Drumheller shines at inaugural bike race
The excitement throughout Drumheller was palpable on Friday afternoon as some of the world’s top cyclists raced through town.
Hundreds of residents and visitors lined the race route,
especially near the finish line in front of the Drumheller
Memorial Arena, to cheer on the cyclists and see history
being made.
“It was an incredible event. I think it met everyone’s
expectations and more. With that kind of coverage, 168
countries, it’s going to play well for Drumheller,” said
Mayor Terry Yemen.
Race organizers are also pleased with how the
inaugural Tour of Alberta went, especially in Drumheller.
“We feel it went very well and we're ecstatic with the
fan support at the starts and finishes, and along the
routes. We found it built momentum as we went. Starting in Edmonton on Tuesday with the prologue event, we had a great crowd. As we went through the race, the starts and finishes were very strong, Drumheller included. When we finished in Calgary yesterday (Sunday, September 8) it was just electric,” said Duane Vienneau, executive director of the Tour of Alberta.
The day started off in Strathmore for the riders. From there they rode north to Drumheller, via Rosebud. Early in the race 18 riders broke away from the pack, which was reduced to six towards the end of the race. 
The winner of Stage 3 was Australian Rohan Dennis. As a special trophy for the victory, Mayor Yemen presented him with a vertebra of an Edmontosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaurs common in Alberta.
“He was really excited. He asked if it was okay to take it out of the country, but we took care of that. It’s something really unique to Drumheller,” said Yemen.
Dennis also commented on the fossil later.
“It’s probably the best prize I’ve ever got for a race. I think it’s going to top my career. It’s a shame it’s at the start of my career and not the end. It’s a great present,” said Dennis.
Dennis would go on to be the overall winner of the Tour of Alberta.
Organizers hope to make the race an annual event.
“I think it caught some traction. We’re going to reassess with all our partners to find out, to put it blunty, if we have enough money for next year, because it costs around the $6 million to $7 million range,” said Vienneau.
Should the Tour of Alberta continue, the goal will be to highlight rural communities.
“It will always go to smaller communities. We want to ensure that remains the same and showcases the province. We’ve had comments about the beauty shots in the Drumheller area and people were blown away by it,” said Vienneau. “You don’t want to have the exact same route. You need variety, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t revisit some communities next year.”
Yemen hopes they return to Drumheller.
"I already told them they had one approach, so now they can go through Dinosaur Trail and up through Munson, or come in from the north and go through Dinosaur Trail. There are options,” said Yemen. ”They know we’re here and interested.”
