Last Local Road Race Opportunity This Year: Page Valley

The Page Valley Road Race, a “classic” on the regional calendar now in its sixth year, will return on August 3 and is the senior championship road race for both VACA and MABRA.

This is a traditional mass-start race, where participants in different categories take off from the start in separate large “waves” of cyclists and will travel on the course loop multiple times at various distances depending on which category in which they are racing.

The elite racers will compete for 86 miles; while novice participants will race for as little as 21 miles. There will be a total of six different races at Page Valley Road Race, spread over three different waves that will take place over the entire day from 8:00 AM to approximately 5:30 PM.

The course loop, as usual, will include the neutral roll-out from Hawksbill Park on Marksville Road, and will take in portions of Ida Road, Farmview Road, Hollow Run, Balkamore Hill Road, and Kite Hollow. While no roads are completely closed for the event, there will be road guards at key intersections on the course, stopping and directing traffic as necessary. Motorists are asked to drive with caution and, if necessary, to pull over while on the course to allow packs of racers to pass.

“We know that these events do cause some minor inconveniences,” said Christopher Gould, Race Director for Page Valley Cycling and co-owner of Hawksbill Bicycles in Luray, “but I know there’s also a benefit to bringing these events to our communities, both in terms of revenue raised locally for businesses and charities and in raising awareness to physical fitness.” Last year, all of Page Valley Cycling’s events combined raised approximately $100 thousand in revenue in the county, a level that has already been exceeded this year after the Tour of Page County Stage Race, which occurred in late April.