Riders big and small racing in Creemore this weekend
The third annual Creemore Kids Cent Ride is coming to Creemore this Sunday.
A cycling event that is staged on the same day as the Centurion Cycling C100 mile cycling event, the Kids Cent Ride is a fun way to encourage children ages five to 12 to cycle as an active recreational activity in the community and to promote safe cycling habits on rural roads.
The first elite riders are expected to start arriving in the village around 10 a.m.
Creemore Kids Cent Ride organizer Thom Paterson said Creemore has become a cycling destination.
“Cyclist are attracted to our scenic rural landscapes and our roads offer a variety of challenging routes for every level of cyclist. Our shops and restaurants provide a welcome stop along the way,” he said.
In partnership with the BIA, the Creemore Kids Cent Ride is an opportunity for young riders to experience the excitement of cycling on a grand scale while being exposed to safe riding techniques and ways to safely share the roads.
The children’s events start on Mill Street at 9:30 a.m. with the OPP and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit offering a bike safety rodeo when young riders can practice their road skills and get their helmets checked. Little Ed’s Bike Shop will be on site to do free bike safety checks.
The Kids Cent Ride, starts at 10:45 a.m. The route is a 1/100th version of the Centurion event and will run along a one-mile course through the village. Water will be provided, free T-shirts will be given to the first 50 participants to sign up and prizes will be awarded. Young riders can register at the event on Sunday.
Parents are encouraged to cycle. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help with the event.
Centurion cycling is described by its founder Graham Fraser, of Ironman fame, as “combining the mass-participation buzz of a big city marathon with the epic feel of riding in a stage of the Tour de France. If you want to race, you can race. If you’d rather ride, you can ride.”
Centurion cycling events feature set courses of 25, 50 and 100 miles in and around The Blue Mountains, Collingwood and Clearview over three days this weekend.
Total participation is expected to number close to 3,000 cyclists. The big event, the C100, starts and ends in The Blue Mountains with close to a 1,000 racers and riders expected to pass through Creemore Sunday morning.
Mill Street will be closed for the morning until all the cyclists have passed through. There will be rolling road closures throughout all of the municipalities hosting the event. For maps of the race routes, visit www.centurioncycling.com.
