SFGP Cycling Race to End?

The cost of crowd control and police staffing which could not be creatively remedied by promised tax generation has put San Francisco's best-known bike race in jeopardy.

"Sadly, it's a no-win situation, and we simply cannot go forward," said David Chauner, director of San Francisco Cycling LLC, which founded and runs the annual race.

As one of Americas top one day races, the SFGP brought an estimated crowd of 400,000 spectators to the city by the bay. A study commissioned by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau that found the Labor Day weekend race generated $10.2 million for city businesses this year.

The issue in question is $89,924 bill for crowd control and police staffing from the 2004 race, which was the San Francisco Cycling LLC portion of the $335,000 total cost of policing the event.

Mayor Gavin Newsom argued that the city should pick up most of the tab, because the event brings a flood of tourists who spend money at hotels and restaurants. But other supervisors questioned supporting the race after learning that San Francisco Cycling LLC had yet to pay for debt racked up over the 2004 race. And even more so after they were duped into allowing the race to proceed in 2005, without the previous payment.

We'll have to wait and see as these things sometimes magically work themselves out. But it was interesting to hear from City Supervisor, Aaron Peskin, who wasn't too worried about the loss of the SFGP because San Francisco will host a new bike race in February -- part of the 700-mile Tour of California. Tour organizer AEG has promised to reimburse the city the entire cost of policing the event, Peskin said.

"The net is that San Francisco will be just as well off," he said.