Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Northwest Collegiate Road Race Cycling Championships will be in Troy on Saturday, a new location after the culvert washout between Colfax and Palouse caused a change in plans.
The annual event is the culmination of the northwest college cycling season, with 15 teams expected from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia.
Traditionally held in and around Palouse with riders gathering at Hayton Greene Park, the race was moved because of last month's culvert washout and subsequent reconstruction on Clear Creek road, one of the competition courses.
“It's hard to find a course on all paved roads other than highways,” said Margaux McBirney, a junior at WSU and president of the WSU Cycling Club.
McBirney and the other organizers were able to find a suitable option in and around Troy, basing routes on Orchard Loop Road, in an area the WSU group has ridden on training rides.
The races will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Troy High School.
Races consist of 25 to 65-mile courses, depending on the category of riders. In the afternoon, 10-mile team time trials will feature two to four riders from each school.
On Sunday, a short circuit race will be at a sub-mile course at the University of Idaho,
The Palouse race is the seventh and last for the riding season. Top individuals for the season will advance to nationals at Grand Junction, Colo., April 27-30.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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