- Macon, GA -
The Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference formally announced last week that the 2011 road championship weekend would be located in Macon, Georgia, hosted by Mercer University Cycling. The championship weekend, featuring a time trial, criterium, and road race is perhaps the largest sporting event to come to Macon behind the Atlantic Sun Conference basketball championships also hosted by Mercer during March.
The date for the weekend, April 16-17, is set but the locations for the time trial and road race are still to be determined. After the large success of the 1st Annual Macon Cycling Classic, a race co-hosted by Mercer Cycling along with Walthall Oil Cycling (now Georgia Neurosurgical Institute Cycling), the criterium event will be held around Tatnall Square Park adjacent to the university on a fast, four-corner course.
"This is a real coup for us," said team racing director Andrew Lockwood. "We submitted a bid to host a SECCC event this year and were extremely surprised that we received the championship event with all of the tough and competitive cycling schools in our conference," he added.
With 32 teams in the SECCC including major schools like Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Georgia Tech, between 150 to 200 cyclists are expected to travel to Macon, the geographical center of the conference to participate in the culminating conference event. Last year's championship event was hosted at Mars Hill before the qualifying cyclists went on to the National Championship in Madison, Wisconsin.
"We're still in the process of sorting out sponsors for this weekend, but this is quite an exciting time to be a cyclist at Mercer and in Macon," Lockwood added.
Mercer Cycling will host the event as well as provide support to the Georgia Neurosurgical Institute Cycling team as they plan to host the Georgia State Championships in Macon as well on May 21st.
