The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that The Sufferfest will be the Official
Sponsor of the UCI Women Road World Cup in 2015.
A leading producer of indoor training videos, The Sufferfest has been a sponsor of the UCI since 2010
and of the UCI Women Road World Cup since 2014. It produces highly effective and engaging training
videos using footage of professional races, including UCI events.
This year, the UCI and The Sufferfest will step up their collaboration by introducing a unique, new
award for the UCI Women Road World Cup. At the end of each round of the World Cup, The Suffer
Prize presented by The Sufferfest will be awarded to the rider who demonstrated particular
determination and courage to help a teammate, to animate the race or simply to get to the finish line
against the odds.
The judging panel will be made up of the TV production team, the Chief Commissaire, the Race
Director and the UCI. The concept was extremely well received by riders and team representatives at
the UCI Women Teams seminar last week.
"This award is not necessarily about winning the race, but is about the Sufferlandrian values of
pushing yourself beyond what you thought yourself capable of", explained The Sufferfest’s CEO and
President, David McQuillen. He added: "Women’s professional racing is incredibly difficult and tells
inspiring stories of effort, sacrifice and resilience. We want to share these stories and The Suffer Prize
presented by The Sufferfest is our way of showing how outstanding these athletes are."
At the end of the season, The Sufferlandrian community will have the chance to vote for the Epic
Moment of Suffering experienced by one of the winners of the Suffer Prize. The final winner will
receive a $1,000 USD cash prize.
UCI President Brian Cookson commented: "The UCI Women Road World Cup is a magnificent
showcase for women’s cycling, and I am delighted that the The Sufferfest will again be supporting the
series in 2015. This is a demonstration of their esteem for this exciting and increasingly popular
discipline."
UCI Vice-President, Tracey Gaudry also welcomed the news: "As a former professional cyclist I have
witnessed many inspiring demonstrations of courage and gritty determination within the professional
women’s peloton. I am delighted that, together with The Sufferfest, we will be able to highlight some of
these amazing stories."
Winners of The Suffer Prize presented by The Sufferfest will be communicated via social media
(@UCIWomenCycling & @TheSufferfest). In addition, news and highlights of the races – including an
interview with The Suffer Prize winner - will also be available on the UCI YouTube channel
(www.tv.uci.ch) throughout the season. As the UCI Official Sponsor of the 2015 Women Road World
Cup, the Sufferfest will enjoy visibility throughout the season, having kicked off with the Boels Rental
Ronde van Drenthe in the Netherlands.
This initiative complements other activities resulting from the collaboration between the UCI and The
Sufferfest. For example, registrations are now being received for the first week-long training camp
open to the public at the UCI headquarters in Switzerland in June. Further information is available on
The Sufferfest website.
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