West Reading Avenues Fall 2017 - 12

IN THE COMMUNITY

Two-Day Cycling
Event Coming
to Reading and
West Reading
Friday & Saturday, September 8 & 9, 2017

he Reading Radsport Festival will bring professional
bicycle racing to West Reading on Saturday, Sept. 9. The
West Reading event is part of a two-day event to benefit
the Reading Recreation Commission and other local organizations.
On that day, professional bicyclists will race on a 0.8 mile loop
that includes Penn Avenue. The event also includes a race for
amateur bikers and an event for children. Viewers can watch the
race from anywhere on the course, including from West Reading's
many eating and drinking establishments.
The community cycling event will include live music, as well as
races for kids, citizen cyclists, and professional cyclists traveling
from all over the country to race in Reading and West Reading.
"We are very excited to be working with the Reading Recreation
Commission to bring professional bike racing to town this September," said Radsport organizer Kacey Lloyd. "Berks County has
an unmatched cycling tradition and a community that loves bike
racing. Bringing high-level, high-speed racing to this community
is a natural fit. We're grateful for the chance to bring this fun
community event to Reading and to support Reading Recreation's
important work, by showcasing the country's best athletes in an
exciting, high-stakes race."
10

Avenues Fall 2017

Race festivities kick off at 5 p.m. Friday, September 8, with a
parade and ribbon cutting ceremony, hosted by Lower Alsace
Township, to celebrate the completion of the Skyline Drive Project. The parade will start at the outlook below the Fire Tower and
end with a few speeches and the ribbon cutting at the finish line
of the hill climb.
"Lower Alsace Township is excited and honored to be part of
the Reading Radsport Festival as the opening dedication of the
new Skyline Drive," said Corrie Crupi, of Lower Alsace Township.
Mt. Penn Hill Climb racers will start at 6 p.m. from City Park,
and will use the same course as the Pagoda and Duryea motorized
hillclimb events. Professional men, women, and citizen cyclists will
race up the climb in three categories. The professional women
and men will race for $500 in cash prizes, while the fastest citizen
cyclist will have the chance to win a Radsport winner's jersey.
Members of the community can watch the start of the hill climb
while enjoying the Uptown Band & Friends in the park, and getting dinner from several food trucks. Kids who want to show off
their skills can enter a wheelie contest or try their luck in a Street
Sprints competition, right in City Park.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of West Reading Avenues Fall 2017