EASTON, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley has always had a culture and community for bikers — to a velodrome fit for future Olympians in Trexlertown, races such as Monkey Knife Fight in Emmaus and local trails that cut through the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.
- The Lehigh Valley is having two events in May that are perfect for bike-lovers
- The first-ever Breakaway Bierfest will be on May 20 and feature nearly 40 beers
- The Easton Twilight Criterium, a downtown bike race that turns the city into a giant racecourse, will be on May 27
Now, those with a need for speed have two more events to look forward to this spring.
The Valley Preferred Cycling Center has plans for the first Breakaway Bierfest on May 20, according to a release from Discover Lehigh Valley, a regional tourism agency.
And the Easton Twilight Criterium, a downtown bike race that turns the city into a giant racecourse, will return on May 27.
“This is already a mecca for cycling,” said Andrew Paradowski, Expert Executive Consultant at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center.
“This is already a mecca for cycling.”Andrew Paradowski, Expert Executive Consultant at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center
“Beer and cycling go hand in hand quite often,” Paradowski said of the Bierfest event. “People will often finish a ride and go to a nice patio and have a beer after the ride.
“It's also a very European thing to do,” he said, about the sport. “We wanted to give it an international feel, just like cycling has an international feel.”
Meanwhile, Jared Mast, executive director of the Greater Easton Development Partnership, said the Easton Twilight Criterium is part of a “uniquely American tradition of highlighting downtown, urban areas.”
“It's a great entry-level way of folks getting involved in competitive racing,” Mast said.
Breakaway Bierfest
Breakaway Bierfest afternoon will feature nearly 40 local and imported beers from Shangy’s the Beer Authority.
The current list includes almost 40 different types of beer, including local favorites Funk, Fegley's and Sherman Street Beer Co., as well as international ones such as Hitachino Nest Beer, Delirium and La Trappe.
There also will be live music by the local cover band Kinda Sorta Maybe.
Paradowski said he hopes to draw 800 to 1,000 people to the event.
He said he hopes a beer sampling festival will introduce people to the culture of cycling, but also raise awareness about the center.
“There are a lot of people that don't even know the track exists."Andrew Paradowski, Expert Executive Consultant at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center
“There are a lot of people that don't even know the track exists,” he said.
Paradowski also said he wants to clear up misconceptions about the center.
“Quite a few people say they know this place,” he said. “But they thought it was just for high-level athletes and pro athletes and Olympians.”
Classes, practice and other activities
Paradowski said the center holds races for local professionals to earn points and go to World Championships and the Olympics on Friday nights in June. But it also has programs for children, families and people of all fitness levels.
Paradowski said the track is open for anyone to train and practice over the summer.
It offers two-hour beginner classes that teach people how to ride track bikes. Unlike most bikes, those don’t have multiple gears or breaks. Instead, they have a single gear that's fixed, which makes it impossible to peddle backward if a rider wants to slow down or stop.
It’s a safety feature that stops someone from suddenly changing speed when in a group. By tempering their speed by pedaling forward, it creates a smoother and safer ride, he said.
The center also has a class to teach riders how to move around the track, mastering its surface. The final class in the series teaches a rider to ride in a pace line in a group ride, to prepare them for a race.
The center also has workout classes geared toward people with different fitness levels and abilities. In addition, there are programs specifically geared toward bringing women into the sport, as well as children as young as 5: the squirts and wheel wobbles, pee-wee peddlers
“It really is a jewel in the valley."Andrew Paradowski, Expert Executive Consultant at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center
“There aren't that many velodromes in North America,” Paradowski said. “It really is a jewel in the valley."
“It's also a great place to come on a Friday night,” he said.
The track was built in 1975 and will have its 50th anniversary in two years.
“You didn't have all the other sports teams and the internet wasn't around and all that stuff,” he said.
The festival is a way to compete for people’s attention, he said.
“We really want to just remind people that, hey, we're here,” he said.
Eastern Twilight Criterium
The Easton Twilight Criterium is a closed-circuit race, about a mile long, that starts at Larry Holmes Drive, next to Scott Park in Easton.
It features fast turns, uphill sections and a long homestretch, with the thrill of zipping through the streets.
The event will start with a community ride at 2 p.m., with juniors and novice races following, then a 20-mile professional women’s race and a 30-mile professional men’s race.
There also will be a one-lap running event, as well as a wheelie competition for kids.
The evening ends with a fireworks display over the Delaware River.
The Eastern Twilight Criterium is in its third year. It launched as a way to kick off the Tour Somerville in New Jersey, the oldest race in North America
"It's a great urban vibe for spectators to come out to enjoy bike racing."Jared Mast, executive director of the Greater Easton Development Partnership
“It's a great urban vibe for spectators to come out to enjoy bike racing,” Mast said. “Especially in a criterium setting where you get to see the racers pass by every couple of minutes."
In past years, upward of 300 riders have participated in the various races. Mast estimated 5,000 to 10,000 people will watch the racing throughout the day.
“I love the combination of like tailgates and picnics that happen along the course,” he said. “The restaurants with outdoor dining have places for people to post up and have dinner or have a drink right next to a race course.”
Experiencing Easton
Mast said his hope is the race will be a different way to experience Easton, especially because there will be no cars on the course.
“The idea that you can be in the street and not worry about vehicular traffic is unique,” he said.
He said he hopes the race brings people to town and supports small businesses. Discover Lehigh Valley, a sponsor of the event, hopes it grows the valley's reputation as a place where competitive sport happens.
Because Easton already has a reputation for being bike-friendly, Mast said, it made sense to have it there.
There’s an outpost of Community Bike Works, a mentoring organization. Bicycling Magazine, a national publication, is located in Easton. And there's Genesis Bicycles, a historic bike shop that operated for 47 years before the owner, Tomias Hinchcliff, retired in April of 2021.
"It's a big party in Easton.”Jared Mast, executive director of the Greater Easton Development Partnership
Easton also is home to Bill Elliston, a bike coach who was a professional bike rider. He’s won state and national championships and placed in the Top 10 Union Cycliste Internationale events.
“We have the Velodrome, we have the [Lehigh Valley] IronPigs, we have the [Lehigh Valley] Phantoms,” said Mast. “And we also have a bike race now, where international and national pro teams come and compete in an urban setting to show off one of our three cities.”
He said he hopes it will draw a different audience to the region.
“Folks who specifically seek out attending a bike race are not exactly the same folks that are coming to our existing food fests.”
The city holds Clam Jam in August, Easton Garlic Festival in October and PA Bacon Fest in November.
“There are very few local races that people in America who appreciate professional racing can actually get to, he said.
"It's a big party in Easton.”