Known as “the biggest party on two wheels,” this weekend event is not to be missed! Scheduled for May 25th–28th, the collaboration of events offers something for everyone to enjoy. During the four days, those in attendance will enjoy family-friendly entertainment; concerts from bands such as Blues Traveler, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and the Muddy Creek Players; a community day, as well as one of the country’s most prestigious bicycling events.
All of the weekend’s bicycling events are free and open to the public, though there is a registration fee associated with the competitive events. General admission tickets for the concerts are available through Ticketmaster or at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds and Annex ticket office. The concerts will be held at Bailey Park in downtown Winston-Salem.
The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is truly a remarkable event to have here in Winston-Salem. “The city of Winston-Salem is just the right size to support the bike race; too big or too small can be problematic for the race operations,” declared Race Director Ray Boden. “The city and local sponsors have been amazingly supportive of this event and that really helps us along on our path of becoming the biggest and best cycling event in the country. It also allows us to operate a family-friendly music event for many people to come enjoy.”
The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic draws more than 400 cyclists from international cycling teams to compete professionally. “The quality of the cycling is unparalleled outside of the big tour races,” asserted Boden. “Teams from all around the world come to Winston-Salem to see how great a race we have. For the road race, a team must be a national federation team from a foreign country, or at least a UCI-registered pro team. For the Criterium event held on Saturday night, teams must be registered as pros with USA Cycling or above. Saturday’s event with UCI and USA Cycling pro teams makes for some exciting racing.”
While the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is in its sixth year, the Gears & Guitars Music Festival is only in its third year. But the partnership between these two events is a perfect match! “The Gears & Guitars Music Festival is engineered to be a great value and a fun event,” explained Boden. “We think both the festival and the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic are must-see events. As always, we hope for a safe, fun-filled event with great crowds. We want as many people as possible to attend, of course, the paid events—but also the free ones. The more people who come out and support us the better, because we hope in the next few years to add more cycling categories, and also to scale the music event to higher levels and attendance.”
Saturday, May 26th, will feature the Empty Bowls 5K Criterium Run/Walk to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. There will also be a family “Walk & Roll” held on Monday, May 28th, during the same time as the road races. This will allow those in attendance to bike, walk or skate down a section of Fifth Street with no traffic! This event will coincide with live music, activities and exhibitors, food trucks, tents and a Bike Rodeo. For more information, visit www.winstonsalemcycling.comor www.gearsandguitarsfest.com.
