The MN Fixed Gear Classic will be the prelude to the five-day festival

Minneapolis - Organizers of the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival are excited to announce the return of velodrome track racing to this annual, multi-day bicycling celebration. The MN Fixed Gear Classic, held Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., is a prelude to the five-day festival.

The MN Fixed Gear Classic kicks-off on Saturday, June 7 with the Hoigaard’s Tour de Kid’s Bicycling Clinic from 4 to
6 p.m. Velodrome racing begins Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. and will continue on Sunday, June 8 from 1:00 to 4 p.m.

Velodrome racing features world class cyclists racing at speeds of up to 40 mph. Bikes used in fixed-gear track races have only one gear and do not have brakes, making the races fast and exciting for both spectators and riders. The excitement, speed of the racers around gravity-defying turns, and the close proximity of riders often results in some spectacular crashes.

Velodrome racing is an Olympic sport that attracts elite riders from throughout the world. In fact, most of the cycling medals awarded in the Olympics are given in track racing. Many of the world’s premiere track cyclists, including several Beijing hopefuls, will be competing in the track races. Committed racers include the legendary Roberto Chiappa, 41-time Italian National Champion, former World champion and a member of the Italian Olympic Team.

Velodrome track racing has been absent from the Festival since 2001, when the Festival hosted the Elite US National Track Championships.

The MN Fixed Gear Classic and the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival featuring the Nature Valley Grand Prix are free and open to the public. They are the only professional sporting event in Minnesota for which no ticket is required.

In 2007, the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival raised $30,000 for Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, double its largest contribution to date. Funds from the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival are directed to the Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care Department at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the only program of its kind in the state.

For more information about the MN Fixed Gear Classic and the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival visit www.minnbikefest.com.

About the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival and Nature Valley Grand Prix
The Great River Energy Bicycle Festival, now in its 10th year, is one of the nation’s top celebrations of the bicycle culture, with tens of thousands of cycling enthusiasts, pro athletes and avid recreational riders converging in Minnesota each June. The MN Fixed Gear Classic held at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minn., is a prelude to the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival. The Festival’s professional road racing event, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, began as a one-day criterium in Saint Paul in 1999. Ranked as the premier stage race on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar, the 2008 Nature Valley Grand Prix schedule includes stops in Saint Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Mankato, and Stillwater. The Great River Energy Bicycle Festival is a volunteer-run event, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the festival’s benefiting charity. For more information, visit: www.minnbikefestival.com.

About Great River Energy
Great River Energy is a not-for-profit electric generation and transmission cooperative providing wholesale electric energy and related services to 28 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin serving more than 600,000 customers, or approximately 1.7 million people. For more information about Great River Energy, visit: www.GreatRiverEnergy.com.

About Nature Valley
Nature Valley, the brand that created the granola bar category in 1975, brings variety to healthy, active consumers looking for wholesome and great-tasting snacks. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Nature Valley is part of General Mills, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. For more information visit www.NatureValley.com.