More than 400 young cyclists are coming to Clay County Thursday, June 24, for the four-day 2021 USA Cycling Amateur Road Nationals.
The racers from 40 states and Canada will be competing across three different events. They are competing for the right to wear red, white, and blue racing jerseys, which are reserved for national champions.
“We are honored to host the national championship and look forward to them having a great experience throughout the week as they get to explore our area,” said Mike Cella, chairman of the Clay County Board of County Commissioners in an email sent to WJCT News.
The Nationals events include:
A time trial racing event at the southern portion of Camp Blanding on Thursday, June 22 at 7 a.m. The racers will face a 35-kilometer loop.
Tour-de-France-style road races will launch from Camp Blanding on Friday and Saturday. It will go onto County Road 230 and State Road 16 before returning to the Camp.
A NASCAR-style short track event will be held on Sunday in front of Fleming Island High School. It will include 10 hours of high-speed bike racing where speeds will exceed 30 miles an hour. Spectators are invited to attend this event.
More information is available on the USA Cycling website.
Tristan Wood can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org or on Twitter at @TristanDWood.
