The Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival is seeking juniors riders to compete in the Monson and Sons Iowa State Criterium Championships in Clear Lake Iowa. The races start at noon on Saturday, July 9. The crit is a fast, multilap event on a 0.9-mile course starting and ending at City Park in Clear Lake. There will be special race categories for kids ages of 10-12, 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18. The age categories are further broken out by boys and girls.
Race Director Tim Putnam stated, “We’ll have a full range of junior race categories, and this is new for our race. The kids will get a real kick racing for a little something extra, as the winner in each age category will be crowned as the Iowa State Champion, just like in state championships events such as wrestling, track, and cross county. The top three finishers will receive gold, silver, and bronze championship medals.” There is a total cash purse of $6,100 for the adult racers.
The entry fee is $10 for juniors, and North Iowa Spin will pay for a one day USA Cycling license ($15) for any junior from the North Iowa area, including the counties of Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright.
Bikes must be in good operating conditions, and aero bars may not be used or attached to the bike. Wayne’s Ski & Cycle in Mason City will complete a thorough bike safety inspection for free. Bring your bike into their Mason City shop prior to the race, and they will also be in the park the morning of the race to provide bike safety inspection for race participants.
The road race will begin at the Surf Ballroom at 10:00 AM on Sunday, July 10. The 82- and 42-mile courses end on B-35, south of Clear Lake near the water treatment facility. The awards ceremony will be held near Clear Lake State Park after the completion of each category with a purse of $3,900.
More information:
Information for the The Monson and Sons Criterium and Road Race and all the Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival events can be found at www.bicyclebluesbbq.com
