7-time Tour de France racer and Grand Tour champion Chris Horner leads the pack through a tight turn on the Doylestown criterium course

Spectators at the Thompson Bucks County Classic, a stop on the prestigious USA Cycling Pro Road Tour, will have the chance to see veterans of professional cycling's greatest race, the Tour de France, up close and personal on Sunday, Sept. 11.

Past Tour de France riders Chris Horner and Danny Pate of the United States and Janier Acevedo of Colombia are among those expected to compete in the 61-mile men's professional criterium that concludes an exciting day of high speed action in historic Downtown Doylestown.

“Between the packed streets, the house parties along the course and all the top-notch talent, this will be one of the finest days of bicycle racing in the United States,” said race director John Eustice. “The Doylestown community annually turns out in force and we expect even bigger crowds this year, especially coming off the excitement of the Olympics.”

Horner has competed in the Tour de France seven times and is one of only three Americans to have won a Grand Tour – one of cycling's three-week races – as champion of the Vuelta a España in 2013. Pate has raced the Tour de France four times while competing for some of the world's top-ranked teams, including Team Sky and HTC-Highroad. Acevedo was champion of the UCI America Tour in 2013 and competed in the Tour de France in 2014.

The 14th edition of the Thompson Bucks County Classic will feature five races, live entertainment, VIP tents and an awards ceremony. It is run in conjunction with the annual Doylestown Arts Festival, which offers a selection of 160 juried artists, five stages of live music, two food courts and live demonstrations. Both events are free to the public and free parking is available at the County Parking Garage, County VIP Lot, and Fanny Chapman. The Doylestown Dart shuttle will provide transportation to and from the Garage and Fanny Chapman for convenience.

“The combination of the two events – combined with the Reading 120 the day before – makes this a perfect event for people of all ages,” Eustice said. “Fans can see Tour de France riders in a perfect spectator event without having to go all the way to Europe.”

Recreational cyclists will get the exciting day rolling with the Cyclosportif, a beautiful and challenging ride through historic Bucks County. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., cyclists can choose from two routes of either 31 or 60 miles. What follows is the amateur men's criterium (60-minutes) at 9:30 a.m., children's races at 10:45 a.m., the “Lenape Scorcher” – a race featuring high wheel bikes that rose to popularity in the late 1800s – then the big show, Doylestown Health Pro Women at 11:45 a.m., followed by the Thompson Pro Men at 1:10 p.m.

The Thompson Criterium of Doylestown will be live streamed. Complete details about the spectacular day of racing can be found on the official website, buckscountyclassic.com.

The race was founded in 2003 by Manhattan-based Championship Cycling, Inc., who own and manage the event.

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