The Tour de Dungeness returns

Published 10:18 pm Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Sequim Gazette staff

They’re back — with colorful jerseys and all.

Bicycle racing returns to the Olympic Peninsula with the 19th Tour de Dungeness race, the annual biking event that draws hundreds of riders from across the region to Dungeness.

Racing is set for March 12 and March 19.

Riders in different categories compete on a 12-mile course which includes Lotzgesell, Cays, East Anderson, Sequim-Dungeness Way, Woodcock and Kitchen-Dick roads.

Races start at 9:45 a.m. each day and last until late afternoon.

“We race rain or shine,” event organizer Mike Van Doren says. “We expect 400-450 riders each day.”

With so many riders on the road, Van Doren asks locals and visitors to be prepared.

“If you are driving in the Dungeness area on these days, please be aware of some (possible) very minor traffic delays,” he says. “Use caution, be patient and let’s show them that we are a bicycle-friendly community.”

For event participants and spectators, Tim’s Custom Cabinets has loaned use of its parking lot at the corner of Kitchen-Dick and Lotzgesell roads for the event.

For more information about the Tour de Dungeness, call Van Doren at 417-5257 after 5 p.m., or at 775-7796.