Click below to read the full press release on the upcoming 24th Greenville Cycling Classic:
WORLD-CLASS BICYCLE RACING RETURNS TO GREENVILLE
“FALL FOR GREENVILLE” WEEKEND, OCTOBER 11-12
St. Francis Hospital Title Sponsor of the 24th Annual Greenville Cycling Classic.
October 6, 2008, Greenville, SC—World-class bicycle racing will return to Greenville October 11-12 for the 24th Annual St. Francis Hospital Greenville Cycling Classic presented by Greer State Bank and Hincapie Sportswear. Hundreds of the country’s fastest professional and amateur cyclists will compete for the winner’s share of the $20,000 weekend purse. The fast and furious races will be held Saturday and Sunday on an exciting course in Greenville’s booming West End, adjacent to the “Fall for Greenville” family festival. St. Francis Hospital, Greer State Bank and Hincapie Sportswear have returned as valuable sponsors of this fun-filled weekend of criterium racing.
“The Greenville Cycling Classic caps off an exciting year of world-class cycling in Greenville,” said Rich Hincapie, longtime Greenville Cycling Classic Race Director. “We are thrilled to have St. Francis Hospital as title sponsor yet again this year. They have been a valuable supporter of many of Greenville’s best cycling events, and their sports medicine program is the best in the state. This year’s race will feature several of the same riders that competed in the USA Cycling Championships last month.”
Specific races will be held for several different categories of riders throughout the weekend, include a special $2000 purse for every different race on Saturday. Hincapie says, “The $2000 purses are extremely popular with the racers and we’ve been doing it for several years now. Most of the amateur racers have never seen a purse that large. It’s a little extra motivation to keep the action exciting.”
This year’s event will feature talented young racers from the Hincapie Barkley U23 Development Team, first-year pro’s from the Hincapie sponsored Time Professional Cycling Team, former Master’s National Champions, Chris Harkey and Scottie Weiss and many others as they battle it out downtown. Harkey and his Hincapie/Coca-Cola pb Barkley teammates will be out in full force, hoping to cap their season with a win in front of the hometown crowd. Five-time US Olympian and Tour de France Stage Winner, George Hincapie and two-time U23 National Champion, Craig Lewis will also be on hand Saturday afternoon to support the sponsors and participate in the activities.
Race visitors will be treated to lots of fast-paced cycling action in the middle of downtown Greenville. The one-kilometer course winds its way around the historic West End of Greenville, finishing near the beautiful Liberty Bridge at Falls Park. Cycling fans can catch all the action by viewing the racing from anywhere along the course. Prime viewing locations will be along Main Street through the West End, especially at the corners of Main Street and Camperdown Street and Main Street and Augusta Streets.
October 11th and 12th is sure to be an exciting weekend of bicycle racing action. Races start at 9:00am on Saturday, October 11th, with the day concluding in a 50-lap professional race at 5:00pm. The start and finish of all races will be located on Main Street between Camperdown Street and Augusta Street in downtown Greenville.
For more information on the race, please visit: http://www.hincapie.com/events/greenvilleclassic/
Rider interviews may be scheduled upon request.
About The Greenville Cycling Classic:
The Greenville Cycling Classic has grown from a small race held in Cleveland Park, with a prize purse of $1,800, to the kind of event that has put Greenville on the map as a regular stop on the professional bicycle racing circuit. With a weekend purse in excess of $20,000, the Greenville Cycling Classic is now one of the most popular races on the US National Racing calendar. For more information, please visit www.HincapieSports.com.