TriRidgefield Announces Title Sponsor and Kids Race

by Geoffrey Morris

The Ridgefield Bicycle Company has agreed to be title sponsor for the 2012 TriRidgefield. Now in its sixth year, TriRidgefield has become a greatly respected and highly competitive sprint-distance triathlon that takes place the first Sunday after Memorial Day at Martin Park. The Ridgefield Bicycle Company has become a premier cycling center for the area. The bike shop sells and services all levels of bicycle—from high-end Felt and Giant racing bikes to youth and adult models by Giant and Raleigh—and it leads rides of various distances beginning from its Catoonah Street location. “TriRidgefield is a great race for anyone interested in doing a triathlon, and it is a fantastic community event—we are proud to support it,” says Ridgefield Bicycle Company owner Sean Dowd, who with wife Jacqui Dowd started the shop in 2010. “The Ridgefield Bicycle Company is a great fit to be our title sponsor,” says TriRidgefield co-director Geoffrey Morris, who with Evan McGerald launched TriRidgefield in 2007. “Like TriRidgefield, the owners are great supporters of cycling, physical fitness, and Ridgefield.” The title sponsor has its name associated with the race and will host events tied to the race.

In addition to a new title sponsor, TriRidgefield has organized a second race for 2012: a triathlon for kids 4 to 14. The three heats of TriRidgefield Kids will be broken out by age group. Four to 6 year olds will swim 20 yards, bike 1 mile, and run 100 yards. Seven to 10 year olds will swim 100 yards, bike 2.5 miles, and run a half-mile. The 11 to 14 year olds will swim 200 yards, bike 5 miles, and run 1 mile. It will be the first race in a six-part Tough Kids series that culminates with a youth championship in the fall of 2012.  “Watching these kids race is a great thrill,” says race director Evan McGerald. “The competition excites them and they have a lot fun too.”

The TriRidgefield Kids will take place at Martin Park on Saturday, June 2, at 8 a.m. TriRidgefield takes place Sunday, June 3, at 7 a.m. Registration for both events opens at 12:01 am on January 1, 2012, at triridgefield.com.