IN Millcreek Fall 2017 | Page 31

LAKE ERIE CYCLE FEST TO SHOWCASE ERIE REGION BIKEABILITY The Erie Sports Commission announced Lake Erie Cycle Fest, a four-day event highlighting the Erie region’s bikeability, which will debut Thursday, Aug. 10, through Sunday, Aug. 13. The event will include EmergyCare’s annual Tour de West County, a long-standing summer bike tour already popular in the region, on Saturday, August 12. Proceeds from the weekend-long event will benefit EmergyCare, WQLN, and the YMCA of Greater Erie. The event will kick off on Thursday, August 10, with a fun “slow roll ride” around Downtown Erie, presented by Bike Erie and Erie Arts and Culture. Plenty of surprises will be in store for cyclists as they pass by cultural icons for selfie opportunities, where riders will be encouraged to post photos to social media using #ErieCycleFest. The ride will conclude with live music at an Erie Downtown Block Party in Perry Square. Friday, Aug. 11, will feature the weekend’s first big ride, with the YMCA’s Jelly Jar Ride. The event will start and finish in Harborcreek, with 25- and 50-mile loops offered to participants, showcasing Erie’s scenic vineyards, fruit farm region, and lakeshore in North East. A picnic will follow the non-competitive ride. The YMCA’s portion of the proceeds from Lake Erie Cycle Fest will directly benefit the Y’s Food + Fun Bus, a mobile meals site for kids in need. EmergyCare’s Tour de West County, Erie County’s premier bicycle tour, will provide four scenic ride routes on Saturday, Aug. 12. This non-competitive event will feature a 12-, 25-, 50-, and a new 100-mile loop that highlight western Erie County’s rolling farmland, narrow lanes, and old-growth forest. Rides for this event will begin and end at YMCA’s Camp Sherwin, which offers plenty of amenities for the whole family, including a pond for fishing, swimming pool, splash pad, hiking trails, basketball courts, and access to the beach. The weekend will wrap up on Sunday, Aug. 13, with an Alley Cat Bike Race, a scavenger hunt themed ride, which is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing themes for adventure bike rides in the country. The event will begin at Frontier Park, where cyclists will be given the race’s first stop location. At that location, the race’s remaining nine stop locations will be revealed, and cyclists will be tasked to determine the best way to connect them. The total length of the ride will be between 10 and 15 miles. Prizes from New Belgium Brewing will be given at the end of the ride. For more information, including ride times and registration information, visit www. eriecyclefest.org. RACE OF CHAMPIONS ROC 250 WEEKEND TO BE HELD AT LAKE ERIE SPEEDWAY FOR THE FIRST TIME SEPTEMBER 28-30 The Erie Sports Commission has announced that Presque Isle Downs and Casino will serve as the title sponsor for the 67th Annual Race of Champions when it makes its debut at Lake Erie Speedway Sept. 28 through Sept. 30. The three-day event is the final event of the Race of Champions’ 2017 asphalt racing calendar. The event is the second-longest consecutive-running auto racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500. This marks the return of the event to Pennsylvania after a 25-year absence. That 1991 event was held on the ¾-mile Pocono Raceway, and it had previously been run at the legendary Langhorne Speedway, where the very first Race of Champions event was held in 1951. Since then, the race has been hosted 35 times in Pennsylvania between Langhorne and Pocono. Event organizers anticipate 100 top racing teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to take part in the event. “The Race of Champions Weekend is going to be an exciting addition to Erie’s sports calendar, and we couldn’t be happier to play a part in its success,” said Jeff Favre, Vice President and General Manager of Presque Isle Downs and Casino. Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting modified and stock car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. “We are thrilled to announce Presque Isle Downs and Casino as the title sponsor of our premier event, the Race of Champions 250 Weekend,” said Joe Skotnicki, Race of Continued on next page >