The Valley Preferred Cycling Center

Valley Preferred Cycling Center officially kicks off its 2012 season this Saturday with its annual spring-time VeloFest. The VeloFest event is the largest cycling marketplace on the East Coast, and regularly attracts thousands of cycling enthusiasts from up and down the eastern seaboard.

VeloFest begins at 8:30 a.m. at Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Breinigsville, Pa. and runs until about 2:00 p.m.

“People ask me for advice all the time on buying a new bike or new equipment, and I always tell them to wait for VeloFest,” said Marty Nothstein, executive director of Valley Preferred Cycling Center. “You can get unbelievable deals on bikes, equipment, or whatever you need. Any cyclist or fitness enthusiast should check out VeloFest. We’ll have stuff that’s perfect for a seasoned rider or someone who’s just starting out.”

Over 150 vendors will be participating. Up for grabs is a range of items across the road, track, cyclocross and mountain bike, BMX and single speed disciplines, as well as equipment and apparel.

NOTEBOOK:

Flags in the Wind: The venue is all set for tomorrow’s VeloFest, save for a few items left on the to-do list for tomorrow morning. We got all of the vendor lines drawn and the place staked out.  Tomorrow’s VeloFest will have a slightly different look, as the grass is still growing in some areas after we tore up the apron for a new concrete path.

The touch we most enjoyed was raising those flags. Seeing those flags fly in the wind over the track just creates a more “official” status to the beginning of our season.

Thank You, Lehigh County: It’s been a total team effort this week. Here’s a special shout out to the Lehigh County crew that’s been helping get the place ready for an exciting new season of velodrome racing. Among a myriad of new work is a fresh-cut lawn and some new paint in a few places. And, as you can see from the accompanying photo, no project was too big.

Rodale Shakes it Up: Rodale Catering & Events are back for the 2012 Valley Preferred Cycling Center season. The concession stand is ready to go live tomorrow morning. In addition to the usual organic fare from past seasons, Rodale Catering & Events have brought a new item to the menu this year: milk shakes. They’ll have the popular flavors vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. But if you really want to live it up tomorrow, they’ll also have a Cookies & Cream shake at VeloFest.

Some New Brew: Our staple Michelob Ultra will return in 2012, as well as HopDevil from Victory Brewing. Our friends at Allentown Beverage have been very good to us with a revamped lineup.

On draft we’ve got Shock Top, HopDevil, Troeg’s HopBack Amber and Frankenmuth Pilsner. In bottles we have Budweiser Bud Light, Bud Light Lime, LandShark, Duquesne Pilsener, Victory’s Whirlwind, Troeg’s Pale Ale, Lime-A-Rita, and others.

On the Wine Rack: We’ve got some good wine from Clover Hill Vineyards again for the 2012 season. Another insitution of the Brienigsville/Trexlertown area, Clover Hill Vineyards & Winery has been a great partner of the Valley Preferred Cycling Center.

Their distinct lineup of different wines will quench the thirst of many on a hot Friday night this summer. But why wait? Have a glass at VeloFest tomorrow.

Total T-Town Experience: One lucky attendee at this Saturday’s VeloFest is going to win a unique T-Town experience. We’ve pulled out all the stops for this raffle, which is sure to be a hit with cyclists and T-Town fans.

Click here for all the details.

Drop by the Valley Preferred Cycling Center table and enter for your chance to win an awesome Total T-Town Experience.

For Sale: As we do at every VeloFest, Valley Preferred Cycling Center will be selling some old merchandise and other items. There will even be a nice selection of health and fitness books from Rodale up for grabs. We’ll also have some space to sell some equipment.Every dollar counts towards making Valley Preferred Cycling Center a success, and contributes to our great community cycling programs.

Gates open at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. We’ll be dealing until about 2:00 p.m. Tickets are just $8, and kids 12 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit www.thevelodrome.com.