The Thursday Night Cycling Series at Seward Park resumed July 1.
The pent-up COVID energy was palpable this week!
Held on Thursday evenings during the spring and summer, this classic Seattle weekly hammerfest is a focal point for the region’s road bike racing community. Most participants ride to the race, race, then ride home, often with a pit stop to commiserate with friends. If you are new to the area or new to bicycle racing, the Seward Series is a great way to connect with Seattle’s bike racing community and identify teams or clubs you may want to join.
This year, as as result of a late start due to COVID19 restrictions, the series is scheduled to run through September 23. Typically, races are held every Thursday evening from April through the end of August.
Schedule
5:00PM Warm-Ups, Coaches Clinics
5:30PM 25min: First Timers & Category 4, 5
6:00PM 45min: Category 3, 4
7:00PM 60min: Pro & Category 1, 2, 3
Compared to 2019, I noticed two big changes in the local teams.
Fount Cycling Guild was up and running prior to the pandemic, but it looks to have exploded in the last 18 months. Fount was founded by former professionals David Richter and Jennifer Wheeler.
North Star Racing, the racing arm of North Star Cycling, is out in force. North Star did not exist before the pandemic:
North Star Cycling has a simple goal, to get melanated people on bicycles in order to build a beloved community, and be the radical, justice-focused conscience of cycling. We do this by knocking down the barriers to cycling, building community, and uplifting BIPOC riders to support their physical and mental health. In just 7 months we have built a BIPOC cycling community from 4 riders to over 80 fully-engaged riders that are committed to building the radical form of cycling that the industry has yet to see.
Video of racers accelerating out of the hairpin at the northwest corner of the course:
More photos
Feel free to share photos for non-commercial use only. Credit: Northwest in Motion
