48th Longsjo Classic readies for race day

In less than three weeks, nearly 800 cyclists are expected to roll into North Central Massachusetts for the 48th Fitchburg Longsjo Classic.

The racing gets underway Thursday, June 28, with the Royal Plaza Time Trial, which is a 6.2-mile race against the clock. Race officials changed the course location, which begins at Saima Park in Fitchburg.

The women pro will race will start at 3:15 pm and men pro at 4:30 pm.

Cyclists shift on Friday, June 29, to the Fitchburg State College Circuit Race, a 3.1 mile loop through the hilly streets of Fitchburg, with the men's pro riding 78-miles, starting at 3:50 pm, and the women's pro cycling 40-miles beginning at 2:15 pm.

On Saturday, June 30, the riders change venues with the men's pro riding a total of 104-miles in the Wachusett Mountain Road Race, a grueling 11-mile course through Princeton center with a spectacular finish at the 2,000- foot summit of Wachusett Mountain.

The pro riders will start shortly after noon at the ski area.

The race concludes on Sunday, July 1, with the Workers' Credit Union Criterium. This fast-paced, exciting race runs right past the Longsjo Memorial, with multiple laps, starting at 3 and 4:10 pm for the pro women and men respectively, around a 0.9-mile loop through historic downtown Fitchburg.

"We expect a diverse and exciting field this year," noted the President of Fitchburg Cycling Club, George Gantz, who is the senior vice president of Unitil and one of the race underwriters.

The race is dedicated to the memory of Arthur Longsjo, the first same-year dual (winter and summer) Olympian in the United States.

Nearly 800 riders from across the United States and around the globe in eight different categories, including Women's Pro/1 and Men's Pro/1 will compete for $53,500 in prize money.

The major sponsors include: The Ronald M. Ansin Foundation, Unitil, Workers' Credit Union, Best Western Royal Plaza, Fitchburg State College and Bovenzi, Inc..

For more information, please visit www.longsjo.com