Pro cyclists descend on Twin Cities, but it may be the last race
Hundreds of cyclists are gathering in the Twin Cities for the annual pro bike race in St. Paul and Minneapolis, part of the five-day North Star Bicycle Festival that brings about 300 professional bike racers to Minnesota.
While it's one of the top pro cycling events in the country, organizers say the 2014 edition of the festival might be the last after title sponsor Nature Valley dropped out this year.
"You would have thought that this, one of the top metro areas in the country for cycling, it would have been easy to find a replacement sponsor. The problem is that cycling is not on their radar screens," said Dave LaPorte , the festival's executive director. "They understand conventional sports like golf or baseball, they understand concerts. They understand the Minnesota State Fair. But they don't get cycling."
The group hopes to find another sponsor to keep the festival going. The Friday night race in Uptown draws thousands of people every year, including more than 500 kids in a fun race last year, LaPorte noted.
Riders will also race on the roads outside Cannon Falls, Minnesota, on Thursday and Menomonie, Wisconsin, on Saturday.
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