Cyclists ready for 4th annual Valley tour

Photo

Photo by: Vindicator file photo

Paul Martin of the Panther Trucking race team took first place during the final event of the 2011 Tour of the Valley.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley’s celebration of the Tour de France gets started today with a taste of Italy.

The fourth-annual Tour of the Valley bicycle race begins with an 8.5-mile prologue course today at Mastropietro’s Winery in Berlin Center, an Italian-style orchard with a one-acre lake.

The time trial, which begins at 5 p.m., kicks off three days of racing that features eight categories of racers ranging from juniors to masters.

Saturday’s “High Roller” road race begins at 9 a.m. at Columbiana High School with distances ranging from 26 miles to 80 miles depending on the racers’ age and skill level.

Due to construction in downtown Columbiana, this year’s road course was moved to the high school and features six large hills between miles 11-21.

The Tour finishes Sunday with a criterium at Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business. The one-mile course weaves through downtown Youngstown and YSU’s campus.

The criterium ranges from 20 minutes for 10-14-year-old juniors to 90 minutes for the men’s pro category.

This year’s Tour — Ohio’s largest three-day cycling stage race — is expected to feature more than 400 cyclists competing for $12,000 in cash prizes.

For more details and a complete schedule, visit tourofthevalley.com.