Pro racing comes to Morgan Hill

The Northern California town of Morgan Hill - best known in cycling circles as the home town of bike and component company Specialized Bicycles - gets its own pro/am race on April 10 as it hosts the inaugural Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix.

The race will take place on a winding criterium circuit in downtown Morgan Hill, with nine turns in just over one mile. The circuit starts and finishes at the corner of Monterey Road and the 3rd Street Webcor Bridge, which is being refaced courtesy of Webcor Builders just for this race. The Webcor Bridge and the short climb are two signature features of the course. The narrow entrance to Webcor Bridge will be a critical spot every lap with riders looking to be first through the gap, while the "Hill" will provide a chance for the climbers to put a little hurt on their rivals. The finish on tree-lined Monterey Road is expected to be a perfect venue for a bunch sprint for line honours.

"It's really great to be involved in the creation of a local race," said Mike Sinyard, founder and president of Specialized Bicycles. "We're committed to creating a sustainable event that's built out of the passion of the riders. But there's more to it than that. Morgan Hill is a great city, we've had our headquarters and R&D facility here for more than twenty years, and hosting a cycling race here provides a way for people from outside to discover what Morgan Hill has to offer. And of course this is going to be a real fun day, for cyclists, for families, and for the community as a whole. Ultimately we want to put our hometown, Morgan Hill, on the map as a destination for cycling world-wide - and believe me, there's some awesome riding in this area."