The race is on
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The event, presented by the McMinnville-Warren County Chamber of Commerce and the city of McMinnville, is sanctioned by the USA Cycling Federation and draws competitors from all over the United States, and even some foreign countries, who will be vying for a total purse of $15,000, making it the most lucrative road race in the state.
According to Chamber president Alicea Weddington, this year’s event will bring some new features for cyclists, including a registration night in the Community Room of the Chamber from 6 to 9 p.m. There will also be a free concert on The Lot, formerly known as The Hole, featuring Brad Kaplan and his band The Attic Cats from 6 to 9 p.m., and a food tent, courtesy of Main Street McMinnville, where attendees can purchase a variety of refreshments. This new pre-race celebration will be open to anyone who would like to come out and interact with the visiting cyclists.
‘We just really want to welcome them to the community,’ Weddington said.
The River Park Hospital Road Race will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. and is a long-distance event, with most cyclists racing a 55-mile loop while the professionals race 110 miles in about 4 hours.
The route for the road race is as follows:
‘ Start ‘ Highway 8 at the Victory Free Will Baptist Church
‘ Right on Highway 127
‘ Right on Highway 30
‘ Travel to and turn right onto Baker Mountain Road
‘ Sharp Left onto R.T. Davis Road
‘ Right onto Old Highway 111
‘ Right onto New Highway 111
‘ Right onto Highway 8
‘ Finish at Victory Free Will Baptist Church.
The Warren County Commission Time Trial is a short burst up Harrison Ferry Mountain. The course will begin on Dark Hollow Road and run 2-1/2 miles up the mountain with an 8 percent grade. The first rider will start at 2:30 p.m. and the rest will follow at 30-second intervals.
The Dr Pepper/SunDrop Criterium on Sunday will start with the juniors at 8 a.m. and end with senior category 4 at 2:30 p.m. The course will run as follows:
‘ Start at the Farmers Market and run east
‘ Turn right onto North Spring Street
‘ Turn left onto E. Main Street
‘ Turn right onto Court Square at Region’s Bank
‘ Turn right onto Morford Street at the Post Office
‘ Turn right onto Sparta Street at the end of Morford
‘ Turn left onto E. Main
‘ Turn right at the Fire Department onto Market Street
‘ Turn right and back to the finish at Farmers Market.
During the criterium there will be several road closures. The section of Main Street will be closed from Citizens Tri-County Bank to the fire department, and traffic will be routed down around the Chamber of Commerce building to E. Colville Street. Morford Street will be closed from the post office to Sparta Street. The race section of Sparta Street and a section of N. Spring Street will also be closed with traffic being routed through Lyon Street.
Weddington says it’s important to consider the safety of the riders during the event, and particularly to keep dogs in their yards and away from the race routes in order to prevent accidents.
‘We ask the public to be conscious of the cyclists,’ Weddington said. ‘Certainly we want to welcome them to our community, and safety is of the utmost importance. We want everyone to be aware of what the race routes are and be on the lookout for them.’