FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Penn State Cycling to Host Weekend of Road Racing
Races at College and Harris Townships, Bellefonte

(UNIVERSITY PARK, PA) – Penn State Cycling, one of the nation’s top collegiate cycling teams, will host the 2006 Nittany Classic road race weekend April 1-2, 2006.

The race is expected to draw close to 400 collegiate cyclists from all over the Northeast. It will consist of two races Saturday, April 1 and one race Sunday, April 2.

“We are thrilled to host our race weekend on the beautiful roads of Centre County,” says Andy Munas, road race director for Penn State Cycling. “We have two championship-quality courses that are sure to challenge the competition.”

From 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday a criterium, or short time-based lap race, will be held in Historic Downtown Bellefonte. The start/finish line will be located on North Allegheny Street; the course is a one-mile rectangle. Racers will make left turns on Linn, Spring and Howard streets. Setup will begin at 7:30 a.m.; racing will begin by 8 a.m. at which time roads will be closed to thru traffic. Racing will end by 1:30 p.m. with roads reopening shortly thereafter. Detour routes will be available for the duration of the event.

The ErikSaunders.com team time trial will be held starting and finishing near the intersection of Brush Valley Road and Linden Hall Road in College Township. The course will continue for 9.5 miles out and back. From 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., teams will race against the clock on this rolling course. Parking will be available at the Mount Nittany Middle School. The Seigler Imports Race Dinner will follow at the school, featuring awards, raffle, vintage bicycles and a keynote speaker. The dinner is open to the public with $5 admission.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, The Mount Nittany Winery Road Race will be held on roughly the same course in College and Harris Township. It will feature a finishing climb to the Mount Nittany Winery which will be open for regular business hours from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Limited edition 2006 Nittany Classic wine bottles will be available for sale. “We look forward to attracting a large crowd to check out the winery and view the challenging finish to the race course,” says Sandy Alexander of Mount Nittany Winery.

Last week, a Penn State professor - Dr. Bohdan Kulakowski – was struck and killed by a van while riding his bike home from work one evening. The accident occurred nearby this race course, and his house is located on the course. His brother, Tom, has offered to donate $30 to the team of the rider who wins an intermediate sprint in each category's race, in memory of Dr. Kulakowski. The sprint line will be in front of where Dr. Kulakowski lived, and his family is in full support of this. In addition, Penn State Cycling will be donating $50 (plus $10 for each Penn State rider who wins a prime) to the scholarship fund setup in memory of Dr. Kulakowski, in the name(s) of the winning riders. Mt. Nittany Wheelworks has offered to donate a total of $100 to the scholarship fund in the name(s) of the winning riders as well. A moment of silence will be held before the start of each race as the riders pass by the site of the accident (between the middle school and the course).

“The races near Mount Nittany Winery and in Historic Downtown Bellefonte are very spectator friendly,” says Dave Matlin, president of Penn State Cycling. “We are hoping to draw large crowds and continue hosting an annual event that local families can look forward to watching.”

For a detailed race flyer including maps and start times, go to http://www.clubs.psu.edu/bike.

About Penn State Cycling

Penn State Cycling is a student-powered organization that seeks to provide recreational opportunities for cyclists of all levels and interests. The team competes in road, track, mountain and cyclocross within the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC). This conference is part of the National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA), a division of USA Cycling. Penn State Cycling won the 2004 and 2005 National Collegiate Track Cycling Championships. Log on to http://www.clubs.psu.edu/bike for up-to-date and extensive information.

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Contact: Andy Munas
Road Race Director
(412) 719-4957
arm220[at]psu.edu

Dave Matlin
President, PSU Cycling
(443) 831-8903
dcm229[at]psu.edu