Notre Dame senior Luke Mullis and junior Justin Kreger yesterday completed the 24th Annual John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun Stage Race, which is held annually in Phoenix, Ariz. It’s a three-day USAC (USA Cycling) event in which professional and amateur road-racing cyclists of different categories compete for prizes.
The race is comprised of Stage 1, which was a 14-mile individual time trial, followed by Stage 2, a 62-mile road race, and finishes with Stage 3, a 45-minute “criterium” race around downtown Phoenix.
Mullis finished 31st and Kreger 75th in the overall “general classification,” while their teammate, Sandor Delgado, of Florida, won the criterium outright. More than 800 participants in 23 categories of professional and amateur riders, both men and women, competed in the race.
The race is put on by the White Mountain Road Club, a non-profit founded in 1980 to promote cycling and cycle racing, and is one of the largest bicycle races in the nation. Race promoter, Brian Lemke, of White Mountain, said the race is a great opportunity for cyclists of all ages and categories to brush shoulders and race on the same course as many of the top professional and amateur riders in the nation.
For Mullis and Kreger, the race represented the start of a long season with Mullis targeting a return to Junior Track Worlds in Switzerland in July. Kreger competes in local and national races and this past summer, he took first place in the 29-and-under category at the Pando 6-Hour Endurance Race in Rockford, Mich.
More on the Valley of the Sun race
The Valley of the Sun bicycle race is a three-day USAC event in which professional and amateur road racing cyclists of different categories compete for cash and prizes. A stage is held each day, and while riders will compete for victory in their category each day of the race, they will also aim for the overall race win. The cyclists that have the lowest cumulative time from the three stages will win in their respective categories. The stages include the Landis Cyclery – Trek Individual Time Trial on Friday, the Safeco Insurance, Parrish Agency, Road Race on Saturday, and the Jorden Bischoff & Hiser criterium on Sunday in downtown Phoenix.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.