Freedom Tour Bicycle Race

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Preserving the Legacy of 2000-2003
Freedom Tour Bicycle Race

Each year in July, the Freedom Tour Bike Races are held in Stirling

The race on Sunday, July 24, 2011 is the Twenty-First Anniversary of this event.
Rain or Shine

The 2009 Freedom Tour raised over $8,000 which was distributed to the Millington and Stirling Volunteer Fire Companies, the Long Hill First Aid Squad, the Police Explorers and the CERT team. Read our 2009 Thank You Letter

Schedule

Traffic & Parking

Other

The Freedom Tour is sponsored by
High Gear Cyclery, the Long Hill Chamber of Commerce
DeFabio Chiropractic, & Investors Savings Bank

Does the hay bale protect
the hydrant or the cyclists?

Schedule (For entry information, see below
Time	Event	Prizes	Laps
9:00	55+	$250	30 minutes + 2 laps
9:45	45+	$550	30 minutes + 2 laps
10:30	35+	$750	45 minutes + 2 laps
11:30	Childrens Events
	Parents must register children between 9:30 AM and 11:25 AMon Union St. behind the judges' stand.A safety check will be available. Children must wear a helmet. For more, see the announcement flier.
	12-15 years old	Ribbons for all entrants Trophies to winners.	1
	3-4 years old (tricycles allowed)		Dash
	5-6 years old training wheels allowed		Dash
	7-8 years old		Dash
	9-11 years old		Dash
11:45	16th Annual New Jersey Firefighters Bike Race See picture below		2
12:00	Pro 1/2/3 highest ranked riders	$2040	60 minutes + 2 laps
1:15	Cat 4/5 lowest ranked riders	$550	30 minutes + 2 laps
2:00	Cat 3	$750	40 minutes + 2 laps
2:50	Women	$250	30 minutes + 2 laps
3:30	Drawings


	Help from a pro is appreciated.

A local highlight will be the 16th running of the New Jersey Firefighters Bike Race, held at 11:45 AM, for firefighters in full turnout gear. This race raises money for the Saint Barnabas Burn Center in Livington, N.J.

Traffic, Parking and Residents
Race Course	The race course is a 0.9 mile closed loop consisting of Main Avenue, Somerset Street, Passaic Avenue and Mercer Street. All races start and end at the judges' stand at Main Avenue and Union Street.
Traffic	To reach Stirling, see these Driving Instructions and follow instructions for "Police Department". Main and Central Avenues are closed between Valley Road and Long Hill Road from 8:00 AM until about 4:00 PM. You may drive past the barricade at Long Hill Road to get down Central Avenue as far as Railroad Avenue, Dorsi's, St. Vincents, the Stirling Hotel and Biagio Bakery. The side streets in Stirling WEST of Main Avenue (inside the race loop) are closed, except to residents.
Parking	There is no parking on any of the streets used for the race course. On other streets WEST of Main Avenue (between Main and Passaic Aves), parking is permitted only on the SOUTH side of the street. (Access is via Passaic Avenue from Valley Road - but that is closed during the races.) You may park on the streets EAST of Main Avenue. Enter Warren Avenue from Valley Road (at Jaeger Lumber). You may also park at the Stirling Railroad Station. Handicapped Parking is at the west end of Union Ave. behind the judges' stand. Enter from Valley Road to Warren Ave. to Union Ave. and turn left to the end. Honk and someone will move the barricade for you. Firefighter Race competitors should park at the Stirling VFD. See driving instructions, BUT get onto Long Hill Road to Central Ave, then turn south. Cross the railroad, and follow instructions from the police officer at the barricade. OTHER COMPETITORS should get onto Valley Road, and turn into Warren Ave (at Jaeger Lumber). Drive to the end, turn left, and park in the American Legion lot or on a side street.
Local Residents	Residents who experience ANY difficulty with traffic, noise, competitors, parking, sanitation, police, or ANY un-neighborly behaviour BY ANYONE, should immediately seek out a Chamber of Commerce representative at the Chamber of Commerce table near the judges' trailer, or call 973-769-9554. The merchants of Long Hill Township show their appreciation to Stirling residents who live within the race course, by donating merchandise or gift certificates which we raffle off. Stirling residents who have limited access to their homes during the race can enter the drawings free. You only need to write your name, address and telephone number on a piece of paper, fold it and drop it in the box behind the judges' stand prior to NOON on race day. Only one entry per person. Drawings for these gifts will be held throughout the afternoon. Freedom Tour T-Shirts will be given out free to race-locked residents behind the judges' stand. Residents who were unable to pick up a shirt on race day may ask for one at the counter at High Gear Cyclery after race day. Others may purchase T-shirts for $5.00. T-shirts are available until they are all gone!

Other important information
Entrants	You can obtain a copy of the entry form and pre-register at High Gear Cyclery (393 Main Avenue, corner of Valley Road, Stirling; 908-647-2010), or by mail. Read the notice . Applications after July 17, add $5.00.
Raffles	Stirling Fines Wines will sponsor a drawing for a bicycle donated by Yuengling. Anyone may enter the raffle by filling out a FREE raffle ticket and dropping it in the box on the street the day of the race. Drawing is at 3:30 pm. Many Long Hill merchants contribute merchandise or gift certificates which are raffled to race-locked residents.
Contributors	Official Banker and prize money handler - Investors Savings of Stirling Bottled Water* - Investors Savings of Stirling Electricity - Humphreys Exterminators Chairs and Tables - Long Hill Senior Center Childrens Races - sponsored by Investors Savings Bank Stage - Steve's Towing Service Yuengling bike raffle - Stirling Fine Wines Sound - Alexander Brasowski Hay - Red Oak Farm * Near the Judges Stand at Main Ave. and Union St.
Supporters	Long Hill First Aid Squad Stirling Volunteer Fire Company Millington Volunteer Fire Company Police Explorers, Post 264 Long Hill Community Emergency Response Team Long Hill Township Public Works Department Long Hill Township Police Long Hill Township Committee

The mouseover pop-ups can not be printed directly. For convenience, the contents of these pop-ups are repeated below.

"Thank You Letter to the Editor"

An Excellent Day of Racing

On July 26, the residents of Long Hill enjoyed the nineteenth annual Freedom Tour bicycle races in downtown Stirling.

Between the six professional races, the firemen and the 12-15 year old kids, we watched 178 laps (roughly 160 miles) of exciting racing.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the people who made this day a success.

This year's "extraordinary response award" goes to the Long Hill Department of Public Works. On Thursday, we discovered that one of the utility companies had opened two holes on Main Avenue and left them unpaved. They worked without getting town permits, so they didn't know the races were imminent, and we didn't know who to lean on for repairs. At noon Friday - with cancellation threatened because of risks to the cyclists - DPW picked up a load of blacktop and patched the holes themselves.

Bert Webster and his team of employees and volunteers from High Gear Cyclery outdid themse

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