Top Bikers Race into Downtown Beverly on Wednesday Evening

Top-notch bicycle racing takes center stage in downtown Beverly on Wednesday evening in what has become a mid-summer tradition in the Garden City.

This week, the Salem News called it the Fidelity Gran Prix of Beverly one of the “must-see events for sports fans of all kinds on the North Shore.” The race launched six years ago as part of Homecoming week but now stands on its own, taking over downtown streets for one evening with thousands of bikers and spectators on Wednesday, July 30.

The Gran Prix is a criterium race that circles downtown streets, with the start/finish line in front of St. Mary Star of the Sea church. The evening culminates with a elite men racing in the state championship starting at 6:50 p.m.

Before that, there’s free kids races and lower level adult racing. The amateur men’s race starts at 4:20 p.m. followed by the masters’ 40-plus men’s race at 5:10 p.m. and women’s elite race at 6 p.m.

The amateur, masters and women’s races will last 40 minutes as racers round the .6 mile course, while the elite race runs 60 minutes. There will be $1,000 in cash awarded in the elite race.

Registration for the kids races happens at Beverly Common from 3:30-4:30 p.m. and the races start at 5 p.m. in age groups for ages 5-12. The kids then take to the pro course for a parade at 5:50 p.m.

Roads in the downtown, specifically Cabot Street between Bow and Pond streets, Winter Street and parts of Dane, Essex and Hale streets will be closed starting at 3 p.m. The closure will run until about 8 p.m.

Spectators that are headed to the races and plan to bike themselves can head to First Baptist Church at 221 Cabot St., where bicycle valet service will be available - avoiding the need to bring along a bike lock. Restaurants and cafes such as Soma, Barrel House and Atomic Café often serve food and drink along the Cabot Street sidewalk during the race.

Admission is free for spectators, who can stand just inches from racers who are going as fast as 40 miles per hour. The largest crowds typically gather along Cabot Street and near Beverly Public Library and Beverly Common.

Last year, Shawn Milne of Beverly won the men’s elite race for the second time in three years. Gabby Day of the United Kingdom won the women’s race. Milne is not slated to race again this year.