Canadian Road Cycling Championships a huge success in Downtown Georgetown

Women's Elite at the starting line

Crowds line Main Street in Downtown Georgetown

Men's elite racers cresting the Park Street Hill

The Canadian Road Cycling Championships and Festival were a big hit with the cheering crowds that gathered all along the 1.1 km Criterium course in Downtown Georgetown in Halton Hills, Ontario today. The crowds were treated to many thilling moments as the cyclists flew around the tight corners whilst jockying for position.

Downtown Georgetown was transformed into a first class cycling venue that was a delight to the eye. Colourful banners, tents  and flags along with the brilliant floral displays added to the ambiance. The riders themselves were no less colourful in their club livery.

I was very proud of the warm reception that Halton Hills gave to these athletes and their families from across Canada. There was a friendly and welcoming spirit in the air. The Halton Hills staff did a wonderful job in making this such a successful event. A great deal of planning went into making things run smoothly. We are blessed to have so many enthusiastic and accommodating people working for the Town. And I can't say enough about the over 75 volunteers who committed their Sunday to making this a great event.

Canadian Road Cycling Championships coming to Georgetown on Sunday June 26 2011

The Canadian Road Cycling Champions are running over an 11 day period in a variety of venues around Halton and Peel. Pictured above is a triumphant Clara Hughes who made a stunning comeback into the sport of cycling by winning the Women's Elite Race with a time of 30.25 yesterday in Bellfountain.

The Criterium Races will be held in downtown Georgetown on Sunday June 26th starting at 12:00pm. Perhaps fans will  have an opportunity to see Clara in action right here in town. Local cyclist and new resident of Georgetown, Heather Logan-Sprenger is confirmed as a participant in Sunday's Race. Heather moved to Georgetown about 18 months ago and races internationally for Team Colivita. She is a former member of the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team. It will be exciting to see such an outstanding athlete perform in her new home town.

The Criterium Races are for both Men and Women and are both National and Ontario Provincial Championship races.

Although the Cycling Championships are organized by the Midweek Cycling Club of Toronto, they have been working with a local organizing committee that has recruited 70 volunteers to man the barricades. Also, the committee has organized a Cycling Festival that will be fun for the whole family. There is a Youth Cycling Skills Challenge, a BMX demonstration by Joyride 150 of Markham and helmet fitting and safety information from the North Halton Injury Prevention Group. Participant prizes have been donated by Canadian Tire.

As part of the Race Schedule there will be a special kids race for ages 3 to 12 at 3:30 pm.

All participants in races and festival activities must have parental permission.

The Festival activities will begin at 11am in the Back Street Parking Lot and run until 3pm.

Streets surrounding the downtown area will be closed to traffic and so riding a bike to this event is highly recommended. Two bike parking areas will be operated by local service clubs.

More information can be found on the town's website www.haltonhills.ca/cyclingchampionship.