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Minneapolis – U.S. Olympian Colby Pearce, multi-time U.S. national champion Kacey Manderfield and Pan American Games silver medalist Emile Abraham of Trinidad and Tobago headline the star-studded field for this weekend’s Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic.

Action in the three-day event begins Friday at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minn., and leads off the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival.

The Fixed Gear Classic returns as part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival after a one-year hiatus (courtesy of Jonathan Chapman Photography).

Pearce is a 14-time national track champion, a bronze medalist in the Pan-American Games and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in Athens, Greece. Abraham has won 24 national titles on the road and track, while Manderfield is a Michigan native, but will be racing at The National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine for the first time.

“It seems odd that I have raced everywhere else, but a track such as the NSC, relatively close to where I grew up, has escaped me. So I’m really excited,” Manderfield said.

Other prominent athletes registered include Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter & Company TWENTY12), Liz Carlson (Classic Cycling Essentials/Bicycling Magazine) and Austin Carroll (Adageo Energy Pro Cycling).

The MN Fixed Gear Classic provides different fields for men (Pro-I-II) and women (Pro-I-II-III) in a unique dual omnium program that showcases separate competitions for sprinters and endurance specialists. Competition begins Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at noon. Events will include both men’s and women’s Madison races, along with cross-over events like the Miss-n-Out that offer points for both omniums.

The MN Fixed Gear Classic is run in conjunction with the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the premier stage race on the 2010 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar. This year’s race includes stops in Saint Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Menomonie, and Stillwater. The Nature Valley Grand Prix is a part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, a volunteer-run event, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the festival’s benefiting charity.

More information can be found at: www.NatureValleyBicycleFestival.com.

Uncategorized   Tags: Blaine, Colby Pearce, Emile Abraham, Kacey Manderfield, Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic, National Sports Center Velodrome,   Comments Off  

Minneapolis (May 4, 2010) – Registration is now open for the Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic, a thrilling three days of track racing at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minn., that leads off the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival.

The Fixed Gear Classic provides different fields for men (Pro-I-II) and women (Pro-I-II-III) in a unique dual omnium program that showcases separate competitions for sprinters and endurance specialists. Competition begins Friday night, June 11 and runs through Sunday, June 13. Events will include both men’s and women’s Madison races along with cross-over events like the Miss-n-Out that offer points for both omniums.

“Track was a part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival for the first three years, from 1999-2001, culminating with the 2001 Elite Track Nationals,” Nature Valley Grand Prix Executive Director David LaPorte said. “We brought it back in 2008, but the economy forced us to take a year off in 2009. Now it’s back, this time we hope for good. By bringing track racing under the same media and marketing umbrella as the Nature Valley Grand Prix, we hope to gain national exposure for this sport even in non-Olympic years.”

Fields are filling fast through online registration, which closes June 4. Down-loadable registration forms and more details can be found at http://www.nscsports.org/sports/cycling/events/fixed_gear_classic.htm.

The Fixed Gear Classic is run in conjunction with the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the premier stage race on the 2010 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar. This year’s race includes stops in Saint Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Menomonie, and Stillwater. The Nature Valley Grand Prix is a part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, a volunteer-run event, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the festival’s benefiting charity. More information can be found at: www.NatureValleyBicycleFestival.com.

2010,2010 Bicycle Festival,David Laporte,fixed gear,Minnesota Bicycle Festival,Minnesota Bike Festival   Tags: Blaine, Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic, National Sports Center Velodrome, NCS Sports,   Comments Off