Winston-Salem Cycling Classic May 30 and 31

Tickets to Evening Concert Featuring
Rusted Root and The Wailers Now on Sale

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (APRIL 9, 2015) – The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, a professional biking event in its third year, will return to downtown Winston-Salem and surrounding areas on Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31.  Saturday’s race events will conclude with an evening concert at the Innovation Quarter’s new Bailey Park featuring recording artist Rusted Root and popular reggae band The Wailers.

The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is one of 19 National Criterium Calendar (NCC) and one of 7 USA Crit Series professional road bike races in America.  The event is also one of only 9 National Racing Calendar (NRC) professional road bike races in America and one of only 3 UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) road races for women in the United States.

On Saturday, May 30, races begin with an 82-mile Gran Fondo, a rapidly growing biking event that features longer rides and fun activities, from Winston-Salem through the Yadkin Valley wine country and back to downtown. In addition to the 82-mile ride, there will be a shorter Fondo race along the same route where riders have the option to turn back to Winston-Salem.  The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic’s Gran Fondo is being hosted by noted cyclists Frankie Andreu, Kristin Armstrong, Bob Roll and Jens Voigt. 

All ages and skill levels are invited to join the Grand Fondo, which is not a competition ride.  No cash prizes will be awarded.

Featured races for Saturday start with the amateur Criterium beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter along a route that will include Patterson and Fifth Streets.  The highlight of Saturdays’ competitive races will be the invitation-only Criterium Pro Women NCC/ USA Criterium Series and Criterium Pro Men NCC/ USA Criterium Series from approximately 5 to 8 p.m. beginning at the Innovation Quarter’s 525@vine building and continuing along a loop of high-speed racing through downtown Winston-Salem.

Live music will begin at Bailey Park at 6 p.m. with The Wailers.  The Wailers are a reggae band formed by the remaining members of Bob Marley & The Wailers, following the death of Bob Marley in 1981.  Since the early 1980s, The Wailers has continued to play live in concert, and in 2014 the band embarked on the worldwide “Legend Tour 2014.” Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Legend, the best-selling reggae album of all time, the band recreated the classic album in its entirety.

Rusted Root will take the stage at Bailey Park at 8 p.m.  Based in Pittsburgh, Rusted Root is known for its unique fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other styles of music, with a strong percussion section that draws from African, Latin American, and Native American influences. Rusted Root has sold more than three million albums worldwide.  The band achieved fame in 1994 with its platinum-selling album When I Woke, which included hit single "Send Me On My Way." The song has been featured prominently in many films and commercials.

The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic continues on Sunday, May 31, at 12:30 p.m. when world-class cyclists compete in a road race that begins at the corner of 6th and Trade Streets in downtown and continues along a path through several Winston-Salem neighborhoods.

“The first two years of the Winston Salem Cycling Classic were huge successes and certainly drew the attention of leading cyclists.  Almost immediately after the races, professional cyclists began contacting us about competing in the 2015 races,” Winston-Salem Cycling Classic race director Raymond Boden said.  “Ours is a fully sanctioned road bike race that draws top ranked competitors from all over America and internationally.”

“The cyclists love the intense competition of our races and the downtown courses,” Boden added.   “There are not many pro sports events that people can watch at no charge.  Cycling is rare is that there’s no admission.  Whether you’re a cycling fan or not, watching the cyclists speed along local roads is thrilling and fun for the whole family.”

There is no charge for admission to watch race activities or to watch the competition.   However, there is a registration charge for the competitive races.  Tickets to the evening concerts featuring Rusted Root and The Wailers costs $20 per person.

Proceeds from the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic benefit the Sceptor Pain Foundation and the Forsyth Medical Center Foundation.  The Sceptor Pain Foundation was founded in 2004 by Dr. Richard Rauck as an independent nonprofit charitable organization that works with medical, research and clinical professionals who are dedicated to developing viable solutions for pain management.

The presenting sponsor of the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is the Carolina Pain Institute.  Platinum sponsors are Wake Forest Baptist Health, Boston Scientific and Novant Health.  Event sponsors include BB&T, Clinical Solutions, Flow, Visit Winston-Salem, the Winston-Salem Journal and Winston-Salem Cycling.

Winston-Salem Professional Tennis, which also manages the Winston-Salem Open tennis tournament each August, is producing the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic. Grand Fondo registration, concert tickets and race route information at WinstonSalemCycling.com.

About the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic


The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, a USA Cycling sanctioned event with a total purse of approximately $50,000, will take place May 30 and 31, 2015 in downtown Winston-Salem and surrounding areas.  The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is one of the 7 coveted National Racing Calendar (NRC) professional road bike races in America and the only NRC and UCI race in the South East. "

- A Press Release

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