by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
For the first time in nearly 15 years, competitive bicycle racing is coming to downtown.
The Jacksonville Racing Club is hosting the 2003 Jax Cycling Classic May 3 and 4. The two-day event consists of 10 races on Saturday in San Marco and 10 races on Sunday in front of the Landing. Club president Fred Norman — who will not only organize the races, but also compete — said the event is open to racers of all ages and abilities.
“We’re hoping for approximately 300 racers a day and we will have all classes,” said Norman. “We’ll have 10 races each day, with races for kids and amateurs early and finish both days with pro races around three or four in the afternoon.”
The two-day event is being sponsored this year by the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
“We are sponsoring it for associated costs of about $3,000,” said Sports and Entertainment director Mike Sullivan. “It’s competitive racing with cash prizes and points at stake. We have not had anything like this in a long, long time; not this type of competition. It’s probably been 12-15 years.”
Norman said the JRC has put on races every year in Jacksonville for the past decade, but they were in outlying parts of town.
“We wanted to do something different, take it to the next level and expand the competition,” explained Norman, who will race in the over-40 division. “We are hoping this becomes an annual event in downtown. We have some big companies that are interested in sponsoring the races if we can make them an annual event in the downtown area.”
Sullivan sees no problem with that.
“This is the first year they have come to us for sponsorship,” said Sullivan. “Obviously, we want to support the biking industry and if it’s successful and people show interest in it, we’ll continue to support it.”
Norman believes the two-day event will draw several thousand spectators each day. Part of that logic is based on the fact the races will take place in a limited area. All 20 races will be run on city streets with laps less than a mile long. Unlike other road races, spectators will barely have to time to take a sip of a cold drink before the pack of racers will go whizzing by again.
Norman said similar events throughout the Southeast have proven popular and would like to see the Jacksonville event grow into something much bigger over time.
“San Marco is key for us. Other races in the South are held in the arts districts of towns,” said Norman, adding next weekend’s event is almost a test to see what kind of response the races generate. “That’s it. That’s the idea behind it. This weekend in Athens, Ga. they are having races and expect 20,000 to 30,000 people. We want to build this event into some kind of regional event.”
The highlight may come Sunday afternoon when the professional racers compete in an extremely competitive elimination race. At the end of each lap, the last racer is eliminated until only one is left. The public is encouraged to attend the free races, bring chairs and stay for the day.