Sunday, June 7, 2009

International racing cyclists to invade P.E.I. - Tour de P.E.I. starts Sunday in Summerside


International racing cyclists to invade P.E.I.
Tour de P.E.I. starts Sunday in Summerside
Transcontinental Media

SUMMERSIDE — Hundreds of world-class female cyclists will take to the streets of Summerside Sunday to kick off the Tour de P.E.I.
The first stage of the third annual event starts and ends in front of the Loyalist Country Inn.
The peloton will loop 10 times around the 9.9-kilometre circuit. It goes west on Harbour Drive, north on South Drive, east on Pope Road, south on MacEwen Road and back to the start/finish line.
This first leg of the tour starts at 2:30 p.m. Awards will be presented at the finish line at 5:15 p.m.
Stage 2 of the tour begins at 11 a.m. Monday at the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre on the New Brunswick side of Confederation Bridge. The 12.9-km bridge will serve as the track for the time trial portion of the Tour de P.E.I.
Racers leave Cape Jourimain one by one and race one way across the closed Confederation Bridge. The cyclists will reach speeds of 60 km/h en route to Borden-Carleton.
Awards will be handed out at Gateway Village around 1:15 p.m.
Stage 3 of the five-stage Tour begins at 11 a.m. June 9 in Kensington and wraps up around 2:30 p.m. in North Rustico.
The 120-km circuit will take cyclists over crests and valleys, crossing small towns and seaside villages. They’ll be looping down and up through the hilliest regions in central P.E.I., through Kinkora, Hartsville and New Glasgow. The peloton will pass through Cavendish before racing to the finish line.
Awards will be presented in North Rustico at 2:30 p.m.
Stage 4 on Wednesday will have cyclists leave Dalvay, travel to Montague and end in Georgetown.
The final stage begins in front of Province House in Charlottetown, loops through the downtown, for a criterium of 49.25 km.
The final awards ceremony takes place at 7 p.m. near the Confederation Centre.

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