More than 500 cyclists from 22 states will visit the Scenic City for the Village Volkswagen River Gorge Omnium, presented by UT Erlanger Sports Medicine, one of the most prominent cycling races in the Southeast. Chattanooga is home to this annual cycling event in its 14th year. The “omnium” consists of three main races held over a two-day period, Saturday and Sunday. Race organizers have again expanded the schedule and offerings in order to create a community gathering which will include the Cam Run 5K finalists and a race for mountain biking enthusiasts as part of the featured events in downtown Chattanooga on Saturday night.
“We continue to add special elements to the race to make it a community-wide event for people of all ages,” said Scott Morris, race director, Village VW of Chattanooga River Gorge Omnium. “We want this event to showcase Chattanooga and our local partners. We are excited the race will be able to make a contribution to Erlanger Children’s Hospital Foundation this year on behalf our racers and sponsors. All of this couldn’t be possible without our sponsors and support from the City of Chattanooga.”
“Fans wanting to watch racing are encouraged to come out to downtown Chattanooga for the Goss Insurance Criterium Race Saturday. It’s not only a great course for the racers but it will be an exciting event for spectators too. We want to invite everyone to join us downtown on Saturday, to enjoy the food, festivities and fun,” said Chris Sterchi, president of Scenic City Velo.
Mr. Sterchi added, “Scenic City Velo, our organization that hosts the event, will have racers from both their Village Volkswagen Men’s Cycling Team and the Taco Mamacita Women’s Cycling Team competing in the omnium.”
A new event, the HerTT women’s computrainer competition, will be featured on Friday at Warehouse Row starting at 6 p.m. Cyclists and runners will be picking up their race packets during that time and able to register as well. Then, the Village Volkswagen River Gorge Omnium begins on Saturday morning with a four-mile Audi Chattanooga Time Trial on Raccoon Mountain beginning at 8 a.m. On Saturday afternoon, the spectator-friendly downtown Goss Insurance Criterium races begin. The course circles the EPB and TVA buildings along 12th Street, Broad Street, and MLK Boulevard, with a finish line on Market Street near the Pickle Barrel. The criterium races begin at 12:30 p.m. with junior and beginner races and culminates with the professional men’s race at 8:30 p.m. Food and beverage vendors and restaurants will be located throughout the venue.
“We are proud to sponsor the Goss Insurance Criterium Race this year,” said Tim Goss, owner of Goss Insurance Agency, Inc. “This race attracts hundreds and hundreds of people to downtown Chattanooga to watch some of the best cyclists in the nation. It also brings family and friends out to support local cyclists who are new to the sport and racing for the first time or are die-hard racers. Everyone will be treated to some exciting racing and they will be able to grab dinner from food truck vendors and nearby restaurants.”
The Goss Insurance Criterium will also feature a mountain bike race and the finalists of The Cameron Bean Memorial Run where the top 25 men and women from the morning’s 5K will compete for a $1,950 purse in the Mangum Mile. The entire event will be live streamed as well.
Sunday’s Suck Creek Cycle Road Race starts at Covenant Transport on Birmingham Highway and travels into Georgia and up Sand Mountain in Alabama before ending with the grueling mountaintop finish atop TVA’s Raccoon Mountain.
For more information regarding the races, visit www.rivergorgeomnium.com and follow along on all the action once it begins on the race’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Scenic City Velo was founded in 2005 when several city-wide cycling clubs merged to form one competition-oriented club in an attempt to bring the entities of the local cycling community under one roof. SCV is open to all riders who may be interested in competition, training, or just fast recreational riding. More information on joining the club can be found at www.sceniccityvelo.com.