Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 12, 1993                   TAG: 9305120337
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

A TOUR OF BICYCLE TECHNOLOGY

Thousands of Montgomery County students will have a chance for a hands-on learning experience if they watch the start of the ninth stage of the Tour DuPont, a big-league bicycle race, Friday in downtown Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering and Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures is sponsoring Tour de Tech, an educational exposition and community walk that will take place before the bicycle race starts.

"This won't be your typical university type research project," said Craig Rogers, director of the center for material systems. "We're all real excited about this."

Rogers said all 9,000 Montgomery County students have been invited, but he expects about 2,000. County schools will be in session Friday, but some school principals are allowing classes to attend the race.

Rogers said demonstrations of the science and technology of bike racing will be set up in Tech's Squires Student Center from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. Racing begins at 11:30.

The booths will give students an idea of how composite materials have been developed to make bikes faster and more efficient, Rogers said. "We'll show how the technology of bike racing enters our everyday life," he said.

Mike Matzuk, local organizer for the Tour DuPont, said the Tour de Tech is great way to get the community involved in the race. Matzuk is trying to arrange for some of the bikers to attend the exposition and sign autographs.

Exhibitors will include faculty, staff and students from the College of Engineering, as well as members of Montgomery Regional Hospital and DuPont, Rogers said. Specialists in health, fitness and nutrition will show how the bikers prepare for the race.

Immediately after the bikers circle Tech's campus and head toward Christiansburg, the Tour de Tech will host a community walk on a shortened version of the Tour DuPont course.

Beth Howell, program manager for the intelligent material systems center, said parents and other family members are encouraged to participate in the community walk.

Afterward, a picnic for the children will be held on Henderson Lawn on Tech's campus.

\ FRIDAY TOUR DuPONT EVENTS IN BLACKSBURG\ \ TOUR DE TECH 8:30-11:00 a.m. Virginia Tech's College of Engineering is sponsoring this engineering and science exposition in Squires Student Center.\ \ TOUR DOWNTOWN 10 a.m.-6 p.m. A street festival featuring live entertainment and arts and crafts booths.\ \ TOUR DuPONT STAGE STARTS 11-11:30 a.m. Announcers begin introducing the bikers at 11 and the race starts after that.\ \ COMMUNITY WALK 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Children and adults are encouraged to participate in this mile walk that traces part of the bike course.\ \ PICNIC 12:15 p.m. Following the community walk, a brown-bag lunch will be held on Henderson Lawn. Drinks will be provided.