Cycling's national governing body will remain based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, announced Wednesday.

USA Cycling is one of six national governing bodies forced to seek new quarters by the U.S. Olympic Committee’s plans to raze an aging building at the Olympic Training Center, built on the site of the former Ent Air Force Base in central Colorado Springs.

“We’ve been a proud resident of Colorado Springs on the Olympic Training Center campus since 1980,” Johnson said during a press conference at America the Beautiful Park near downtown. “However, over the past several years our organization has been growing dramatically — to the point that we have outgrown our facilities of 13,000 square feet on the OTC campus.”

So USA Cycling went house-hunting. And while it was courted by other communities, including Ogden, Utah, what the organization finally settled on a 26,000-square-foot building on a 1.91-acre site, valued at $691,513, courtesy of Nor’Wood Development, which supplied the site free of charge. The El Pomar Foundation and the Colorado Springs Economy Development Corporation also were involved, as was Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera.

And on Wednesday, Johnson announced: “After more than a year, which included a surprising amount of interest from communities around the country and some remarkable offers, frankly, I am proud to announce today that USA Cycling will be staying in Colorado Springs.”

Plans for the 26,000-square-foot building in northwest Colorado Springs include a conference center, education and training facilities and office space for more than 60 employees. USA Cycling hopes to move in by November 2008, said communicators director Andy Lee.

“We’re delighted that USA Cycling will continue to call Colorado Springs home,” said Chris Jenkins, vice president for Nor’Wood. “Our culture, climate and natural environment provide an ideal venue for them to fulfill their mission, and they are a tremendous asset to have right here in our community.”

Rivera proclaimed himself “elated” that USA Cycling would stay in town while making his own announcement — that the League of American Bicyclists had named Colorado Springs a silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community.

Colorado Springs was one of 11 additions to the list, which now numbers 84 communities in 31 states.

“I’m thrilled that USA Cycling has decided to stay headquartered here in Colorado Springs,” Rivera said, calling the organization “a very important amenity to our community and a very important economic driver.”

“And I believe we’re a good match,” he added, “not only because of the OTC and the USOC being headquartered here, because Colorado Springs is really a bicycling community, one that’s growing stronger every day.”