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Friday, September 03, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | Grand Prix, day 2, in Cannon Falls June 17
by Sue Sullivan
The Nature Valley Bicycle Grand Prix will be coming to Cannon Falls during Day 2 of the five-day event, Thursday, June 17.
One of the nation's top celebrations for the bicycle culture, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, began as a one-day event in St. Paul in 1999. It is now one of the nation's top celebrations with tens of thousands of cycling enthusiasts, pro athletes, and avid recreational riders converging on Minnesota each June.
Former Welch resident, Sue (Flueger) Butler has qualified as one of the 12 Pro Riders and will compete in the Grand Prix.
This year the event will include a fixed gear classic Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, at the National Sports Center (NSC) Velodrome in Blaine. Participants have only one gear, no brakes, and control their speed by peddling faster or slower. It is free and open to the public beginning at 6:00 p.m. Friday, 11:00 a.m. Saturday, and noon on Sunday.
The first stage of the Grand Prix race opens in downtown St. Paul on Wednesday, June 16 with a morning time trial and evening criterium (short circuit races). Participants will race around Rice Park in front of the Ordway Center, looping around bricked streets (reminiscent of ancient cobblestone paths in Europe) some 40 times.
Day 2 brings racers to Cannon Falls. The Expo on Mill Street in front of the Library opens at 5:00 p.m. Along with concessions, the Expo will feature the music of Dave Carpenter and Friends.
The Schmano Kid's Race begins at approximately 6:15 p.m. All kids 12 and under are invited to participate and parents must attend with their child to register. In addition, all participants must bring their own bike and be wearing a helmet.
Kids can register to win a new bike (donated by Althoff Hardware) or a new helmet (donated by the Cannon Falls Medical Center), but must be present to win.
Beginning at 2:00 p.m. "Team Vera Bradley Foundation," a professional woman's cycling team will be at the CF library to help raise funds and awareness for the Foundation and for breast cancer research. It will be the first program for the Summer Reading Program.
The library parking lot will be closed all day. Mill Street will be closed starting around 1:00 p.m. between Third and Fourth Streets and Third Street will be closed from Hwy. 19 to Hoffman Street (access will remain open to Merchants Bank.) The businesses on Mill Street and the Third Street area that is closed to traffic, will still be open and accessible by foot.
Due to safety concerns for both riders and observers, the streets used for the in-town circuit will have parking and access restrictions before and during the event including brief closures of streets and intersections as the men (at 7:00 p.m.) and the women (at 8:00 p.m) continue to race.
To thank those residents most impacted by the in-town circuit, Nature Valley Grand Prix is once again sponsoring a Neighborhood Picnic at the East Side Park the evening of the race, and will include a performance by the Cannnon Falls Community Band.
From around the globe, the world's best racers are expected to enter the in-town circuit from Hwy. 25 onto Spring Garden Road and on to Second Street at Park Street. They will continue north on Second to Minnesota Street, east to Almond Street and loop around to Water Street going west. Racers will jog onto Stoughton Street moving west, and turn south on Third Street to complete the race at Mill Street.
Day 3 will bring them back to Minneapolis, then on to Menomonie, WI, and their final stage in Stillwater.
The event is a volunteer run event with all profits donated to Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.
Volunteers in Cannon Falls are still needed to set up, tear down, and for corner-marshaling. Contact the Chamber at 263-2289 to volunteer.
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