Race Time! (And Road-Closing Time)

The Penn and Drexel Cycling Clubs are co-hosting The Arkema Group Schuylkill Challenge Bicycle Race in Fairmount Park this weekend. (Note that the title of that last page we linked to predicts the winner as Penn - we wonder if the folks at Drexel, not to mention the other schools, have noticed that yet.) It's actually a series of bike races and time trials taking place in various places and at various times on Saturday and Sunday; for more details, check out the link above, or download the PDF of the flyer here (beware - almost 3MB). You can register here.

Hundreds of collegiate racers are expected to attend from schools like Penn State, Princeton, Harvard, University of Vermont, and University of New Hampshire (besides, of course, Penn and Drexel). Although the press release describes the event as a "whilte-knuckle competition between rival schools," and our contact tells us it's like "a music festival with less drugs, more gatorade," it's also a family-friendly event that's meant to promote cycling culture in Philadelphia, so take your bike and the kids and enjoy.

Oh, but don't take your car. Check out the road-closings below:

Road Closings
3/11
- Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd between Falls Bridge & Spring Garden St. Bridge
- Chamounix Dr. between Greenland Dr. and Ford Rd.
- Black Rd
- Lansdowne Dr. between Black Rd. and Sweetbriar Ln.

3/12
- Sedgley Dr. between Poplar St. and Girard Ave.
- Lemon Hill Dr.

The Arkema Group Schuylkill Challenge Bicycle Race
3/11
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Memorial Hall area via Black Rd and Lansdowne Dr
8AM-4PM

3/12
Lemon Hill - Sedgley Drive loop across from Boathouse Row
8AM-4:30PM

Photo Credit: Sean C. Kardon