31 October 2011
Mark Cavendish gets on his bike for a cycling experience to remember
World Champion and Olympic hopeful hits the track with cycling enthusiasts
Today, Holiday Inn, the official hotel provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, hosted a cycling experience to remember with 2011 World Champion and Tour de France Green Jersey winner Mark Cavendish.
The Ride with Cav event was open to all cyclists and took place at Redbridge Cycling Centre just half an hour from Central London. The first 100 cyclists that completed the ride were rewarded with a free breakfast served trackside, courtesy of Holiday Inn Express London Newbury Park.
Mark Cavendish is part of Holiday Inn’s Athlete Engagement Programme which supports 50 emerging and established British athletes, including Rebecca Adlington, Mo Farah and Victoria Pendleton, in their quest for medals by giving them over 1,500 free room nights.
Holiday Inn has provided athletes with free overnight stays at hotels around the world in the lead up to London 2012. Athletes and their support teams can use their free hotel night stays while they are training, competing or for rest and recovery. The hotels are from the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family of brands and include InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites.
In return for hotel rooms, athletes provide unique experiences for Holiday Inn staff and guests. The Ride with Cav event is an example of one of these and follows hot on the heels of the Mo Farah 5,000 metre run that Holiday Inn hosted for keen runners earlier this year. Over 150 people turned out to run with the World Champion in Regent’s Park, London.
Cavendish said: “As I spend a lot of time away from home at cycling events around the world it’s great to have the support and free nights from Holiday Inn. It’s also a huge advantage to be able to have my coaching team and family with me when I’m training or competing abroad because they give me an extra boost.
I really enjoyed hosting this event for Holiday Inn. It’s been great to meet so many fans and to see so many cycling enthusiasts taking part.”
As part of its London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games partnership Holiday Inn will also:
• Work with LOCOG to host the athletes in the Athletes Village. Holiday Inn will use its hospitality expertise by providing residential managers, receptionists and concierges.
• Employ a number of aspiring Olympic and Paralympic athletes on a flexible basis at hotels in the lead up to the Games helping athletes to build their work experience and earn money while they train and compete.
• Use its hospitality expertise at all stages of the Games to deliver a warm welcome for everyone. As part of this partnership, Holiday Inn will support the Olympic Torch Relay, hosting the team as they travel around the UK.
• Welcome guests, including staff from LOCOG and other organising bodies, into hotels across London in the lead up to, during, and after the Games.
Please note: Places are limited to 200. Please register on Facebook to guarantee a space.
Media enquiries:
Adrian Phillips
[email protected] / +44 (0)20 7413 3752
Joe Dawes
[email protected] / +44 (0)20 7413 3122
Notes to Editors:
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global company operating seven hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®. IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty programme with almost 60 million members worldwide.
IHG is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms and franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,400 hotels and more than 656,000 guest rooms in 100 countries and territories, and has more than 1,100 hotels in its development pipeline.
IHG expects to recruit around 160,000 people worldwide over the next few years and is committed to gender balance throughout its business. We aspire to continue retaining a minimum of 25% female representation on the Board.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
Visit www.ihg.com for hotel information and reservations and www.priorityclub.com for more on Priority Club Rewards. For our latest news, visit www.ihg.com/media, www.twitter.com/ihgplc or www.youtube.com/ihgplc.