Last year’s inaugural Tour of Lawrence was one of the highlights of the year, bringing three days of amateur and professional bicycle racing to the Sunflower State. It was quite possibly the highest-profile road racing event ever to take place in Kansas.
But everyone knew it may never happen again. There was every intention of making this an annual event, but there were no guarantees.
But thankfully, the Tour of Lawrence is back for a second year:
The Lawrence Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced that the second annual Tour of Lawrence cycling event will return to Lawrence July 2 – 4, 2010. This USA Cycling sanctioned Pro-AM event features three races during the weekend, and brings world-class cycling to town in a spectator-friendly format.
“We are thrilled to bring this event back in 2010,” said Bob Sanner, Lawrence Convention & Visitors Bureau sports marketing director. “The event was very successful in 2009, and we believe strongly that with the help of U.S. Bank and our other sponsors, it will continue to grow this year. We hope to attract additional riders and expand the event’s impact on the Lawrence economy.”
The Tour of Lawrence, presented by U.S. Bank, will again be a three-race event offering regional professional teams, as well as amateur riders, an opportunity to spend the holiday weekend in Lawrence while they compete for more than $20,000 in cash prizes. The 2010 event is expected to draw more than 400 riders per event to the community for the weekend.
“This event has developed into something very exciting,” said Brad Burnside, president of U.S. Bank in Lawrence. “The U.S. Bank team is very pleased to be the presenting sponsor for this year’s Tour of Lawrence and looks forward to being part of its success for the Lawrence community.”
The Tour of Lawrence kicks-off on Friday, July 2 with the Eldridge Hotel Street Sprint in downtown Lawrence. The Street Sprint is a 200-meter course that takes riders straight uphill on a short sprint. In conjunction with the Street Sprint, spectators will enjoy live music, food, beer and other beverages as well as a Kids’ Zone, sponsored by the Lawrence Central Rotary.
On Saturday, July 3 the Tour moves to the Kansas University campus for the Campus Circuit Race. The route takes riders on a 4.4-mile loop around the university campus that boasts a challenging 500 feet of vertical climb per loop, and less than a half-mile of level terrain. This campus course showcases the best of what northeast Kansas has to offer riders with beautiful scenery and demanding topography. There is plenty of space along and near the course to for spectators to watch the race.
On July 4, Sunday, the festivities begin with a Mass St. Mile run, sponsored by Garry Gribble’s and a Kids’ Bike Race. The Tour of Lawrence Criterium will follow these events and run throughout the evening. The Criterium is a one-mile course with six wide turns, where riders race a one-mile circuit for 70 minutes.
Here are the maps for the races:
You can learn more about the event from the flyer or at touroflawrence.com. The Lawrence Journal-World covered the announcement with Tour of Lawrence offers events for all ages, interests.
It’s good to see this high-quality event coming back for another year!
Post tags: Lawrence
