Spinning Statewide

Historical fact:   the first bicycle arrived in Leonardtown on a steamship in 1879.  The folks in Patuxent Velo have been celebrating this historic occasion for 13 years with a professional level race through the streets of historic downtown Leonardtown. 

This year's edition of the Leonardtown Criterium will take place on Sunday, May 16th. There will be nine different races held throughout the day, including one kids race. Spectators are invited to come out and cheer from the sidelines along the Leonardtown Square as the cyclists race by.

One week later is the annual Bike Jam in Patterson Park, a favorite of pedal pushers everywhere.  Like the Leonardtown Crit, it involves professional cyclists competing for cash prizes, as well as a community festival and celebration of bicycling as a fitness regimen, recreational endeavor, and transportation alternative.  Patterson Park, in east Baltimore, is a midtown oasis just above Canton. 

Patterson Park and Canton are also competition grounds for the hilarious counter culture bicycle competition known as the Kinetic Sculpture Race, which takes place this Saturday.

Beginning at the Visionary Art Museum, the wacky array of contestants parade down Boston Street before testing their amphibious capabilities at the boat launch in Canton.  If they don't sink (lifeguards in kayaks on duty) they progress to Patterson Park for an endurance test through the mud.  The vehicle deemed most mediocre wins the competition.

(While the merits of this triathlon as a legitimate sports challenge may be questionable, it is a favorite in both the artistic and cycling communities.  Until you've seen a bicycle-powered vehicle drive off a ramp into Baltimore harbor, you haven't experienced Charm City culture.)

Of course in June, the ultra-endurance Race Across America finishes in Annapolis.   245 cycling enthusiasts will begin pedaling in a six- to nine-day bicycle race that starts in California. Over the course of their journey, they will ride 3,000 miles through 14 states.  There are even some locals competing, which you can read about in our media section.

As long as we're talking bicycles, I have to give a shout out again to Spokes, the Frederick based magazine that covers all things bicycle in the mid Atlantic region.  Spokes is behind the nascent Tour de Frederick, which will take place August 13-15. 

Spokes is a great source of calendar events about local competitions of all stripes, as it the website BikeRide.

So you can see how much enthusiasm there is in Maryland for cyclists and their contests.  So it is a good time to harness all these sources and regions to put together a mega media event that would involve the entire state (and its diverse geography) in a week-long challenge.  That's why Team Terry is holding a meeting on June 3 at 10 am at the Sheraton Annapolis on Jennifer Road for Medalist Sports to make a preliminary presentation to cycling enthusiasts, county leaders, and tourism officials about staging a Tour de Maryland.

Give Terry a buzz at (410) 767-3373 if you'd like to come.  Medalist Sports has staged premiere events all over the world.  They're the best in the business and we'd love to have them do something here.  So put June 3rd on your calendar and pedal on over.