New race to Catskills

A new, two-day stage race, the Tour of the Catskills, is coming to upstate New York on September 6-7. Centered around the Hunter and Windham Mountain region of Greene County, the pro and amateur event will include two single-loop road races: the Saturday Mountaintop Classic starting and ending in Hunterand the Sunday Catskill Epic beginning and ending in Windham.

The event will offer races for amateur and professional riders each day. Eight separate races will be held on the two courses which will be 50-60 miles in length for amateurs and 82 miles for elite and professional men.

"The Catskill Mountain Foundation is very pleased to host the 1st Annual Tour of the Catskills Cycling Race," said Peter Barker, Executive Director. "We hope that this becomes an attractive event for regional cyclists and families to participate in for many years to come."

"The Catskill Mountains are a perfect backdrop for an event like this one," said Race Promoter Dieter Drake. "The roads, the people, and the scenery will make this race like no other in the Northeast." Drake also promotes the Tour of the Battenkill in Washington County, New York, which has become the largest professional and amateur race in the United States in its four years.

Partial proceeds of the event will benefit local charities including the Adaptive Sports Foundation (www.adaptivesportsfoundation.org). For more information on the race, visit www.tourofthecatskills.com.