City officials may be trying to slow down traffic in downtown
Morgan Hill, but for one Sunday in April it
’ll be all about speeding through the tree-lined
thoroughfare.
City officials may be trying to slow down traffic in downtown Morgan Hill, but for one Sunday in April it’ll be all about speeding through the tree-lined thoroughfare.
After a decade-long hiatus, the Morgan Hill Grand Prix criterium will return to the downtown, and bicyclists will rip around town at speeds approaching 40 mph.
Sponsored by locally based Specialized Bicycles, the criterium is set for April 10 from 8am to 6pm. It will feature a range of cycling competitions including professional road and mountain bikes and kids races. There will be races for men and women in various skill categories, as well as a masters competition for bicyclists aged 35 and over. The racers will compete for an estimated $3,000-$5,000 in prize money.
And, for the anticipated thousands who are expected to attend, there will be exhibition displays offered by event sponsors, and cycling and sports industry companies. There will be no admission charge.
According to organizers, additional details are still being worked out and a completed program will be presented to the City Council on Wednesday at 7pm at City Hall. Currently, a permit request for the event is being circulated for approval at City Hall in anticipation of the council update.
Specialized spokeswoman Ariadne Scott said the event is expected to draw 300-500 cyclists and an estimated 2,000 spectators. Scott said bringing back the event, the brainchild of the local bike company and backed by Mayor Dennis Kennedy, has been in the works since last year. She added that the event is a chance to put the world of international competitive bicycling on a local stage.
“We’re trying to share our passion for racing and this is the perfect opportunity for that,” Scott said. “There will be something for everyone. We want this to be the kickoff for an annual event.”
Rick Sutton of race promoter GaleForce Sports said the focus for now is building the event from the ground up.
“My long-range plan is to make this an event Morgan Hill can be proud of and people will want to come to it year after year,” Sutton said.
Organizers are banking on the fact that the race is scheduled for the week before the internationally known Sea Otter Classic in Monterey to attract top-flight cycling talent and plenty of fans.
In fact, Tom Simpson of race manager Pilarcitos Cycle Sport said the plan is to eventually boost the Morgan Hill criterium into an event that will draw international recognition of its own.
“We’re hoping it will grow in stature and be a lead-in for the Sea Otter Classic,” Simpson said. “We’re hoping to capitalize on the top riders in the world coming in for the Sea Otter.”
The 15th annual Sea Otter Classic will be held April 14-17 at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey. An estimated 10,000 professional and amateur athletes and more than 50,000 spectators are expected to attend the four-day festival.
The event includes 20 professional and amateur events, including the Pro Road Stage Race, the Pro Mountain Bike Stage Race, and the Pro Gravity Omnium, as well as an outdoor cycling tradeshow featuring the latest trends and technologies in road cycling, mountain biking, and recreational products and services.
There also will be a kid’s bike rodeo, Sea Otter Egg Hunt, inflatable games, all free for children ages 12 and under. Event entry fees range from $25 to $85, and spectator fees are $10 per day or $30 for a four-day pass. Children 12 and under are free.
Simpson said the local criterium, while not part of a larger racing circuit, will join a roster of 35-40 similar events in Northern California stretching from Monterey to Sacramento, including the Burlingame criterium and the Cherry Pie criterium in Napa.
Sutton said he would like to see the region’s various criteriums combined into a racing circuit but said that would be a longer-range goal.
Morgan Hill’s Don Langley, a member of the Morgan Stanley/Specialized/24-Hour Fitness Racing Team, said he’s looking forward to competing at home after traveling all over the United States and to Europe for bicycle racing events.
“It’s great because it’s my hometown race,” Langley said. “It’s nice not to have to travel.”
The 42-year-old Live Oak High graduate and 20-year cycling veteran competed in the original Morgan Hill criterium 10 years ago and is helping plan the event this time around.
Langley said one of the local event’s big attractions will be the race course, which begins and ends at the corner of Monterey Road and the Third Street bridge. The circuit will wind through downtown, featuring nine turns and a short hill climb in just over a mile.
The grand finale will take place on the tree-lined downtown portion of Monterey Road, where the pack will sprint full-out for the finish line. The exact course is yet to be determined.
Strategically, organizers said the narrow bridge on Third Street, where the cyclists will vie to be first to squeeze through the gap, and the hill, where the “power-climbers” will try to gain an edge on their rivals, are the course’s signature features.
“It’s a great course – downtown with hills,” Langley said. “These races are usually held on industrial park courses where it’s kind of boring. This will be much nicer.”
Certain streets will have to be closed along the race course, Scott said, but downtown businesses will be able to remain open and the event should generate additional commerce.
Scott said the event will generate income through competition entry fees and exhibitors fees, although she said the primary goal is not making money. Entry fees will range from $25-$30 depending on the racing category. Scott said event organizers are also seeking sponsorships from area businesses.
MH Grand Prix details: call the event hotline at (650) 302-6310 or visit the Web site at www.morganhillgrandprix.com Sea Otter Classic details: call the event hotline at (650) 364-7612 or visit the Web site at www.seaotterclassic.com
City Council and/or the Redevelopment Agency meets at 7pm most Wednesdays in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: www.morganhill.ca.gov or 779-7271. Council meetings are broadcast live on cable access channel 17.
