One might have expected the mood at the Olympics site-announcement reception at the Concourse Hotel Friday to be somber. Many had already heard the news before they arrived. Chicago had been eliminated in the first round as the 2016 site. Others probably just skipped the reception altogether after they got the news.
But a healthy contingent showed up and the mood, surprisingly perhaps, was decidedly upbeat. The theme quickly switched from a celebration of Chicago 2016 to: “We don’t need the Olympics to become a world-class cycling destination.”
In retrospect, while the Olympics exposure would have been huge for Madison, which was slated to host several major cycling events, there is now a new opportunity. The momentum that has been generated can now be channeled at our own pace and budget and without the burden of Olympics politics and dictates.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz summed up the feeling nicely in his blog:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/blog/index.cfm?Id=208
The mayor didn’t give himself credit for some light-hearted creativity. Following the official announcement and speeches, the mayor picked up a pen and a paper coaster and coined a term for a possible alternative cycling competition: “Scipmylo.” Puzzled? Here’s a clue: The term is designed to avoid a conflict with the closely protected Olympics trademark.
Sign up for the free IB Update — your weekly resource for local business news, analysis, voices and the names you need to know. Click here.
