VOLUNTEERS GIVE COUNTLESS HOURS TO BETTER COMMUNITY: SERIOUS BIKE RICING RIDES INTO TOWN

Bicycle enthusiasts from a large part of the nation will converge on Cape Girardeau this weekend for the first Tour de Girardot Cycling Classic, a two-day event that promises to offer entertainment not usually seen in the area.

Not only will the more than 200 dedicated cyclists, who are members of the United States Cycling Federation, be competing in races for $6,000 in prize money, but amateurs will have an opportunity to race in adult and teen competitions at 2 p.m. Sunday at Doctors' Park. A free safety clinic will be offered by the Spirits of St. Louis Bicycle Racing Team from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Doctors' Park.

The USCF-sanctioned races will consist of time trials, road races and criterium races. The four-mile time trials begin at 8 a.m. Saturday along Route K from Gordonville to Cape Girardeau. Saturday at 1 p.m. cyclists will compete in road races of up to 41 miles over a looped course of Cape Girardeau County roads. Sunday's criterium races will be held at 8 a.m. on a six-tenths-of-a-mile looped course of Doctors' Park.

The classic, hosted by St. Francis Medical Center and sponsored by a number of businesses, should be exciting to watch, and there is no admission fee. With growing awareness of the importance of fitness, and bicycling growing in popularity as a means of keeping fit, hopefully the classic can be become an annual event in Cape Girardeau.