Georgetown Grand Cycling Race in the Streets May 19 – 20
The downtown streets of Georgetown will transformed into a race course for 800 cyclists and 5,000 spectators for the inaugural Georgetown Grand on May 19 – 20. Professional and Olympic cyclists and bike racers from across the country are expected to compete in a criterium race, the exciting Grand Prix of cycling.
The Georgetown Grand, staged by Holland Racing, will be the state criterium championship weekend for the Texas Bicycle Racing Association on a course sanctioned by USA Cycling, the official competitive cycling organization in the U.S. A criterium is a closed-circuit race on a course of about one to two miles in length often staged on downtown streets.
The one-mile downtown course will include the courthouse Square and eight high-speed turns in a double-loop circuit. (See course map. Click on graphic to see larger version.)
Professional cyclists expected to compete in the Georgetown Grand include:
- David Wenger, current U.S. elite criterium champion, on Super Squadra Team
- Heath Blackgrove, former Olympian from New Zealand, on Elbowz Yamaha Cycling Team
- Brant Speed, current Texas state elite time trial champion
- Jen McRae, 1st place at USA CRIT finals in Las Vegas, 2008
- Stefan Rothe from Germany, current Texas state road race champion
- Ian Dille, currently ranked 5th in U.S. in criterium Cat 1, on Super Squadra Team
The Georgetown Grand also will include a non-competitive ride with routes of varying distances for recreational riders. The recreational ride on the morning of Saturday, May 19 will start and end on the criterium course and is expected to attract hundreds of riders.
The Georgetown Grand will be organized and managed by Holland Racing, a bike racing company known for hosting the weekly Driveway Series in Austin. Holland Racing also hosts the Tour of Austin, Hammerfest, Alsatian Country, and other racing events. Updates, race registration, race course and ride routes, and more will be available at GeorgetownGrand.com.
Posted in Archived, City Hall, Main Street
9 Responses to “Georgetown Grand Cycling Race in the Streets May 19 – 20”
There will be several races on Saturday and Sunday grouped by age, sex, and rider classification (Cat 1, Cat 2, etc.) Each race will do the 1-mile course for a set number of laps, but the number of laps will vary based on the category. The pros may race for 90 mimutes, but other races will be shorter. Look for more details to come on the race website indicated above.
About 50 people work @ WILCO sheriffs dept. on weekends..are you going to reserve parking for us so we can get to work and park?
Susan—You may want to contact someone at the County about reserving spaces in the County lots by the Justice Center and the Jail.
–Keith
Is there going to be a non-participant ride as part of this event? If so where can I find information for registration, routes, times, etc.?
Yes, there will be a non-competitive recreational ride during the Grand weekend. Check back at http://georgetowngrand.com for details as they are made available.
I wish I still lived in Georgetown so I could see this! There is a similar event here in Arlington Virginia (Clarendon Cup) near where I live. The race route weaves through downtown and its so much fun to have breakfast or lunch on the patio and watch the riders race past.
When will the racing begin and end on Sunday?
The Sunday racing schedule begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. you can see the full schedule for the weekend at http://www.georgetowngrand.com/Race/tabid/935/Default.aspx#Schedule.
–Keith Hutchinson
I’m unfamiliar with this type race and wonder if I’m supposed to know rom the information probided above….. just how long the race is??