ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602150064
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE ROANOKE VALLEY will play host to the finish of the Tour's first mountain stage.
When cyclists in the 1996 Tour DuPont head for the mountains, they'll also be heading for the Roanoke Valley.
Officials from Medalist Sports and Cycle Roanoke Valley, Inc. announced Wednesday that Roanoke will be the finish of the Tour's first mountain stage.
Stage 5 of the Tour DuPont will start the morning of Sunday, May 5 in Mt.Airy, N.C., and end on Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke between the Radisson Patrick Henry Hotel and the public library at approximately 4:30 p.m. It is the first time Roanoke has been a finish site and the first time an actual race, not a time trial, has hit the city.
It won't be the last.
Medalist spokesman Steve Brunner and Cycle Roanoke Valley representatives each indicated the Tour DuPont could become a spring fixture in the valley.
``One of the integral things we always need is the [mountain] terrain,'' Brunner said. ``We need strong population bases. We've got both of those here. Third is the popularity of the event. Roanoke meets all of those very well.
``We are asking: Can we do something long-term to keep coming back?''
Mac McCadden, Cycle Roanoke Valley's president, said Medalist has approached the organization about staging the event in the area for the long term. Brunner met Tuesday night and Wednesday morning with Cycle Roanoke Valley board members Brian Duncan and Donnovan Young to discuss the matter. ``Medalist would like to make a long-term commitment, as would we,'' Duncan said. ``We'd like to have them as long as they want to be here.''
The Tour DuPont will get here by following Route 103 out of Mount Airy and on to Stuart. The first climb comes soon after, at Bull Mountain. Route 8 then guides racers to Sugarloaf Mountain (the 54-mile mark of the 113-mile stage) and Shorts Knob. Next up are Cahas Mountain, Callaway, Algoma before the race follows U.S.220 into Boones Mill. The last climb comes on Lynville Mountain. When riders reach the top on Route 116, they begin a treacherous descent into the city.
``The course is for sprinters in the beginning,'' said Brunner. ``You've got to put mountains in the middle to break things up.''
Fans in downtown Roanoke will be able to see the entire progression of the race on a giant television screen near the finish line. The course turns from 116 onto Ninth street, then hits Jamison Avenue and crosses over Interstate 581. Riders then will take an immediate right onto Williamson Road, turn left on Campbell Avenue and make a final turn onto Jefferson.
Local officials had hoped for a circuit of the downtown area, but Brunner said such a course could be unsafe. He added that it's difficult to have a circuit in a mountain stage because it allows the pack to catch up to a rider who made a big move on the mountain. ``We'd get blasted by the riders,'' Brunner said.
Details of Stage 6, from Salem to Blacksburg, will be announced next week. The start of Stage 6 has been moved, however, from noon to 11 a.m. on May 6. Details of Stage 7, from Wytheville to Bristol, will be announced Feb.22.
WSLS-TV 10 is the title sponsor for Stage 5.
Brunner said with Medalist and the Tour DuPont looking at many future visits to the valley, the area may see a time trial again. ``We have a road course this year, we might have a time trial next year,'' he said. ``If we did the same race every year, it would get old for the racers.''
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Map by staff. color.by CNB