Pro Bike Racing in MN!

The Nature Valley Grand Prix professional bike race is in MN this week.  It’s 6 stages in the 5 day event includes 3 criteriums, 2 road races and 1 individual time trial.  You can see more about the race and the events at http://www.minnbikefestival.com/.  Take a look.

The state of MN rolls out the red carpet for the racers, and they respond with fantastic and exciting racing.  The event grows each year with some of the top pro teams in the country participating.  It’s considered to be one of the top men’s events in the country, and is generally regarded as THE BEST women’s race in the country.

I’m fortunate enough to be hosting at my home one of the titans of the sport.  Steve Tilford and his teammates (Trade Wind Energy/Trek Stores) are spending the week with us, and it’s been great.  At 47 years old, Steve is still racing at the highest level and has placed well so far this week.  He’s a great ambassador for the sport, and sets an outstanding example for any athlete that age is only a number.

You can learn more about Steve, his background and accomplishments at http://stevetilford.com/.  He’s also posting blogs each day about the race, so it’s fun to see his perspective on the races.

The race includes 3 more stages; a crit this evening, a road race tomorrow and the climactic final criterium stage in Stillwater, in what is called the most difficult criterium race in the country. 

That’s it for now.  Check out the race website and Steve’s.  Then GET OUT AND RIDE!