The inaugural Long Beach Bicycle Grand Prix festival and race will take place Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4. The Downtown Long Beach U.S. Cycling Federation-approved criterium course will feature pros and amateurs competing for more than $16,000 in prize money.
The festival will run all day Friday and Saturday with family-oriented events, live bands, food, vendors, kids’ races, fixed-gear races and demonstrations, face painting, a bicycle fashion show, bicycle-safety training and equipment sales. Friday’s events will center around First Street in the East Village, and Saturday’s events and the main races around Pine Avenue, both located in Downtown Long Beach.
The bicycle festival will kick off the “Month of Wheels.” Formula Drift Pro Championship hosts its third annual event on April 12, and the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach returns April 16 to feature Indy car racing.
The Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA), Convention and Visitors Bureau and Long Beach Redevelopment Agency are sponsoring this inaugural bicycle event to highlight the roll-out of the Long Beach Bicycle Master Plan, which includes new bike lanes, bike boulevards, Safe Routes To School (SRTS), improved signage throughout the city and public education and awareness. “What a great way to celebrate our bicycle plans for the City of Long Beach,” said City Manager Pat West. “We are committed to become the most bicycle-friendly urban city in the U.S.”
For more information about the DLBA, visit www.downtownlongbeach.org or call (562) 436-4259.
