Allen Holt / CC
For the first time since 2009, Manitowoc will be a host city to the Tour of America’s Dairyland bicycle racing series in a little less than 2-weeks.
Bike enthusiast and store owner John Brunner is Race Site Coordinator for the Maritime Bay Classic to benefit Ascend Services.
“It’s back!” he said excitedly. “But it’s not only back one day, it’s actually back as a doubleheader!” Cyclists will be taking to the streets of Manitowoc on Monday June 21st, and Tuesday June 22nd.
The tour series includes 11 back-to-back days of racing and includes both road races as well as criteriums, which is a closed-course, multi-lap event typically set in a downtown city center environment.
Brunner tells Seehafer News, “The racecourse is North 8th Street, Chicago Street, North 5th Street, and Maritime Drive. It’s a nine-square block area. Those living within the racecourse, we will be getting letters out to very soon to let you know how to get in and out of your home. If you live on the racecourse, we will ask you to have your cars removed from the street by 9:00 AM on Monday morning, and again by 9:00 AM Tuesday morning.”
The race site coordinator reminds residents that North 7th & Chicago will be the only vehicle access to the interior of the racecourse from 9am through 9pm both days. All other intersections along the course will be blocked off to car traffic. Some might consider those restrictions a bother, but as Brunner points out the spectacle of this event will more than override any of the inconveniences caused by it.
Brunner is very pleased to bring the bike racing series back to a community that hosted the series from 1989-to-2009 and expand it from one day to 2-days.
He’s generated a long list of local sponsors to augment his $20,000 budget to bring this to Manitowoc.
“I would like to think that this is one of the top three events that we will see here in Manitowoc this year,” Brunner said. He cited the NASCAR race at Road America and the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits as the other two major events.
Food vendors and an evening reception on Monday, June 21st on the roof deck of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum will also be part of the bicycle racing event.
