AUGUST 3 – 4, 2019
Press Release
February 4, 2019 – Reading Radsport Festival, a community focused cycling and running event, hosted by and benefiting the Reading Recreation Commission returns for the third year on August 3-4, 2019. The event will capitalize on last year’s success by once again hosting professional men’s and women’s cycling races and offering the opportunity for racers from the local area to participate in multiple cycling and running disciplines over the two-day event.
The 2019 Reading Radsport Festival highlights the West Reading and Reading Communities while directly benefiting the Reading Recreation Commission’s mission to provide over 80,000 meals and 40,000 snacks a year to at-risk youth in the Greater Reading Area.
Saturday’s West Reading Criterium boasts an equal prize purse of $10,000 in the women and men’s professional races with multiple opportunities for savvy racers to snag additional cash primes throughout the race. The crowd-pleasing Wheelie Competition will highlight Saturday’s exhibition events with additional amateur racing available earlier in the day. The featured events start times will allow racers and spectators alike the opportunity to enjoy the many shops and restaurants that line Saturday’s course.
For the second year in a row, Sunday’s racing program will have three cycling disciplines to choose from. The City Park Dirt Course events will offer participants the chance to race cyclocross and short track mountain bike races on updated course design. The beer tent and obstacle features will continue to be integrated into those events. For the road bike, Sunday’s iconic Mt. Penn Hill Climb will feature an extended 2.4-mile course starting from the City Park Dirt Course to the William Penn Fire Tower. The hill climb will also be in a new format for the professional women and men. It will once again be a mass start, however, pros will not be in heats this year and the winner will be the first to cross the finish line at the William Penn Fire Tower. Citizens will continue to go in waves with the winner based on the fastest time.
The pro men and women cyclists that choose to take on both days of racing will also be competing for an additional prize purse awarded to the best rider between the two days of racing.
Registration for the event will open here on April 3, 2019. Pro/1 category racers will be offered free entry until July 19th. Cat 2 racers will also be offered a discounted entry fee.
To learn more about Reading Radsport Festival, visit readingradsport.com or follow @readingradsport on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Video highlights from the 2018 Reading Radsport Festival are found here.
To learn more about the many Reading Recreation Commission programs offered to the greater Reading community visit readingrec.org