2008 Tour de Leelanau – Sunday, May 25

The 2008 Priority Health Tour de Leelanau bicycle race will be held next Sunday (May 25). This race is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union, UCI, and USA Cycling and is a heck of a lot of fun! It had been held in September but is moving to Memorial Day Weekend this year. Race director Steve Brown explains “We have moved the event forward on the racing calendar in order to capitalize on the teams’ enthusiasm for racing in early summer compared to the end of the season.” While they are hoping to draw more racers and crowds this year:

One key element of the 2008 Priority Health Tour de Leelanau that has not been tweaked is the course. Leelanau’s reputation as a “hardman’s race” continues to grow throughout the US. Tower Rd is still located at mile 60 (97 kilometers) and promises to whip up a frenzied crowd cheering on racers from every team as they hammer their way up the steep (21% gradient) climb.

The race features $20,000 in prize money and all kinds of climbs & sprints set against the beautiful Leelanau landscape. You can get all the details and maps for the men’s race (11 AM start in Leland, 109.5 miles, 3:30 PM finish at Peshawbestown) and women’s race (approximate 12:40 PM start in Glen Arbor, 69.5 miles, 3:30 PM finish at Peshawbestown), course tour & maps, the race expo and all the rest of the events surrounding the race at the Tour de Leelanau web site

Here’s our report on the 2007 Tour de Leelanau. You can also check out the tour de leelanau tag on Flickr (slideshow) and more photos in the Tour de Leelanau group on Flickr.

Photo credit: Tour de Lelanau. Men’s sprint line in Glen Arbor, Michigan by cyoas55

Speaking of photos:

Priority Health is sponsoring a Tour de Leelanau photo contest where you could get your photo on the cover of next year’s Tour Trumpet & receive a check for $500. To enter:

Take a picture at this year’s event.
Upload it to the Priority Health Cycling Flickr pool at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/phcycling/
Note: You will need a Flickr/Yahoo account – signing up for one is FREE.
Add the tag to your image: “Tour de Leelanau”