Avoid the Crowds, Catch the Races

Friday, May 23, 2014

There are several options for following the USA Cycling Professional Championships both in person and off-site. There will be several events for spectators on race days as well as streaming coverage online.

Off-Site

MOBILE APP

Both the time trial on Saturday and the actual race on Monday will be streamed live online via USA Cycling's Tour Tracker app, which is free to download for Apple and Android mobile devices. The app will include a live video stream, with updates of rider positions, time gaps, a GPS map, course profile and text play-by-play.

Tour Tracker can be found on the Apple App Store or the Android Market.

LIVE UPDATES

Keep up with all the action as it happens online at timesfreepress.com or read about the races each day in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

On-Site

SHUTTLE TO ATTRACTIONS

CARTA will provide a free shuttle on Monday, May 26, from Finley Stadium to the Lookout Mountain attractions Rock City, the Incline and Ruby Falls, stopping in that order. It will run every 20 to 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Each bus will have an attached bike rack for spectators who want to take their bikes to the attractions and cycle to the course to watch. However, the buses will only accommodate two bikes at a time.

KIDS RACE

Children can participate in bike races of their own during the Road Race Championships on Monday at the venue site. Registration and check-in will be at the venue site on the day of the event. The races will be divided into three age groups (3-6, 7-9 and 10-12) and are open to only 30 participants per age group. All participants must wear a helmet and will receive an official water bottle and medal. For information, visit usacycling.org/2013/pro-road-time-trial-nationals or call 770-631-1239.

WHERE TO WATCH: TIME TRIALS

Exit I-75 at Volkswagen Drive and proceed west to Volkswagen plant where parking is free. The start/finish line will be in front of the plant. Access to plant from Bonny Oaks Drive will be blocked, but spectators can enter Enterprise South from there and park for free at the Amazon building, then walk or bike one-eighth of a mile to the venue.

WHERE TO WATCH: PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS

The start/finish line will be on Market Street between M.L. King Boulevard and 12th Street. Big-screen televisions will be available, showing all portions of the race. The 2014 Volkswagen USA Cycling Professional Championships Expo will be at the start/finish area as well as the farmers market on Monday for the time trial.

There will also be many new activities for spectators atop Lookout Mountain. The American Dudes Memorial Day Bikin' Party will be at the top of the climb where riders will be competing for King/Queen of the Mountain points. There will be big-screen televisions showing race coverage, food vendors a fan expo and access to the Sierra Nevada Beer Garden at the top of the mountain.

The route on top of Lookout Mountain will extend from Ochs Highway to Sanders Road to Scenic Highway. No parking is allowed along Ochs or Scenic highways, but CARTA will have four buses shuttling spectators to the top of the mountain on the Mountain Attractions Express Loop, and three buses will run from Finley Stadium to the Incline parking lot in St. Elmo.

The route on the North Shore will go along Frazier Avenue to Woodland and climb up Kent Street, then head back down Forest to Frazier. These streets will be closed to regular traffic between the Market Street and Veterans bridges. Area merchants are expected to take advantage of the crowds and offer ancillary specials, and Volkswagen will have a booth and a big screen showing the action.

CYCLISTS PARADE

Spectators watching cyclists during the road race, especially during the downtown, Frazier Avenue and UTC neighborhood lap portions, won't have long to wait before the race caravan appears again. With lead vehicles, police, medical and trailing vehicles, in addition to the cyclists, the caravan will take 12 to 15 minutes to pass.