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City of Philadelphia Changing Production Company For Annual Bicycling Race

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Just four months before the annual Philadelphia International Cycling Classic, the city is switching gears and rolling out a new producer to run the event.

Sources say Liberty Sports Development, the nonprofit organization formed two years ago to put on the biggest one-day professional cycling race in America, owes the city $200,000.

Richard Adler, the head of the entity, confirms that the organizers withheld funds from the city because, he says, "the city went radio silent" and refused to return phone calls and e-mails after surprising him with the news that the city would be putting out a request for proposals (RFPs) for a new producer for the race this June.

Deputy mayor Everett Gillison says the RFP is an effort to get "more standardized professional services contracts."

"We are going to make sure we translate our big events into particular contracts," Gillison said.

This afternoon, the city announced that Robin Morton, the race's director the last two years -- during which the course was reconfigured with the start/finish line at the Manayunk Wall -- will run it.  Her Doylestown-based company, G4 Productions, put in the successful RFP bid.

Morton was the first female team director in the sport of cycling.

Adler says the move puts the city "on the financial hook for a race that will cost north of $750,000" to produce.

 

 

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