Joe Kopena, friend of mine and caption of the
Drexel University Cycling Team asked me to post the following:
Fresh off successfully hosting the largest collegiate cycling race ever held, the summer of 2007 found the Philadelphia collegiate cycling coalition of Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and Villanova University looking for their next objective. The answer was clear: An epic road race course.
This weekend, on March 8th, months of preparation toward that goal will culminate in the debut of the Phoenixville Fury Road Race. Combining in one fifteen mile course all the excitement of a downtown criterium with the most challenging of hill climbs, the Fury is one of the most ambitious races ever held in the greater Philadelphia area.
Starting and finishing in the heart of Phoenixville's booming business and shopping district, the Fury offers spectators and racers plenty of opportunity to relax and enjoy high powered collegiate cycling action. Stretching out to the boundaries of historic Valley Forge National Park,
the course also incorporates several leg burning climbs. Among those is a steep ascent up Mt Misery/Valley Forge Mountain, sure to be the site of many decisive race actions!
On Sunday, March 9th, the weekend will finish with the Philly Phlyer's now classic team time trial and circuit race courses in downtown Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. Featuring fully closed roads in a beautiful setting along Philadelphia's Martin Luther King/West River Drive and Memorial Hall areas, these courses have become racer favorites since their debut in the 2006 Philly Phlyer.
Once more a dual conference event of both the Atlantic and Eastern collegiate cycling conferences, this year's race is sure to feature huge field sizes, with over 500 collegiate racers expected to participate again in 2008. The size and scope of this race has only been made
possible through extensive cooperation from the Phoenixville and Schuylkill County police departments, as well as the continued support of Arkema Inc, Trophy Bikes, and Plexiglas, proud sponsors of this event since 2006. In addition, these courses are only feasible with enormous support from the region's very healthy cycling community as well as the Atlantic conference's Johns Hopkins University team.
Further information on courses, registration, and volunteering are all available online at:
http://phillyphlyer.org/