Three courses, three challenges for riders, residents

USA Cycling's Amateur Road National Championships cover three courses.

Each will pose a different test for the racers. Each also will have different effects on area drivers and pedestrians, organizers said.

The championships include a time trial along Md. 67 in the Boonsboro area on Thursday, a road course in the Clear Spring area Friday and Saturday, and the criterium in downtown Hagerstown on Sunday.

Time trial

"They call the time trial 'the race of truth,' because the riders are only racing against the clock," said veteran cyclist and event volunteer Dick Cushwa.

Drafting — following closely behind another to reduce wind resistance — is forbidden.

"It's basically just to see how hard you can go for the entire course," he said.

It also will be "the most disruptive" for local drivers, according to Dan Spedden, president of Visit Hagerstown.

Organizers have worked with state and county highway officials, plus emergency-services agencies to make sure drivers have alternate routes. They also have made arrangements in case of a fire or other event on the course.

"That takes priority over the event, obviously," Spedden said.

Md. 67 will be closed for the out-and-back course. As the day progresses and different age groups take their turns to compete, the course will be shortened. That means parts of the Md. 67 will be opened earlier than others.

"We're doing our very best to minimize the impact in Boonsboro. ... There will be some detours for some people," added Betsy DeVore, director of marketing and digital communications for Visit Hagerstown.

Road course

The road course consists of loops on roads in the Clear Spring area. The race will vary from 20 kilometers to 162 kilometers, according to the riders' gender and age group.

"It's going to be hilly in spots, and it's going to be flat in spots. There are some pretty good climbs in it. It's a pretty scenic course," Cushwa said.

Of all the races, the road course might have the most room for strategy, he said.

"You've got to know how to pace yourself and where to attack," he said. "Most of the attacks come on the hills."

Drivers might encounter packs of riders or individual cyclists along the course, Spedden said. Crews will be out to help direct motorists and keep the riders safe.

Criterium

The criterium refers to a bicycle race of several laps around a closed circuit.

It might be familiar to local residents because of the races regularly held in downtown Hagerstown. But this championship, with its different age and gender groups, will bring a long day of competition.

"The criterium in Hagerstown will be racing for 10 hours," Spedden said.

The first race is to start at 8 a.m. The last one will begin at 4:50 p.m.

The criterium, because it is taking place on an urban loop, might give spectators a good look at the riders, organizers said. But it also will mean different traffic patterns for motorists and pedestrians in downtown Hagerstown.

Also that day, a free, family-oriented downtown block party will be held at the Mural of Unusual Size on West Baltimore Street along the Hagerstown Cultural Trail.