Ripon to host WCA Crit Championships June 14

The best bicycle racers in Wisconsin and beyond will converge on Ripon Saturday, June 14 for the Wisconsin Cycling Association’s 2008 State Criterium Championships presented by the Ripon Restaurant Group. Riders will compete in 11 categories for the Wisconsin State Championship Jersey and nearly $7,000 in cash and prizes.

Medals will be awarded to the top three riders and a Wisconsin Championship jersey to the overall state winner in each category. Racing action begins at 8:30 a.m. with the women’s races and continues all day with the final pro race beginning at 5:30 p.m. The 3/4-mile race course will run counterclockwise with a start and finish on Watson Street in the heart of Ripon’s historic downtown business district. The route then winds through a stately residential neighborhood and the Ripon College campus before the final 130-meter sprint to the finish line.

A free Kids’ Fun Race and Parade for children 9 and under will be held on Watson Street at 2:45 p.m.

The event is hosted by Lakes Area Physical Therapy Cycling Club and the Ripon College Red Hawks Cycling Team. Cash and prizes are being supplied by race sponsors the Ripon Restaurant Group (owners of Roadhouse pizza, Dos Gringos Mexican Restaurant and Suds on the Square); Precision Plus Inc. of Elkhorn; Fond du Lac/Oshkosh Cyclery; Attitude Sports of Fond du Lac; Bicycle Doctor Nordic Ski Shop of Dousman; Open MRI of Sheboygan; and KC’s Driving Schools of Southeastern Wisconsin.

We’re very excited to be bringing bicycle racing back to Ripon with one of the premier events in the state. This community once had a grand association with the sport of cycling dating back to the state bicycle meets of the Wisconsin Division of the League of American Wheelmen in the 1890s. We believe this event will showcase Ripon once more as a wonderful place to host a bike race.

With discounted rates at Ripon hotels, racers and fans are encouraged to come early and stay late. The weekend’s activities begin Friday, June 13, with Ripon’s Village Green Summer Concert Series featuring Andy and the Automatics from 7 to 10 p.m. Dos Gringos, Roadhouse and Suds on the Square will be catering to racers and fans with special hours Saturday and outdoor dining on Ripon’s historic square at the north end of Watson Street.

More information can be found on the race Web site at www.ripon.edu/wcacritchamps.