Olympic athletes will be among the competitors in USA Cycling races in Oak Ridge on Thursday.
The Olympians expected to race Thursday include Lawson Craddock, Chloé Dygert, Amber Neben, and Lily Williams, according to Explore Oak Ridge, the city’s tourism organization.
Williams is scheduled to start at 10:07 a.m. Thursday. Dygert is scheduled to start at 10:35, and Neben is scheduled to start at 10:39.
The races are the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships Time Trials. The riders will be racing against the clock to see who can complete the course along Melton Lake the fastest.
The Time Trial begins at 10 a.m. with Elite Women cyclists. After that event. there will be a break before the Elite Men cyclists compete. Women will ride the 11.6 kilometer (7.2 mile) course for two laps, and the men for three. The course runs on Melton Lake Drive and Union Valley Road primarily. Read here for more information on road closures from the City of Oak Ridge. (See the course map here.)
The Time Trial kicks off a weekend of cycling championships for the area.
With a start/finish at Melton Lake Park, spectators can watch the cyclists from along the Melton Lake Greenway by parking at Elza Gate Park and walking down the greenway toward the event. Or they can drive directly to Melton Lake park via Emory Valley Road. Spectators should note, however, that roads will be closed near the start and finish while the event is ongoing, the press release said.
Spectators and others can enjoy food trucks during the event at Melton Lake Park.
You can see the women’s schedule here. Those races are scheduled to start at 10:01 a.m.
You can see the men’s schedule here. Those races are scheduled to start at 11:31 a.m.
See the USA Cycling website about the national championships in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this weekend here.
USA Cycling announced its athlete selections earlier this month for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, the press release said. The 27-member team will compete in Road, Mountain Bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, and Track Cycling events. The 2020 Olympic Games will run July 23-August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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