The ATL Airport District is putting a spin on its promotion of College Park, East Point, Hapeville and Union City.
The cities’ combined convention and visitors bureau will welcome cycling enthusiasts and spectators to the area’s inaugural Spin the District from Sept. 21 to 23 and again Oct. 21.
According to a news release, it is a “multi-faceted experience that will transform the city streets into a premier cycling destination.”
The district previewed the event with group bike rides June 23 in East Point, July 21 in College Park and Aug. 18 in Hapeville.
Round one kicks off Sept. 21 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Dick Lane Velodrome concrete cycling track in East Point’s Sumner Park.
Food trucks, local craft beverages and live entertainment will augment the festival atmosphere.
Cyclists can register for four races in women’s and men’s fields, with a 30-rider maximum.
Spectator tickets are $5 per person, $15 per family and $25 VIP.
The Hapeville Criterium is Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. alongside Jess Lucas Park, coinciding with the city’s LocalMotion Arts Festival.
Attractions include live music, local art vendors, refreshments and food trucks.
Spectator admission is free.
The College Park Criterium is Sept. 23 from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the historic district.
It also includes live music, food trucks, mountain bike trial demonstrations, a wheelie seminar and a bike expo.
Spectator admission is free.
Round two is Union City’s Gran Fondo, Italian for “big ride,” Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Participants can choose from 30- or 60-mile road options, or a 100-mile mixed gravel and road option, the release stated, through Chattahoochee Hills and its Serenbe community.
Once back in Union City, a barbecue celebration will feature live music, food trucks and a BMX stunt show.
District President Cookie Smoak said organizers are “thrilled” to introduce the four-day cycling experience to residents and visitors.
It will celebrate the cities, she said in a statement, and “shed light on the district as an emerging cycling destination and future home to one of the largest urban biking trails in the U.S.”
The release stated the bike trails will, in time, intersect as a part of mountain biking nonprofit MTB Atlanta’s Ride and Fly initiative “to create an extensive network of urban trails that will be seamlessly integrated in the heart of three populated downtown centers and 19 different schools throughout the metro Atlanta area.”
Goals include the promotion of ecotourism, entertainment and a sense of community.
Information: https://spinthedistrict.com