Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation

Colorado Springs, Colo. (Feb. 2, 2004) - Schilling Sports NW announces the 2004 Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation - Northwest Juniors Racing Series, presented by Bicycle Paper and the Washington State Bicycle Association. The all-criterium race series is part of the USA Cycling - Lance Armstrong Junior Olympics Race Series, and is comprised of 11 races in the Seattle area.

Continuing on last year's success, the 2004 series will run on many of the same courses. Series Director Dave Schilling said, "In our first year we saw junior participation increase to an average of 40 participants in each event, quite an increase over the average of 10 riders in past years at local juniors' events. With an expanded marketing program to reach more kids, I think we'll see our ridership average at least 50 juniors for each race in 2004."

Five new venues have been added to this year's line up, including three courses in the Seattle area. Juniors race start times have been moved from early in the morning to "prime time," and are now scheduled to run just before the top senior categories later in the day. That move will allow juniors coming from further distances to compete in the races.

The series will continue with the successful age and gender-based junior categories. "Kids gain strength quickly as they progress from pre-teen through the late teens. The age categories reflect the strength progression," explained Schilling. The categories are: A (17-18); B (15-16); C (13-14) and D (10-12).

All races provide a motor vehicle traffic free environment and are part of established races such as, the Seward Park criterium series, the Volunteer Park criteriums, the Ballard Twilight criterium and the Boat Street criterium.

A series-long points system will run for male and female racers in each age group and all final podium finishers will be recognized with Junior Olympic medals at the end of the series.

Series Calendar

April 4th - Recycled Cycles Boat St. Criterium, Seattle

April 18th - First Rate Mortgage Seward Park Spring Criterium, Seattle

May 8th - Kent Bicycle Festival, Kent

June 12th - Olympic Athletic Club Twilight Criterium, Seattle

June 13th - Gregg's Cycles Volunteer Park Criterium, Seattle

June 20th - First Rate Mortgage Seward Park Criterium, Seattle

June 27th - Aurora Cycle Criterium, Bothell

July 10th - Redmond Derby Days Criterium, Redmond

July 17th - Tukwila Criterium, Tukwila

August 1st - Volunteer Park Summer Criterium, Seattle

August 29th - First Rate Mortgage Seward Park Criterium, Seattle

The series is sponsored by Cascade Bicycle Club, Bicycle Paper, Washington State Bicycle Association, Clif, WSBAjr, YMCA, Schwalbe Tires, USA Cycling, Aurora Cycle Team and Schilling Sports Northwest.


This Article Published 2004-02-03 11:27:08 For more information contact: kfagan@usacycling.org