By Brian Birkeland

I stumbled upon a short article in the Salinas Californian newspaper that Mazda Laguna-Seca Raceway has started a Twighlight Cycling Series on the track and that for a $10 entry fee anyone can ride their bike on the 2.2mile track.

So I showed up on Friday May 15th from 6:30 – 7:30pm. Rode hard and managed to complete 6 full laps in one hour with a 15mph average. Was surprised how difficult the climbing was but was thrilled by the fast descents and very smooth road surface.

Brian Birkeland

Actor Patrick Dempsey at Specialized Tent

Did get to talk very briefly with the actor Patrick Dempsey about his cancer survivor crusade in Maine after seeing the article in Bicycling Magazine. I’ve included a few snapshots from the evening.

For those who would like to ride on the track this year there are more dates:  The link is http://mazdaraceway.com/pages/bike_ride and the dates are 5/20, 6/17, 7/22, 8/19, 9/16 ,and 10/14.

I spoke with the track PR Manager, Jennifer Capasso (jenniferc@laguna-seca.com) and she said the $10 per rider goes to the Monterey County SPCA during race weekends like this one and the Wednesday night proceeds go to local county bicycling clubs and/or the SPCA.

Actor Patrick Dempsey

Hope to see ACTC members on the track,