of 16 municipalities on the race course. The conference of professional status to the race that year also enabled promoters to draw top international professional and elite teams and American pro racers, including many former amateurs who excelled at the Univest Grand Prix in past years. The Univest Grand Prix became known as America's Pro Classic and one of six American race calendar events sanctioned by the UCI -- (Union Cycliste International) the international cycling federation -- encouraging major international teams such as Garmin Chipolte and increasing the standing and prestige of the event. Complementing that honor was the introduction of live television coverage for the Univest Grand Prix courtesy of WFMZ Channel 69 in Allentown, which brought the race to television screens across Eastern Pennsylvania, Internet users world-wide, and spectators at the start/finish line on Main Street in Souderton, who could now follow the entire race on the Jumbotron while enjoying the nearby festival activities. In recent years Universal Sports and Comcast Sports.Net have provided expanded national and regional coverage for the events. These expanded media partnerships were made possible through funding from visitPA.com. The 2007 race built upon the momentum of the previous year by again showcasing top American professional athletes as they competed with teams from Mexico, Canada, Germany, Italy, Columbia and Hungary, and live coverage was once again provided by WFMZ Channel 69 and in 2007 by Cycling.tv., the Internet television station that carried the last two hours live to a global audience. NBC-10 in Philadelphia later broadcast a post-race recap of the event, marking the Univest Grand Prix's first appearance on a major network station. Sanctioning by UCI brought other changes to the Univest Grand Prix, including the decision to drop the earlier women's race -- won in past years by the great French cyclist Jeanne Longo, Australian Leanne Manderson and American Ashley Kimmet -- to focus on producing a top international men's race. In addition, scheduling conflicts with a race in Bermuda also reduced participation. However, the Univest Grand Prix also broadened the community involvement in the event by reaching out to several festivals in the Bucks and Montgomery County region of Eastern Pennsylvania and by adding childrens' activities to the fun. An expanded 1.5 mile course encircles the Doylestown Arts Festival to provide additional entertainment and appeal to the 20,000 attendees of both events. Past Results: 2009
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More About Univest Corporation, Title Sponsor of the RaceUnivest Corporation of Pennsylvania is a vital, growing company with deep ties to its local communities. Our rich history is enhanced by our desire to remain close to our customers, so we can deliver excellent service and solutions to meet their financial needs. Univest's Financial Solutions For Life! include banking, insurance, investments, trust, wealth management, and mortgage banking solutions. Throughout our rich history spanning more than 130 years, Univest has become one of the strongest locally based financial institutions in southeastern Pennsylvania. We believe in innovation and performance, using technology to improve the products we offer, but never forgetting the warm, personal service so important to our customers. As we continue to be a leader in the markets we choose to serve, we will remain close to our customers, strengthening our existing relationships and building new ones. We take pride in being an organization that offers our customers an expanding scope of services while maintaining traditional beliefs and a determined commitment to the community. For More Information
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