Attack Of The Bike People

Do you think the people in the outlying towns have a legitimate complaint?  The money that these people are spending will be spent in Madison and Middleton… not in Cross Plains and Berry.

Some in Dane County fear woes from big cycling race

Having more than 3,000 cyclists zooming through western Dane County over two days this summer is causing some local leaders and residents to worry about potential car-bike conflicts and the inconvenience of having to temporarily close roads during such a large-scale event.

“There has been some very vocal opposition from some local residents,” said Anthony Varda, chairman of the town of Berry, which is one of several municipalities through which the Centurion Cycling race could travel. “With the group of bicyclists tying up everything from Highways P and 14, anybody traveling to or from the town to Madison will find life disrupted for a period of time on those days.”

The Centurion Cycling race — based on the European concept of a large-scale race on a professional course but open to amateurs and recreational cyclists — will have 25-, 50- and 100-mile courses. The shortest race is planned for Aug. 7, and the longer races will be on Aug. 8.

The event is expected to be largest cycling race ever in the Madison area — and among the first of its kind in the United States.

The race will require road closures throughout the route, including two full stoppages where the course crosses Highway 14 in Cross Plains for 30 minutes outbound and on the return. And while most municipalities have signed off on the event, some towns along the route haven’t yet permitted access to their roads.