Revolutionizing cycling into a World-Class Spectator Sport, the National Cycling League is Scheduled to Debut With its First Week of Community-Focused and Competitive Events in Miami Beach April 2-8, 2023
MIAMI, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cycling League (NCL), the world's first professional cycling league, today announced a week-long set of action-packed festivities taking place across Miami from April 2 through April 8, leading up to the much-anticipated, first-ever cycling race of the NCL. Spanning the iconic streets of South Beach and Miami's historic Art Deco District, the inaugural NCL Miami Beach Invitational Race Week is free and open to the public and will include community rides with Olympians, professional races and a speaker series.
Highlights of The NCL Miami Beach Invitational Race Week include a community ride hosted by the Underline, where the Miami Nights, one of NCL's pro cycling teams, will tour riders around Wynwood; Kid's Races on the actual racecourse on Ocean Drive; daily cycling rides hosted by various cycling clubs around Key Biscayne; the NCL Miami Beach Invitational Team Qualifiers Presented by Wahoo Fitness; and a community ride with Break The Cycle, where members of the public can ride the race course where the pros will compete.
Fans can watch NCL competitive races in person for free or in preferred VIP seating, or stream live on the Global Cycling Network, GCN+. The full schedule and details on the week's events, as well as information on how to register for various events or volunteer are available on the official NCL website at nclracing.com.
Cycling is currently the second most popular participatory sport in the world with over 50+ Million cyclists in the U.S. alone and 2 billion cyclists worldwide. The popularity of cycling has further increased through the Metaverse, where it is the most popular participatory sport with over 10 million people riding in digital spaces. Historically, however, there has been little to no professional fandom in the US and no formal league has existed up until now with the debut of The National Cycling League.
Founded in 2022, the NCL was born out of an opportunity seen by CEO Paris Wallace, who was inspired to reinvent a sport he personally loves by creating the league of the future using cycling as the platform. The league's main mission is to reimagine cycling into a world-class, easy-to-watch spectator sport that is filled with nonstop action and drama and has mixed-gender teams where men and women contribute equally to the scoreboard. Current owners of the league include NBA star Bradley Beal, former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, and the NFL's Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James, and Casey Hayward.
The 2023 NCL Cup is a series of four professional cycling races on the most recognizable streets in the most iconic cities in America, starting with the inaugural race in Miami Beach, where the course spans from Ocean Drive towards Collins Avenue, down Washington and back, making the course dynamic and easier to watch and the races more action packed for the viewer. Participating teams will compete and earn points in each race and be eligible to win parts of the over $1 million purse prize, the largest in U.S. cycling history.
"Miami and South Florida have one of the best cycling communities in the country," says Wallace, "We chose Miami for our inaugural event because it's our way to highlight the amazing work being done by the Florida cycling community. It's incredibly important to our core mission to meaningfully interact with engaged communities like Miami."
As part of the league's commitment to community, leading up to Race day, the NCL is partnering with community bike shops, nonprofits and other organizations in Miami to host a week-long series of free events including a Build-a-Bike Giveaway to benefit second grade students at Feinberg Fisher Elementary on Miami Beach and daily rides & a speaker series culminating on April 8th, NCL Race Day, with a full day of events for the whole family.
Sponsors of the event include: Bont Cycling, Day Chaser Cocktails, DeFeet, Dry Farm Wines, Factor, FL Sports Foundation, FSA, GMCVB, New Belgium, Papa's Pilar, POC, Powerbar, Rudy Project, The Tank Brewing Co, Uncle Nearest, Vision, Wahoo, and Wish for Wheels.
About The National Cycling League
Founded in 2022, The National Cycling League (NCL) is revolutionizing professional cycling into a world-class spectator sport. The NCL is the first majority women and minority-owned league and the first gender-equal professional sport, where men and women compete on the same team and contribute to the scoreboard equally. The 2023 NCL Cup is a series of four professional criterium races in the most iconic cities around the U.S. - Miami Beach Denver, Atlanta, and D.C. Each men's and women's race is 30 laps of a 1-2 km loop where every lap counts towards the scoreboard. Professional teams will compete in the NCL Cup's 4-race series for the chance to win a share of over $1 million in prize money. Visit the NCL website to learn more at nclracing.com.
