Roswell Cycling Festival Returns With 9 Days of Activities

ROSWELL, GA -- The Roswell Cycling Festival presented by Roswell Bicycles returns April 22-30 for its 16th year with a series of family-friendly events in Historic Roswell and several area parks.

Many of the events are free for participants or spectators. The two anchor events of the festival, Bike Roswell! Mayor’s Ride and the Hennessy Historic Roswell Criterium benefiting Bike Roswell!, take place on Sunday, April 30. Online registration is open for these two signature events at roswellcyclingfestival.com.

“Over 16 years, the Roswell Cycling Festival has solidified itself as a springtime tradition in Historic Roswell," said Roswell Mayor Jere Wood, who inspired a local bicycle club in 2002 to host the inaugural event. "It brings together people of all ages, on tricycles and bicycles, and provides a platform to introduce our great businesses and restaurants in Roswell to many visitors. Bike Roswell! members have done a great job in not only promoting our city, but promoting safe cycling and family fun.”

Roswell Bicycles, which has supported the event every year since 2002, will serve as the presenting sponsor for the week-long festival. Bike Roswell!, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization promoting safe cycling, manages all events for the festival. It is also the beneficiary of the Mayor’s Ride, which has become the largest fundraiser of the year for Bike Roswell!.

Mayor Wood will lead hundreds of recreational cyclists from Roswell Area Park for the 14th annual Bike Roswell! Mayor’s Ride this year. This fully-supported event offers ride routes of six miles to 64 miles for people of all ages and abilities.

Early registration is available through March 31 and ranges from $10 to $35. The standard registration fee for 18, 42 and 64-mile routes will be $45 through April 29, and $55 day-of rides. Online registration is available at www.bikeroswell.com/rides-maps/mayorsride.

Besides a fun experience riding on quiet streets in Roswell with family and friends, the Bike Roswell! Mayor’s Ride offers perks for registered riders. T-shirts will be provided to the first 500 pre-registered riders for the 18, 42 and 64-mile routes.

All Mayor's Ride Participants will receive new Wheel of a Deal coupons in ride packets, which provides discounts at 10 local restaurants. This is a fully-supported event with multiple rest stops stocked with drinks and snacks. Rambling Rose Tours will be providing the main Support and Gear (SAG) for the Mayor's Ride, and will make a final sweep of all rest stops to make sure all participants complete the ride.

Hennessy Jaguar - Land Rover North Point will return as the presenting sponsor for the criterium. There are 21 categorized bicycle races for amateurs and professionals, which will use 1085 Canton Street for the start/finish area of the one-mile course. Pro races for women and men Sunday evening will be the grand finale of the USA CRITS Speed Week, a regional series of six criterium events in nine days sanctioned by USA Cycling. The total prize purse for the week is $100,000 and the overall champion's jerseys for Speed Week will be presented in Roswell.

Before the pros hit the course, Historic Roswell Kiwanis will conduct its 16th annual Kids’ Bicycle Safety Rodeo. The event is free with a signed waiver for children six to 12 years of age. All children who complete the rodeo then get to race on part of the criterium course. The Historic Roswell Kiwanis Kids’ Bicycle Safety Rodeo is co-sponsored by the Key Clubs of Centennial High School, Milton High School, and Roswell High School, and by the Builders Clubs of Crabapple Middle and Elkins Pointe Middle Schools.

The Kids' Bicycle Safety Rodeo has positively impacted 2,300 children since 2002. The Roswell Cycling Festival has entertained more than 75,000 spectators since the first year, and the criterium races have attracted more than 9,500 junior and adult cyclists.

Throughout the week, a variety of bicycle rides will be hosted by the Giovanni’s Tile Design cycling team and the Roswell-Alpharetta Mountain Bike Organization (RAMBO). The festival gets underway Saturday, April 22 when cyclists are invited to join the Giovanni’s Tile Design cycling team from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for a 25-mile recreational bicycle ride from Roswell Area Park.

All cyclists are then invited to fill the bike racks on Canton Street in Historic Roswell for a ribbon cutting of the 2017 Art Around Roswell Sculpture Tour. There is no registration required, and details will be posted at bikeroswell.com.

Details on the Roswell Bicycles-Specialized Big Creek Mtn Bike Ride (April 26), Bike Roswell! membership party (April 27), RAMBO Big Creek Quick Six Enduro (April 29) and all activities can be found at roswellcyclingfestival.com.