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31ST ANNUAL JOE MARTIN STAGE RACE ATTRACTS TOP U.S. PRO CYCLING TEAMS

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Fayetteville, Ark. (April 16, 2007) – The 30th edition of the Joe Martin Stage Race will kick off May 11-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

When the late Joe Martin began the Fayetteville Spring Classic cycle race in 1978, he might not have realized it would become one of the longest and continually held races in the country.

On May 11-13, the Joe Martin Stage Race will commence its 30th year in existence. Renamed after Martin’s death in 1988, the race has become one of the premier events on the National Race Calendar. The NRC is the pro and elite amateur cycling tour of USA Cycling. The JMSR is only one of two events in Arkansas on the NRC.

“Being able to celebrate the 30th Anniversary this year speaks a lot about this community, the racers, and the fans that come and support it,” said Bruce Dunn, race director and owner of All Sports Productions, Inc. “A lot of great races aren’t around after ten years, and here we are, celebrating our 30th year as a race. That is such a great accomplishment for the community and for the supporters of this event.”

The three-day, four-stage race will offer more than $55,000 in cash and merchandise to competitors across 11 categories. This year event planners are expecting 700 riders with approximately 1,000 support personnel for the three-day event.

“We like to see more racers each year in this event,” Dunn said, “but what we’re seeing is an incredible increase in the quality of riders. Quantity is great and the race reputation will increase this year because of the quality.”

The planners of the Joe Martin are introducing a new racing category this year after registration was closed two weeks before the event. The Elite-Amateur group will be for men that are high-level racers but are not labeled as professionals.

“We started the Elite-Amateur group because the gap between amateur racers and professionals was getting wider and the amateurs were having more difficulty racing. We started it so both the professionals and the amateurs can enjoy racing. We wanted to give individuals more competition. With the new groupings, we can do that.”

The races begin Friday, May 11 with the Pro Men’s road race at 1:45 p.m. The men will race 110 miles south from the Wal-Mart on 62 West and will continue on Highways 62, 45, and 59 until riders hit Mountainburg and will turn and head north on Highway 71. Racers are expected around 6 p.m. and will finish on Dickson Street. The women will start their 64-mile race at the First Baptist Church in Cedarville at 2:30 p.m. and are slated to finish around 5 p.m. on Dickson Street.

A road race for both professionals and amateurs will start Saturday, May 12 at 8 a.m. at the University of Arkansas parking lot at 15th Street and Razorback Road near Baum Stadium. The course length will vary between 34 and 92 miles depending on the level of the rider. The finish line will be at the same place of origin. Racers are expected back between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
The exit of Cato Springs/ Razorback Road will be closed from 9:45 to 1:15 p.m. on Saturday for the finish of this stage.

An uphill time-trial from 2:30 to 8 p.m. will push some of the most qualified athletes. A racer will start every 30 seconds to race the 2.5-mile climb out of Devil’s Den State Park on Highway 170.
Races on Sunday will be very family and community-oriented as the final day of racing falls on Mother’s Day.

A free fun ride for kids between the ages of three and 12 will begin at 12:30 in downtown Fayetteville. All the mothers who have entered her children in a race will receive a rose from race organizers. Inflatable toys, vendors featuring food, outdoor productions, refreshments, and demonstrations will be on the Square from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Prizes will be given away to the public throughout the day.

The final race of the event, the criterium, will begin and end at the corner of Church Avenue and Center Street. This course will be one of the easiest to observe for the community and usually presents some exciting finishes. The pro women will start at noon and the men will follow at 1:30.
“The neat thing about the Joe Martin is the people that return to Fayetteville,” Dunn said. “These are the people that make this race bigger and better every year. But more importantly, this race has attracted those riders back to the area for vacations with their families. They come back every year for the race, but we know that they are starting to come back because of the attraction of the area and the city of Fayetteville.”

For more information, visit www.joemartinstagerace.com.

About All Sports Productions, Inc.
The Joe Martin Stage Race is promoted by All Sports Productions, Inc., a sports event management company, which promotes cycling, triathlon, running, adventure race and outdoor events. The company also provides consulting services to other sporting events. All Sports Productions, Inc. is owned and operated by Bruce Dunn.

About the National Racing Calendar (NRC)
Entering its 11th season in 2007, the National Racing Calendar (NRC) is an all-inclusive road cycling series sanctioned by USA Cycling. It is designed to provide a ranking system for all elite-level cyclists, both amateur and professional, through participation in the nation’s premier cycling events. For more information on the NRC, visit http://www.usacycling.org/nrc/, or contact Justin Rogers at (719) 866-3266 or jrogers@usacycling.org.