Bike and Motor Events at Daytona Beach

With Biketoberfest less than nine days away, this video offers a nice overview of the Daytona year. To even the most casual sports fan, Daytona, Florida and racing are virtually synonymous. The Daytona 500 reigns as the premier event in auto racing, dropping the flag on the NASCAR season every February, and drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. Every March, more than half a million bikers from around the world come to the area, to meet other bikers, and show off their rides. It’s called Bike Week. There’s entertainment, swap meets and more. The American Motorcycle Association hosts dirt and flat track racing, while Honda sponsors a supercross event, and caps off the celebration on two wheels with the Daytona 200 road course event. Independence Day weekend brings an abundance of auto racing: the roadcourse Paul Revere 250; the Winn-Dixie 250 puts NASCAR Busch series racers under the lights; then NASCAR's best tackle the Daytona International Speedway for the annual Pepsi 400. It’s a nighttime challenge at the "World Center of Racing," followed by a fireworks extravaganza. In the autumn, the roar of motorcycles returns with the annual Biketoberfest. The rally includes stunt shows, concerts, exhibits, A-M-A sanctioned races, and poker runs for non-professional riders. It offers bikers a final big rally before the year end, with plenty of bikes, fun, sun and long golden beaches. This year's event is set for October 19-22, 2006.

La Vuelta a España 2006

Spain's national cycling tour, the Vuelta a Ciclista 2006 gets underway in Malaga tomorrow, accompanied by many cultural events and exhibitions.

On Sunday, the race will leave the Costa del Sol capital as it progresses onto the second leg of 167 kilometres to Cordoba. The tour consists of 21 sections, finishing in Madrid on 17 September, 2006.

2006 Tour de France

With impeccable timing, the 2006 Tour de France begins in Strasbourg on July 1st; the same day that France take on Brazil in the quarter-finals of the soccer World Cup.

Before the arrival of the cycling pack in the Landes area, a rock concert for over 10 000 spectators has been arranged at the Place de la Fontaine Chaudduring, during the evening of July 10.

There are 20 stages in the 2006 tour:

• 9 flat stages,


• 4 medium mountain stages,


• 5 mountain stages,


• 2 individual time-trial stages.

The organizers have provided a very good interactive map of the tour.

USA Cycling MTB National Championships 2006

The nation's best Cross Country, Mountain Cross, Downhill, Super D and Marathon riders return to Mammoth, July 20-23, 2006, for the USA National Championships.

BMX World Championships 2006

The 2006 UCI BMX World Challenge Championships, will be held July 29 and 30 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Mario Covas Olympic Park; a new permanent track is to be constructed by UCI track builder Tom Ritzenthaler in June 2006.

Visit the UCI site for the complete UCI BMX Calendar.

Hollister Fourth of July

Back in 1947, a hell-raising group of bikers descended on Hollister city, California, 90 miles south of San Francisco, for a 3-day rally over the Fourth of July holiday. The notorious events of that weekend are said to have inspired the 1953 Hollywood cult classic, biker film, The Wild One starring Marlon Brando.

Hollister became known as the "Birthplace of the American Biker" and each year since then, has played host to an annual Fourth of July rally where bikers are reckoned to spend an incredible eight million dollars.

But not this year. The City Council have voted to cancel the rally, kick-starting a dispute that has divided their community. An interesting decision; I wonder if they really thought that issuing a press release saying that the rally was cancelled, would deter 60,000 motorcyclists. As you might expect, many motorcyclists are threatening to spend the Fourth of July in Hollister anyway, saying, "You can't cancel freedom."

Women’s Prestige Cycling Series

Women Cyclists.com promotes the participation of women in the sport of cycling. Encouraging the view that cycling is a sport which women can enjoy and participate in, no matter their location, age, or level of fitness.

One of their initiatives is the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series and the schedule for 2006 includes three of North America’s most prestigious stage races.

June 14 – 18, 2006, Nature Valley Grand Prix
July 24 – 30, 2006, International Tour de Toona
September 7 – 10, 2006, CD and P Bermuda Grand Prix

Beginning in 2004, the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series has the goal of highlighting women's racing by giving competitors a spotlight that they don’t have to share with men.

The series is open only to teams. Individual riders who wish to participate in the series should either form a team or must join one that will be participating in the series.

Teams must register and submit their original rosters by May 1 to: Registration@womencyclists.com.