Hilltop Finish Added to the Nature Valley Grand Prix Time Trial

Fan suggestion likely to shake up the final standings

Organizers of the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival and the Nature Valley Grand Prix announced today an extension of the Saint Paul Riverfront Time Trial – the third stage of the 6-stage, 5-day event – that will not only test the strength of the riders, but will give them a majestic view of the Mississippi River valley and Minnesota’s capital city.

The addition to the original 5-mile flat course includes a 1-kilometer climb up the bluffs of the Mississippi River. The climb ramps an average of 8 percent up Saint Paul’s Ohio Street and Cherokee Avenue and dramatically changes the character of the stage and its effect on the final outcome of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

“This climb will totally change the time trial”, said Jelly Belly Pro Cycling team manager Danny Van Haute. “Time trial specialists are often poor climbers and the time that they gain on the flat sections of the course could be lost on the climb. This is also going to complicate the equipment choices, since it won’t be obvious whether to use a time trial bike or a road bike.”

The 2007 Saint Paul Riverfront Time Trial was a flat, five miles through Saint Paul’s Lilydale Park on the banks of the Mississippi. A time trial, called “the race of truth”, is an individual race against the clock. Although the shortest stage of the event, the time gained or lost in this stage typically impacts the final overall standings, where the top finishers are usually separated by only seconds. Most riders use a special time trial bike designed in wind tunnels to slice through the air on flat courses.

The addition of the climb to the time trial course will impact the decision to use those special bikes, as what makes them aerodynamic can also make them inefficient on climbs.

As the most fan-friendly stage race in North America, the change to the course comes at the suggestion of local racing fans, Tim “Super Rookie” Hayes and Spenser “Dis” Haugh, local amateur cyclists with Grumpy’s / Little Guy Racing.

“We love the Nature Valley Grand Prix,” said Hayes. “But we thought that the time trial needed more character. I’ve been bugging [Nature Valley Grand Prix director David] LaPorte about this for a year and I think that it’s awesome that they’re going to do it. I was shocked that a pro race of this level would take a suggestion from a fan.”

The City of Saint Paul has also shown strong support for the new course.

“I think that the cyclists have to be crazy to want to race up that hill,” said Saint Paul Councilman Dave Thune, whose ward includes the new climb. “But, once they finish, I think they will amazed at the view the finish on Cherokee Avenue gives them of the river and Saint Paul. The course extension up the bluff will give fans both a spectacular and scenic race. It will definitely be beautiful to watch, more beautiful than riding that hill yourself.”

The Saint Paul Riverfront Time Trial is scheduled for Friday morning, June 13. Riders will begin the race from a Start House, created by Minneapolis-based RSP Architects, on Lilydale Road under the Smith Avenue High Bridge and then finish on Cherokee Avenue near the top of that same bridge. The first woman will start at 9 a.m. and then men follow beginning at 10:30 a.m.

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