Ohio
Ohio Cycling Challenge
September 28, 2013 – Dublin, Ohio
A premier cycling festival featuring the rivers and rolling hills of Central and Southeastern Ohio - with something for everyone – rides and races, expo and post-event party.
Start Making Plans - REGISTER HERE
The leaves are turning color and the cycling in Central Ohio is outstanding this time of year. The Columbus metro area boasts a whole lot of firsts – largest private R & D foundation (Battelle Memorial Institute), largest university campus (The Ohio State University), best place to raise a family (Business Week), top up-and-coming tech city (Forbes), best zoo and aquarium (USA Travel Guide) and a whole lot more. Ex-RAAM marketing VP, Jeff Stephens, now president of Consider Biking, the Columbus Area cycling advocacy group, convinced us to look at Columbus … one visit and we were hooked. Columbus is cool. Cycling in Ohio is excellent.
The leaves are turning color and the cycling in Central Ohio is outstanding this time of year. The Columbus metro area boasts a whole lot of firsts – largest private R & D foundation (Battelle Memorial Institute), largest university campus (The Ohio State University), best place to raise a family (Business Week), top up-and-coming tech city (Forbes), best zoo and aquarium (USA Travel Guide) and a whole lot more. Ex-RAAM marketing VP, Jeff Stephens, now president of Consider Biking, the Columbus Area cycling advocacy group, convinced us to look at Columbus … one visit and we were hooked. Columbus is cool. Cycling in Ohio is excellent.
Our goal is to promote cycling and the healthy lifestyle though a series of weekend events held across the USA. These events include rides and races for cyclists of all abilities. Each event affords the opportunity for cyclists and others to learn about endurance bicycle racing. And each event includes a race where solo racers may attempt to qualify and teams may tune up for the Race Across America. Sign up and come out for a weekend of fun.
Activities
A weekend of fun – 3 non-competitive rides (30, 60 and 120 miles), 2 endurance races (200 and 400 miles), an expo and post-event party with awards, entertainment, food and drink. The 120-mile ride is a “Gran Fondo.”
A weekend of fun – 3 non-competitive rides (30, 60 and 120 miles), 2 endurance races (200 and 400 miles), an expo and post-event party with awards, entertainment, food and drink. The 120-mile ride is a “Gran Fondo.”
What is a Gran Fondo? A Gran Fondo – Italian for “big ride” – is a long distance, mass participation cycling event – not a race – open to recreational and competitive cyclists. The Gran Fondo falls somewhere between a non-competitive century ride and a road race. All participants are timed. Riders may challenge themselves against the distance or the clock. The top riders compete against each other to finish first. Gran Fondos typically have more challenging courses – ours are no exception. Most importantly, they have big parties after the finish. Participants are usually not in a rush to get home. They regale each other with tales of glory over a hot meal and a cold beverage! Our Gran Fondo is no exception … come on out, ride and party!
Above and beyond a Gran Fondo, the next challenge: an intro into endurance racing!
Start/Finish
Start, finish and party at South Lawn Amphitheater, Coffman Park, Dublin, Ohio - a NW suburb of Columbus.
For the complete Schedule of Activities
Click here to see map of Start/Finish area.
Rides and Races
All rides and races have been designed to feature the rivers and rolling hills of Central and Southeastern Ohio.
Rides.Choose the appropriate length and difficulty. All rides leave the Coffman Park and head west on Post Road. The 30-mile ride will follow quiet roads up to O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, along the east shore, past the Zoo and Aquarium and back. The 60-mile ride will follow quiet roads past O’Shaughnessy Reservoir up to Delaware, over to Alum Creek and back. The 120-mile ride will follow quiet roads past O’Shaughnessy Reservoir up to Delaware, over to Mt. Vernon and pass by Alum Creek on the way back to the finish.
All rides are non-competitive and fully supported with aid stations (food and beverage), bike mechanics on course, bike patrol, traffic control by local law enforcement and SAG support. No personal SAG vehicles will be allowed.
Races.Races are open to solo, 2 and 4-person teams.Both races leave Coffman Park and head west on Post Road. Both races are essentially large loops around Columbus.
The 200-mile race follows quiet roads past O’Shaughnessy Reservoir to Delaware, up through Mt. Gilead, to Lexington where it heads east. After passing though Loudonville, racers will continue on to Millersburg, where they will head back through Mt. Vernon, Centerburg and Sunbury. The course features roughly 8,00 feet of climbing. The 200-mile racers have 17 hours to finish.
The 400-mile course follows the 200-mile course to Millersburg. But, the 400-mile racers will continue east out of Millersburg through Berlin to Sugarcreek. East of Millersburg, racers will enter Amish country and the route becomes increasingly hilly. East of Sugarcreek, the route turns south and continues through Cambridge to Athens. Here the route heads west along the Race Across America route through McArthur and Chillicothe to Greenfield. At Greenfield racers will leave the RAAM route and head north to Washington Court House, London and back to Dublin. The course features roughly 18,000 feet of climbing. The 400-mile racers will have 34 hours to finish. The 400-mile race is a RAAM Qualifier.
The races are unsupported. There will be no aid stations or SAG support on the 200 and 400-mile courses. Bikes and support vehicles will be inspected. 200 mile racers may ride randonneur style (without crew), but must notify the Race Director prior to the event. The 400-mile racers must have a support crew. Riders and crew must follow Modified RAAM Rules.
Route Maps, Profiles and Cue Sheets
400-mile, 200-mile, 120-mile, 60-mile and 30-mile routes (mileage is approximate)
* Final cue sheets will be distributed at check-in immediately prior to the event
* Final cue sheets will be distributed at check-in immediately prior to the event
Timing
Races will be timed.
Where to Stay
Red Roof Inn
5125 Post Road
Dublin, OH 43107
614-764-3993
Dublin, OH 43107
614-764-3993
What to Bring
Fall weather can be unpredictable. We expect a beautiful Fall weekend - sunshine with warm daytime and crisp nighttime temperatures. But, hey, it’s Fall … we could see clouds and rain. So, come prepared for anything.
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Contact us: director@souleventsusa.com
A portion of the proceeds from the Ohio Cycling Challenge will be donated to non-profit organizations – to be announced.
The Ohio Cycling Challenge is produced by Soul Events in conjunction with the Race Across America (RAAM). To learn more about RAAM visit raceacrossamerica.org . To learn more about Soul Events visit souleventsusa.com.
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