Pro-Am Bicycle Race Joins 3rd Thursdays Downtown Arts Celebration
PITTSFIELD – Professional bicycle racing returns to downtown Pittsfield after a twenty year hiatus with the Legacy Banks Criterium, to be held on August 21 as part of the 3rd Thursdays downtown arts celebration.“We're very pleased to bring back this exciting race with the generous support of Legacy Banks.” said Brian Rabuse, race promoter and vice president of the Berkshire Cycling Association. “This event will draw the top cyclists from the Northeast, and some of them live right here in the Berkshires.”
Local heavy hitters include Sean Condron of Lanesboro, Josh Lipka of Cheshire, and Will Dugan of Lenox. Condron just won a collegiate team national championship in May; and Dugan and Lipka are among the top amateurs in the country right now.
The race, sanctioned by the United States Cycling Federation, will have a $1,500 prize list. It will consist of 50 laps of a one kilometer closed circuit in downtown Pittsfield. The race course starts in front of Legacy Banks on North Street and follows a clockwise loop on West, Center, and Depot streets.
The race will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the course will be closed to vehicles for approximately one hour, including access to McKay Street. For more information, or to volunteer to help run the race, contact Brian Rabuse at 413-553-3167.
3rd Thursdays is a monthly downtown celebration featuring music, performance, contemporary art, dining and shopping held from 5pm to 8pm on the third Thursdays of the month from May to October in downtown Pittsfield. For more information, visit www.culturalpitstfield.com.
