LADERA RANCH, CA and EDMONTON, AB--(Marketwired - Sep 3, 2013) - As the season nears its end, SmartStop® p/b Mountain Khakis Professional Cycling Team is gearing up for its biggest challenge yet, the Tour of Alberta stage race, scheduled for September 3 - 8, 2013 in Alberta, Canada. The Tour of Alberta will be televised on international broadcast networks such as Universal Sports (USA) and EuroSports (Europe).
The inaugural Tour of Alberta will be an internationally ranked UCI 2.1 stage race, a highly prestigious designation by the world cycling governing body, and will include participation from six top WorldTour teams. These are the teams that compete in the Tour De France, Giro D'Italia and other races at the pinnacle of the sport.
"We are extremely pleased with our team's 2013 CRITS and recent success in stage racing thus far," said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO of Strategic Storage Trust, Inc., a public REIT targeting the self-storage market under the SmartStop® Self Storage brand name. "The invitation to the Tour of Alberta just shows the continual growth of our team."
Team SmartStop-Mountain Khakis will be one of fifteen international professional teams racing at the Tour of Alberta. This highly coveted invite was not extended to all of the professional teams in North America. At invitational races like this at the highest level, race organizers look at the history and pedigree of a team, their race results, the athletes on their roster, and the overall professionalism of the organization. This race is a sentimental favorite for the team, as team co-owner Jamie Bennett is Canadian, and has family throughout Alberta.
"The opportunity to take a rider from Alberta to our team embodies the spirit of entrepreneurialism that exists with our partnership with SmartStop," said Bennett, a senior partner with Budget Development - a developer and manager of self-storage properties. "We expect to turn some heads with the direction of our program and take SmartStop to the forefront of North American professional bike racing."
Additionally, the team's Canadian sponsor, Maple Reinders Construction and Engineering, will benefit from the domestic exposure, and with extensive holdings in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada, the advertising exposure will be a great benefit to title sponsor Smartstop® Self Storage, as well.
This is a race that plays to the strength of this team, with long, rolling, windy stages suited to "hardman" type riders that can be good in all conditions. Participating at the Tour of Alberta is a mix of experienced riders, including some new recruits, and Team SmartStop-Mountain Khakis' new director, longtime professional Mike Creed, a veteran of the sport who has raced at the highest level all over the world. Creed will be partnered with co-director Gustavo Carrillo.
The list of riders includes team stalwarts such as Bobby Lea, who placed fifth at the UCI 2.1 in Elk Grove, Clay Murfet, Shane Kline, and the team's sole Canadian rider, Ben Chaddock, eager to perform in his homeland tour. Flavio De Luna will make his second appearance with the team, following his successful ride into the King of The Mountains jersey at the Cascade classic stage race last month. The team will be debuting a new rider, Kristofer Dahl, who won the right to ride on the team as part of the "Making The Tour" contest by winning the Banff Bikefest stage race. Finally, current US Elite Criterium Champion, Travis McCabe, and Eric Marcotte, both formerly of Elbowz racing, will complete the team.
About SmartStop® Self Storage
SmartStop® Self Storage offers affordable, accessible and secure storage space for residential and commercial customers. SmartStop offers secure interior and exterior units as well as outside storage areas for vehicles, RVs and boats. In addition to features such as keypad access, security gates and video surveillance, the facilities also utilize well trained on-site associates to provide customers with the highest standard of service in the industry. To view our properties and locations or to find a nearby storage facility, visit www.smartstopselfstorage.com.
About Strategic Storage Trust, Inc.
Strategic Storage Trust, Inc. (SSTI) is one of five publicly registered self-storage REITs in the United States and is one of the fastest growing self-storage non-traded REITs nationwide. The SSTI management team is comprised of industry veterans with extensive institutional experience in the acquisition and property management of self-storage properties. Since the launch of SSTI in 2008, the company's portfolio of wholly-owned properties has expanded to include 113 properties in 17 states and Canada that are being branded as SmartStop® Self Storage. The portfolio includes approximately 72,000 self-storage units and 9.5 million rentable square feet of storage space. For more information about SSTI, please call 949-469-6600 or visit www.strategicstoragetrust.com