Racing up the bluff and around downtown La Crosse in this bike event

La Crosse Omnium giving
out over $7,500 in prizes

A three-day, intense bicycle race will shut down downtown La Crosse on Sunday.

The annual La Crosse Omnium, that begins May 6 with a trek up to Grandad Bluff and concludes with a mad dash downtown.

You can still enter any of the three events.

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Day 1 of the race begins at 4:30 p.m. Friday with the 2.4-mile trek up up Bliss Road to Grandad  Bluff – a 550-foot climb.

Day 2 begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, a 13.69-mile road race that begins in Nodine, Minn.

The final day is called the Criterium, what Omnium marketing director Ralph Heath calls “NASCAR on bikes.”

“They race elbow to elbow,” said Heath, who says this year will be a record-breaking turnout. “It’s very exciting.”

The Criterium is a .7-mile loop around downtown La Crosse that begins near the Charmont on Sunday morning.

Registration is still open for the event, which should see over 70 riders in the pro series. Each day is a different category of racing in which participants can register in the 15 divisions. Over $7,500, plus additional prizes, will be awarded.