NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH RIDERS AT REDLANDS BICYCLE CLASSIC PUBLIC RACES

Children ages three to 11 and young people 12 to 17 years old will have their own experience of competing in the Redlands Bicycle Classic on Saturday, April 12, on the fourth day of the five-day racing event in historic downtown Redlands. The Stater Bros. Charities Public Races are not new to the classic, but for this year the race planners have created two new categories for children who might not otherwise be able to participate.

Brian Zander, a teacher at Judson & Brown Elementary School, and part of a group charged with organizing the public races, said one of the new categories will include the use of training wheels for beginners six-years-old and up. “We’ve learned that the 0.65-mile loop course is too long for training wheel bikes and ‘strider’ bikes to complete. So, we are offering a new category for competitive six-year-olds and older to race on training wheels or Strider bikes on the 50-yard dash course,” Zander said.

The entry limit for youth races is 50 participants but if more than 50 sign up for this new event, the race will be split into two separate races, giving everyone the opportunity to participate. “We hope that these students will feel more successful and competitive in their race,” Zander said. In addition, the Classic is offering an “inclusion” program for students with special needs who may need the help of an adult or use of a specialized bicycle to complete the 50-yard dash course. “We are focused on including students of all abilities who want to represent their school and a chance to win the ‘school duel’ trophy for their school” Zander said.

The public races begin at 8:30 a.m. with children ages 3 to 5 competing on bicycles, striders, and tricycles over the 50-yard dash course. Entry fee is $7. Youth races for ages 6 to 17 begin at 9:15 a.m. on the 0.65-mile closed course that begins and ends at the pro race start-finish line on Citrus Avenue at Sixth Street. There are two heats each for boys and girls by age 6 through 9 making one lap. Entry fee is $12. Boys and girls 10 and 11 will make two laps while boys and girls 12 and 13 will compete in three laps and boys and girls 14 to 17 will finish four laps. Entry fee is $12. All riders must wear helmets.

Zander has been involved in encouraging local schools to enter teams in the “School Duel” each year. Judson & Brown Elementary has won the Duel Trophy eight years in a row. “The trophies are won by the schools with the most participants. It doesn’t matter if they come in first place or last place. The total participants of each school are counted and that determines which school gets to keep the trophy for the next year,” Zander said. So far, he said, registration numbers look good. “About 200 students have already registered to race,” he added.

Register online at www.redlandsclassic.com Mailed entries must be postmarked by April 5. Online entries close at midnight April 8. A $5 late fee will charged for all the same as race day entries on-site or postmarked entries mailed after April 5. Same day registration closes 30 minutes before the start of the races. No E-bikes or Scooters are permitted. A rider on the closed course will finish on the leader’s last lap.