The Government's Cabinet Committee for the 50th Anniversary of Independence celebrations has chosen the Tour of T&T Independence Cycle Classic's Unity Race as one of the main events for this year's celebrations and has contributed a considerable amount towards its staging. The race will include a field of over 80 foreign cyclists hailing from five American teams as well as squads from Canada, England, Austria, China, Kenya, Germany, Great Britain, Columbia, Jamaica, St Lucia and Barbados. The Tour of T&T will take place from August 23 to September 2.
The committee has requested that extra funding be provided by corporate T&T. The Organising Committee is grateful to Dr Bhow Tewarie, Minister of Planning and the Economy, Chairman of the Committee for his support. In many countries, national celebrations are usually accompanied by major sporting events. Because of many communities through which the race is routed it is a very suitable event to stage at this time. Because of the significance of the 50th Anniversary of the country's independence, the race's organising committee is including Tobago in the Tour this year as its theme continues to be Uniting the People of T&T. The Organising Committee believes that the event is the "blue ribbon" event of the celebrations. Former national cyclist and Olympian Gene Samuel, technical director for the Tour, has given the course for this 10 stage race the "thumbs up."