The 2nd annual Shenandoah Time Trial bicycle race will take place on July 28th and Page Valley Cycling is looking for volunteers to help! Contact Chris at
Shenandoah Time Trial to Feature Wounded Warriors; State Championship Bicycle Race to Occur on Saturday, July 28
SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIA - The Page Valley Cycling bicycle club is pleased to announce that the Shenandoah Time Trial bicycle race, scheduled for July 28, 2012, has been selected as the Virginia state championship time trial and will be part of a time trial series specifically for Wounded Warriors.
The Wounded Warriors are United States Armed Forces veterans and active-duty service-members who have been wounded in the line of duty. Many of the athletes who are Wounded Warriors compete by using hand-cycles, recumbent bikes, or road bikes modified to accommodate their specific injury.
"It is a great honor that the Virginia Cycling Association awarded us the state championship in only our second year; but it is an even greater honor for us to host the Wounded Warriors for this event," said Christopher Gould, promoter of the Shenandoah Time Trial on behalf of Page Valley Cycling.
"Being granted this honor is a testament to the hard work everybody put into our inaugural race in 2011."
The Virginia Cycling Association (VACA) and the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association (MABRA) are the two regional affiliates of USA Cycling, the national governing body for both amateur and professional bicycle racing in the United States. The specific championship designation won by Shenandoah Time Trial is the "senior championship race," meaning that it is open to each experience-based category for all racers above the age of 23. Page Valley Cycling intends to also offer age-graded non-championship categories at the race, and will bid to once again be a part of the MABRA time trial race series in 2012. The event is also co-promoted by Northern Virginia-based Whole Wheel Velo Club.
As with other Page Valley Cycling events, the promoter is working closely with local officials, including the town police and county sheriff departments.
"The town is honored to have the Virginia Cycling Association designate the Shenandoah Time Trial as the Virginia senior championship!" said Clinton Lucas, Jr., Mayor of Shenandoah. "We were pleased to assist Page Valley Cycling and Whole Wheel Velo Club by hosting the time trial in 2011 and look forward to helping once again with the 2012 race. We are especially excited about welcoming our brave troops here to compete in Shenandoah. It is notable that Shenandoah Time Trial is the only time trial in the series outside the Tidewater region."
About 311 people, including 178 bike racers, came to the Shenandoah Time Trial on July 30 in 2011. In post-race surveys, racers cited the friendliness of the people and natural beauty of the area as reasons to come back and visit. The time trial course itself also received praise, drawing comparisons to time trials in Europe. The race also provided a small economic benefit the promoter hopes will grow in future years. According to survey results, participants and friends spent a little over $15,000 on food, merchandise, and lodging in Page County over race weekend. Some revenue from the time trial and Page Valley Cycling's annual Tour of Page County bicycle race was also donated to support the Shenandoah Rescue Squad.
"It was a pleasure to work with the Page Valley Cycling on last year's time trial here in Shenandoah", said Shenandoah Merchants Association Secretary Gary Patterson. "Judging from the look of the racers coming into the finishing stretch, it's clearly a tough course and it's not surprising that this event was designated a championship race."
A time trial is a unique discipline whereby cyclists race against the clock for the best time. Rather than a mass start, individual competitors take off from the start line in 30-second or 1-minute increments. As with last year, the Shenandoah Time Trial will take place on a course that begins downtown and will head out of town on Back Road; taking in a loop including Fleeburg Road, Naked Creek Road, and Loop Road before turning around and heading back into town again. The exact in-town portions of the course have not yet been determined.
While some roads along the course will be closed, and others will have limited access to in-town portions and motorists are cautioned to drive with care over the entire course while the race is in progress. There will be road guards at key intersections on the course, stopping and directing traffic as necessary.
Those interested in co-sponsoring the event or volunteering should contact Christopher Gould by email at:
About Page Valley Cycling
A member of the Shenandoah Merchant's Association and the Page County Chamber of Commerce, Page Valley Cycling promotes bicycling in Page County
as a means of transportation, fitness, recreation, and racing.
