Tour of the Valley 2011 ready to get rolling on Friday

Staff report

The third Tour of the Valley begins with a time trial on Friday and concludes with a criterium through the streets of Youngstown on Sunday afternoon.

Friday’s time trial begins at 5 p.m. at the Mastropietro Winery in Ellsworth Township.

Riders will leave in 30-second intervals on a rolling-to-flat course 8.5 miles in length.

Riders will start and return to the winery.

Saturday’s event, a road race, will take place in and around Columbiana, starting at approximately 9 a.m.

There are eight categories of riders who will take part. The men’s top riders (Cat 1/2) will begin at 11 a.m. in a 93-minute race.

The top women riders will begin at 11:25 a.m. in a 60-minute contest.

There are two courses for the road race.

The long course leaves Columbiana and will travel eight miles on a flat to rolling terrain. It will then turn and climb a 6-to-8 degree grade for a half-mile before returning to rolling for 2 more miles.

A “pancake climb” will start at mile 13.5 and proceed at 8-to-10 degrees for 1.5 miles. Once at the top the course turns right and begins a span of two miles of steep climbs and speedy descents. The last leg of the race will be on a rolling road back into town with a sprint finish.

The short course will follow the long course for the first five miles but then turn off onto mostly rolling terrain before returning to town.

The Tour of the Valley will conclude on Sunday with the popular criterium through Youngstown streets.

There are 10 categories, including an opportunity for non-Tour riders to take part in a Community ride at 8:30 a.m.

The women pros will start at 2:20 p.m., followed by the pro men at 3:30.

The start/finish line is on Hazel Street in front of the Williamson College of Business on the Youngstown State University campus.

The course is 1-mile, with six turns around the Art and Restaurant district with a fast downhill. The course returns to Hazel St. and twists up a short climb before the final 200 meters.