Long Beach Bicycle Festival & Long Beach Bicycle Grand Prix, May 7-9, 2010
5/7/2010 11:00:00 AM PST
It’s all about the bike
Competitive Pro and Amateur cycling is set to take over the streets of Downtown Long Beach for a three-day event, May 7 - 9, 2010. The second annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival will consist of anything and everything bicycle-related: from vendors to fashion shows, from fixed gear demonstrations and movies to Pro Men’s, Women’s, and amateur criterium road races. The event celebrates “Bike Long Beach,” an innovative plan to make Long Beach "the most cycling friendly urban city in the United States." The festival is sponsored by the Downtown Long Beach Associates, the Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, Wokano Asian Restaurant & Lounge, and other corporate sponsors.
For the latest information regarding the Long Beach Bike Fest, visit this
website.
To register to participate in the Tour of Long Beach (31-Mile Tour or 4-Mile Family Friendly Tour) visit this
website.
Festival Overview - Rock ‘n’ Race the Weekend Away
- Live Music & Entertainment Friday Evening and all day Saturday
- “Fixie Fest” – Fixed Gear trick, track stand & skid contests
- “Tour of Long Beach” – open to all ages – 33 / 76 / 100 mile entries
- Festival & Booths
- Passport to Pine Stroll & Savor
- Men’s & Women’s Pro and Amateur Criterium Races – 8 categories
- Police vs. Fire Department Races
- Kid’s Bicycle Races ages 3 to 14
- Gold Sprints – static two on two bike racing
- Bicycle Fashion Show
- Art Theatre’s “Bicycle Madness Film Fest”
- 4th Street Bike Swap Meet
Fixie Fest
“Fixie Fest” will commence Friday afternoon on First Street in the East Village and will feature freestyle riding, trick, track stand and skid contests, live music, vendor booths, delicious food, and films on fixed gear cycling. Last year the event drew more than 500 people and more than twice that number is expected for this exciting event.
Tour of Long Beach
New in 2010 is the inaugural “Tour of Long Beach,” a 33 mile / 67 mile / 100 mile benefit ride open to all ages benefitting Memorial’s Miller Children’s Hospital. The open course TOLB route will begin in Shoreline Village and tour the Port of Long Beach; the Los Angeles River trail; city bicycle lanes heading east past Miller Children’s Hospital; through Heartwell Park, El Dorado Park, and the San Gabriel River trail; through Alamitos Bay Landing and the Marina; Naples, past Alamitos Bay; and returning to Downtown Long Beach along the Beachfront bike path.
Bicycle Festival
The all-day revelry will include vendor booths with bicycle equipment and manufacturers, safety and information booths, expo booths featuring local non-profits and advocacy groups, and delicious fare from your local Pine Avenue restaurants. A BMX and flatland demonstration show and half-pipe competition will run Saturday afternoon. Live music from local bands will keep the street scene hoppin’.
Long Beach Bicycle Grand Prix
Racers in eight USA Cycling categories will put rubber to the pavement from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., culminating in the $10,000 men's pro race Saturday evening. There are both men's and women's events and also a non-USA Cycling Fire and Police competition. The 0.83-mile course in Downtown Long Beach starts and finishes at Broadway and Pine. A short course means high speeds, quick laps, and excellent viewing opportunities anywhere on the track for spectators. The grand finale, the Men’s Pro race, will feature 125 racers engaged in 40+ mph sprints on state-of-the-art carbon fiber bikes, in hopes of taking home a portion of the $10,000 Pro Purse.
BikeStation CYCLESTYLE Fashion Show
After the Men’s Pro Criterium, attendees are invited to the free Bikestation CYCLESTYLE Fashion Show, highlighting the hottest bike gear for 2010. Following the Fashion Show will be The Pro Criterium Awards Ceremony.
Fourth Street – Long Beach Bike Swap and Bicycle Madness Film Fest
The fun doesn’t end with Saturday's festivities. On Sunday, May 9th, The Art Theatre will host a whole day of bicycle films. Classics like Breaking Away and American Flyers as well as other, more eclectic bicycle films will be featured. To complement the entertainment, local and street vendors will serve up food for the hundreds browsing at the first annual “Long Beach Bike Swap.”