Township officials hope to turn the races into an annual occurance.
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON The township this month will hold its first cycling event, which officials hope will become an annual tradition.
The first Washington Township Cycling Classic will be held Sunday, Sept. 23, with several races for different age groups and ability levels.
The race was conceived by the township’s chief financial officer, Karen Baldino, and Recreation Director Chris Merias.
"I used to be an avid cyclist," Ms. Baldino said. "So I certainly have an interest in this."
Ms. Baldino contacted a friend from her cycling days, Kevin Duddy, a 23-year veteran of bike racing who recently put together a series of races in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
"I like to promote cycling because it doesn’t seem like a very big sport in this country, but it seems more people are becoming interested in it," Ms. Baldino said.
Mr. Duddy, a licensed cyclist through the United States Cycling Federation, was able to help the township organize the event and get the race sanctioned by the USCF.
There are five races currently planned within the event. All will begin and end at Sharon School on Sharon Road. Participants will bike laps of 3.3 miles, going from Sharon Road to Gordon Road to Bresnahan Road and back to Sharon Road.
At 9 a.m., an 11-lap race for riders 30 years old or older will begin. Participants of any skill level are welcome to enter this race.
At 9:05 a.m., an eight-lap race for beginners will be held. This race is for riders classified by the USCF as being in category four or five.
Mr. Duddy said a novice cyclist would be in category five. Points are awarded for finishing races. After a certain number of points, cyclists move up to category four, category three, and so on. Category one cyclists are basically professionals, he said.
Kids races are planned to take place after the first two races and before a second set of races. Mr. Duddy said kids on all types of cycles, including tricycles and Big Wheels, will be able to participate.
Mr. Merias said he will attempt to arrange for a bike safety clinic at the race, with the help of the township’s Police Department.
A 15-lap race for category one, two, and three cyclists will be held at 11 a.m., followed by an eight-lap women’s category four race at 11:05 a.m.
The women’s race is the last race in the Garden State Women’s Developmental Cycling Series, a string of races designed to encourage racing among women who are relatively new to the sport.
Mr. Duddy said the event could attract up to 100 people in each category.
"It should be a lot of fun," Ms. Baldino said. "There should be a lot of good riders coming out."
Cash prizes will be offered to the winners, and Mr. Merias said he hopes to be able to offer biking merchandise, too.
The preregistration deadline is Monday, Sept. 17. The fee for registering is $20 before Sept. 17, $25 after that date. The entry fee will allow riders to bike in one race; participants wishing to ride in an additional race may do so for an extra fee of $10.
Mr. Merias said the township is just trying to cover its costs with the fees.
"If we profit from the race we’ll donate a portion of the proceeds to Washington Township Meals on Wheels," Mr. Merias said.
He said that in addition to the money for the prizes, the township needs to pay for race officials, a finish-line camera, an announcer, advertising, and T-shirts.
Sovereign Bank is the event’s main sponsor. Other businesses contributing to the event include Saran Builders, Mercer Mobile Homes, Princeton Label & Packaging, Sharbell Development, H&H Gas, Roma Federal Savings Bank, National Pool Construction, Williams Builder, and Clarke Caton Hintz.
For more information about the cycling event, call the Recreation Department at 259-7082, ext. 110. Sign-up information is available at www.active.com.

