Para Grassroots Initiative Targets Regional Races Across the Nation in 2025
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by Paul D. Bowker
When a number of regional bike races and time trials take place across the country this spring and summer, the events will include divisions for handcyclists and other Para-cyclists.
It is part of an initiative that is spreading nationally and could result in the formation of a USA Cycling and U.S. Paralympics Cycling racing series in 2026.
“It’s a grassroots effort,” said Ian Lawless, director of U.S. Paralympics Cycling. “It’s led by a group of athletes and promoters.”
While many U.S. Paralympics Cycling events determine rosters for world cup, world championships and Paralympic Games, these new races are intended to get more Para-cyclists into the game on a grassroots level.
The races, Lawless said, are open to everyone and not just elite athletes.
This year’s schedule of races includes the Swamp Classic in Gainesville, Florida, and the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Phoenix, which were held in February and traditionally have welcomed Para riders.
Still to come are the Tulsa Tough/AAON Gran Fondo in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June; the Tour of America’s Dairyland in Wisconsin in June; Grand Rapids Gran Fondo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in June; Tennessee Paracycling Open in Knoxville, Tennessee, in September; El Tour De Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, in November; and Kansas Adaptive Cycling Omnium in Wichita, Kansas.
The Saint Francis Tulsa Tough features two days of Para H1-5 handcycling division on both June 6 and 7, the first two days in a three-day biking event that is a part of the American Criterium Cup and is run in downtown Tulsa.
Additional biking opportunities include time trials that are held weekly, beginning in May, in Ada, Michigan.
Also coming up is the USA Cycling Para-cycling Road National Championships, May 20-25, in Charleston, West Virginia.
“We’re trying to create an environment where new people can race,” Lawless said. “There’s a bit of a culture to it that’s not only about the Paralympic team or going to world championships or something like that. It’s definitely more of a domestic focus.”
The events are usually run in a criterium format, which means multiple laps are run over shorter courses. The format lends itself to being spectator friendly. The Tulsa Tough event, for example, includes races run through the city’s Blue Dome entertainment district and the Tulsa Arts District area.
All of the events are sanctioned by USA Cycling.
Lawless said U.S. Paralympics Cycling is discussing a national series format for 2026 with USA Cycling in which national rankings and overall series winners would be determined through regional races.
“We’re trying to get the ball rolling for something that grows in the future,” Lawless said.
Here is a list of links with some of the upcoming races:
• USA Cycling Para-cycling Road National Championships, May 20-25, Charleston, West Virginia: usacyling.org
• Saint Francis Tulsa Tough, June 6-8, Tulsa, Oklahoma: tulsatough.com
• Tour of America’s Dairyland, June 19-29, Wisconsin: tourofamericasdairyland.com
• Grand Rapids Gran Fondo, June 21, Grand Rapids, Michigan: grgranfondo.com
• El Tour De Tucson, November 22, Tucson, Arizona: eltourdetucson.org
• Ada Times Trials, weekly events, Ada Township, Michigan: rapidwheelmen.com/rides/time-trials/
Paul D. Bowker has been writing about Olympic and Paralympic sports since 1996, when he was an assistant bureau chief in Atlanta. He is a freelance contributor to USParaCycling.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
