This summer Mount Pleasant will be hosting “Le Tour de Mont Pleasant,” the first bike race of its kind in mid-Michigan.

Mount Pleasant will be welcoming bicyclists to mid-Michigan July 12-14 for a festival celebrating bicycling and healthy lifestyles. There will be races for all ages and skill levels during the festival.

The first race of the festival will be a criterium on Saturday. A criterium is a race event where the participants are given a set quantity of time and whoever makes it the farthest is the winner. There will be a block in downtown that will be set aside for this activity.

“We have races for community members and youth members. And then we have races for high level category one and two professional racers,” said Lisa Hadden, president and CEO of the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce.

The second day’s races will begin with a 103-mile race through Isabella County and a 26-mile race later in the day.

“It’s bigger than people realize; these are like Lance Armstrong level racers,” said Hadden.

She anticipates that this will be the largest race of the year for the Michigan Bicycling Association.

The chamber is hoping for hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators, along with many high level riders.

“We’re going to be getting them from throughout the state, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario and Illinois,” said Bob Peters, the chairman of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce.

The title sponsor of the event is Central Michigan Community Hospital, though the Chamber of Commerce is still looking for other sponsors.

“We’re very excited to support this event because not only is it benefitting the community as a whole, but it showcases the importance of fitness,” said Central Michigan Community Hospital’s community relations specialist Darcie Suderman.

In addition to the athletic element to this race, there will be many other community events, concerts and exhibitions.

“Saturday night we have School of Rock, which is two hours of high intense rock ‘n’ roll,” Hadden said.

There will also be music Friday night at Mountain Town Station 506 W. Broadway St.

“We’re going to have a ball. We hope the whole community can join us,” Peters said.

metro@cm-life.com

E-mail the author: Maryellen Tighe