2015 Bike the Bricks

The 2015 Bike the Bricks had some great racing this year and also, came with a few spills on the track.  Thankfully, there were not any really bad injuries.  It was looking like we might have to watch these great racers ride in the rain, but thankfully the heavy rain passed over just before the first event really got started.  I would say, by 5pm, the crowd was really starting to pour in.

There was plenty of food around the downtown square on food trucks and under tents.  The beer garden was large enough for the fans to watch the racing in many areas of the track and still enjoy the local beverage of choice.  There was live entertainment on stage at the east end of Louisiana St. as well as in a few businesses or on their patio's.  This year also had a jumbo screen on the square within the beer garden for fans to see some live racing being filmed by the drone flying around the track.  The purse was worth more than $25,000 this year, which made for some super competitive racing.

McKinney Main Street did a wonderful job hosting this event and the volunteers that do a lot of the work to help this event happen.  There was the great service of the McKinney Police and Fire Departments to keep the event safe and to help any fans and racers during the event.  Lastly, you can't forget the sponsors that help make this event happen.  The title sponsor was Alfa Romero FIAT of McKinney, and other sponsors include McKinney Community Development Corporation, Richardson Bike Mart, McKinney Velo, Sheraton McKinney-Official Hotel of Bike the Bricks, Excalibur, Mellow Mushroom, Baylor Medical Center of McKinney, Real Ale Brewing Company, TAPS Public Transit, Kroger, NOW 102.9, The Edge 102.1, The Dallas Morning News, and Bein Salsa.

I hope that you were able to go out to see the event, but if not, to see a few of the photos I took, please click here.  Hope you enjoy them!  I am already excited for next year's event!

2014 Bike the Bricks

Another great year of Bike the Bricks!  I was able to get lots of good photos again this year and enjoy the great Crit style racing.  The excitement of the racers flying by you, while they are side by side just inches away from each other is so awesome!  The wind they bring when traveling by you will almost blow your hat off.  All the races are fun to watch.  The early races that include the younger racers as well as the less experienced, which makes for a great race.  There are also the women's races, that are very exciting.  They are very experienced and fast.  Then at the end of the night comes the professional speedsters.  Great thing this year is that there were not any bad wrecks.  Pretty fortunate, since they are all so close and they all rely on each others skill to keep them from hitting the pavement or "bricks" around the square of downtown McKinney.

McKinney Main Street does a great job with this event and it only gets better each year.  A great partner with McKinney Velo, the local competitive cycling group.  For this year, the prize amounts get up to $25,000.  How exciting is that! The spectators line the streets of the course in their lawn chairs, blankets, standing on the rails, or just sitting on a street curb. Their is plenty of entertainment for the kids and adults.  Lots of restaurants, food trucks, the expanded beer garden with great Texas beers, vendors on site, and a VIP section.

The admission is free and the parking is free.  What more could you ask for in a great evening of entertainment?  The racing starts a 3 pm and is over somewhere in the 11 pm range.  So, get out and enjoy a great family fun filled evening in downtown McKinney, Texas.  See you there!