By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY – Hundreds of cyclists will race through town this week as the Giordana Crossroads Classic returns to Salisbury.
The bicycle race series will visit Rowan County and Salisbury, the host community through 2014, for three of its five days.
Thursday evening, the riders will speed around tight city street corners in the downtown Salisbury criterium. Two other criteriums take place tonight in Concord and Friday evening in Statesville.
On Saturday, race participants will take to county roads in the High Rock Road Race. The finale on Sunday features a circuit race around City Park in Salisbury. All events are free for the public to watch.
“I am absolutely thrilled that the Salisbury-Rowan County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is willing to sponsor the Giordana Crossroads Classic for the next three years,” said race director Neal Boyd in a press release. “It’s great to see communities that are so enthusiastic about promoting the sport of cycling.”
James Meacham, the bureau’s executive director, said Tuesday that the county and city tourism boards made the three-year commitment to give the cyclists some consistency.
“It also shows riders that Salisbury-Rowan County embraces cycling and embraces the event, and we’re glad they’re here,” Meacham said.
Thursday’s start and finish line will be located on Main Street in front of the old court house, between Council and Liberty streets. Free races for children of all ages will be held at 6:45 p.m., and Old Time Concessions will provide children’s entertainment.
On Sunday, the finish line will be located at the top of the hill on Lake Drive, right by Ellis Street. Prevent Child Abuse Rowan will be selling food both Thursday and Sunday.
The Giordana Crossroads Classic, established in 2000, used to consist of five criteriums that would shift among various cities around Charlotte.
Last year, the format changed to include a road race and a circuit race, both of which are longer than the standard criterium. That was the first year that Salisbury-Rowan County became a primary sponsor and hosted more than one event.
Meacham said about 400 race participants stayed in close to 150 Rowan hotel rooms in 2011, steering tourism dollars into the local economy. The average person per trip spends about $50 to $125, he said, and maybe up to $200 if they stay overnight.
“We’re looking at a total economic impact of about $500,000 to $800,000 here from the event over five days,” he said. “We’re hoping to have at least that type of impact again, because it’s important to the community.”
He said those estimates include all costs associated with putting on the event here, not just visitor spending.
Meacham said about 80 percent of the riders came from out of town, representing more than 20 different states. This year, the bureau is offering incentives to cyclists to stay in the county longer, including more entries into a prize drawing for each hotel night.
The 2012 event will award $20,000 in cash and prizes. It also will provide jerseys for the race leaders and sprint competition winners for each category, during each event.
For maps of the race course and more information on the event, visit www.crossroadscyclingclassic.com.