The world’s best cyclists will speed through rural Milton next summer after the Town announced the decision to host time events for the Pan/Parapan American Games in 2015.
As part of the cycling events for the Toronto summer Games, riders will compete on a closed looped course that starts on Louis St. Laurent Avenue before travelling south toward Oakville.
Milton Cycling Academy head coach Steve Bauer said the spectator-friendly event will offer plenty of opportunities to get up close as athletes reach speeds of 70 km/h.
“Getting out on the race course at an intersection or a corner there’s going to be so much space it will be really easy to get up close to the race course itself — witness some of the speed and sound as the athletes rip by,” Bauer said.
The Town’s community services committee approved the event, which bares no local costs and is non-ticketed, at its meeting on Monday.
A request for the road closures will be tabled at the July 2 Halton regional council meeting as the Pan and Parapan events include the closures of three regional roads.
Community Services Director Jennifer Reynolds told councillors that staff had been working with police and engineering services to accommodate motorists during the event.
“It will be in some ways an inconvenience for some,” Reynolds said. “It is a fairly short period of time so we’re trying to offer alternate routes, detour routes — everybody is very conscious of that. “
After next month’s meeting at the Region, staff will also approach residents and businesses affected by the closure, including RattleSnake Point Golf Club and Oakville Executive Golf Course.
“We have a communication plan ready to approach the affected businesses and residents along the routes for the time periods that are shown,” Reynolds told the committee.
The proposed route for the Pan Am men’s and women’s competition will travel along First Line, Lower Base Line West, Fourth Line as well as Louis St. Laurent Avenue.
Men will cover two laps of the 20-km course while women will complete one lap. Both are scheduled for July 22.
The Parapan event, to be held on August 12, will be on a 10-km route consisting of Louis St Laurent Avenue, Fourth Line, Britannia Road and Regional Road 25.
Bauer said for those unfamiliar with cycling, time trial bicycles are unique from those used in other disciplines such as track or road cycling.
“They have really refined machines that have disc wheels and aerodynamic tubing, built out of carbon fiber, and even electronic shifting now — push button shifting just like Formula 1,” he said.
Milton will host the track cycling portion of the games at the new Mattamy National Cycling Centre, which is slated to be open in the fall of this year.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s very nice that Milton would additionally host another opportunity for cycling,” Bauer said. “Beyond the velodrome I think it’s great to take this task on and build the cycling culture of the community.
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