BOWLING GREEN
The Bowling Green criterium course is located in the Wood Bridge Industrial Park, which is situated on the extreme east side of BG. The industrial park is located on the east side of Dunbridge Road midway between East Wooster Street and East Poe Road in Bowling Green. The venue can be easily accessed from Exit 181 of I-75. Dunbridge Road is located east of the interstate off Bowling Green Road East. Turn north at the first stoplight east of the overpass. Follow Dunbridge Road north past the Meijer store. Wood Bridge Industrial Park can be found directly across the road from the Bowling Green Sewage Treatment Plant. Parking is available at Sandusky Electric on the far east side of the park. Click for a map. COLTON The Colton course begins in Henry County south of town for which it is named. Each 6.9 lap of the road race course winds through the quaint and quiet village of Colton, Ohio. This is the same village the Wheelman often ride through on weekend Breakfast Rides as part of a customary post-breakfast route. The venue is reached by traveling west on Old US 24 past Grand Rapids and continuing on to Henry County Road 4A. Turn right on County Road 4A and head north about four miles to Henry County Road U. Park only along the north side of County Road U. Click for a map. FORT MEIGS The Fort Meigs parking lot is used for the start of the weekend Breakfast Club rides and for the annual Equinox Reliability Tour. "The Fort" is located on the west side of Perrysburg on the north side of SR 65 [West River Road] about one mile southwest of the intersection of US 25 and SR 65. Restrooms and water are available at the Fort Meigs Visitor Center, but the Breakfast Rides begin before the center is open. Click for a map. LONG JUDSON The Long Judson course is located south of Grand Rapids, and it is named after a section of road on which it traverses. This is a road race on good-surfaced country roads. It encompasses interesting terrain, by Wood County standards, in that it includes two chicanes in a two mile section; it also contains a small hill with a short descent to Beaver Creek followed by a reciprocal climb out. At least this is considered a hill by northwest Ohio standards, not by the criteria of those in the rest of the country. The course may be found by traveling west on Old US 24 to the Grand Rapids bridge [SR 578]. It's interesting to note this bridge is the shortest state route in Ohio, as the route is only the length of bridge. Turn left over the bridge, and after crossing the Maumee River turn right. Cross the railroad tracks and turn left on Wapakoneta Road. Continue south on Wapokoneta Road to Poe Road. Turn left on Poe Road and continue east to the cemetery. Park along Beaver Creak Road just north of Poe Road. Do not park in the cemetery. Click for a map. LOST NATION This course is located near Pittsford, Michigan, which is approximately 50 miles west northwest of the intersection of I-475 and Central Avenue in Toledo. The Wheelmen only use this road race venue occasionally, and then only once in any given season. This is a 12.1 mile course on fine country road and it is considered rolling terrain as compared to the pancake flat farmland of northwest Ohio. Due to the extended drive time from Toledo, the race does not typically start until 6:45pm. However, members are strongly encouraged to leave early to allow for the longer drive time. Take US 20 (Central Ave) West from I-475 about 33 miles, through Fayette, to the junction with US 127. Take US 127 North about 9 miles where Squawfield Road exits left. Continue on Squawfield Road about 6 miles to the intersection of Pittsford Road and park there. Click for a map MARY JANE THURSTIN This course is employed for the Club's long time trials, and it is named after the state park at which it begins. The boat launch and dock area of Mary Jane Thurstin State Park can be found just inside Henry County just past the western edge of Grand Rapids. The 40k TT course of the Wheelmen follows the Maumee River west before circling the country block around the iconic Campbell Soup factory in Napoleon, Ohio and then returning via the reverse of the same route. The venue may be found by taking Old US 24 west to SR 578. Turn left and cross the Maumee River and then turn right on SR 65. Continue west on SR 65 through Grand Rapids to Mary Jane Thurstin State Park. Parking for the time trial is at the marina area of the park, and the entrance for such is located west of the park's main entrance. Click for a map. TOLEDO SPEEDWAY This venue was added the schedule in 2014 to serve as the location for the Club's Championship Omnium. The site of the Toledo Motor Speedway offers a closed course that enhances safety for the event, as well as reduces the number of workers needed for the race. The speedway can be found by taking I-75 to Exit 209 for Ottawa River Road. Then turn left onto Suder Avenue (the sign indicates Ottawa River Rd./Suder Ave. N) and then within a quarter-mile turn left onto Benore Road. Remain on Benore Road and within one mile the Speedway will be found on the left. Click for a map.
| OAK OPENINGS INDUSTRIAL PARK Known within the Club simply as OOIP. The actual name of the industrial park is Westwind Business Center. The Wheelmen began using this criterium course in the very early 1970's when it was called OOIP. Although the name changed some years back, the MVW continue to call this venerable venue by its original name. The industrial park is located a couple of miles east of the Toledo Express Airport [Route 2]. The industrial park can be found by turning north off of Airport Highway onto Eber Road [the first stoplight east of the airport] followed by a left on Geiser, then a right on Commerce. Parking is available at OCP, a small manufacturing company. No restrooms nor water available at the venue. Click for a map. OTSEGO PARK Otsego Park is located at the junction of SR 65 [West River Road] and SR 235. It serves as the parking and registration area for three of the Club's time trials. The park's Stone Hall is also used to host the Wheelmen's annual Club picnic. Restrooms and water are available at the east end of the Stone Hall. Click for a map. OTTAWA LAKE The Ottawa Lake course is located just across the state line in southern Michigan. The venue is used twice each season: once for a road race and once for a time trial.
The road race is called Race In The Rough, and it is named so because of the road’s condition. The 3.6 mile course includes approximately two miles of unimproved road surface consisting of hard dirt, sparse gravel and the occasional pothole. It’s not Roubaix-like rough, but it has been known to play havoc on tires. The time trial covers three laps of a 5.6 mile course, and it is important to note the TT route does NOT include the unimproved sections of road. The route includes three turns on deserted country roads. It’s quite possible to ride the entire TT and never see a motorist. The venue is found by taking US 23 north to the Sterns Road Exit 1. Turn left and travel 1.9 miles to Michigan SR 223 [aka Memorial Highway]. Turn right on SR 223 and drive 1.5 miles to the first road in the town of Ottawa Lake, which is Brown Street. Turn left on Brown Street and travel 1/10th mile to Railroad Road. Turn right on Railroad Road and continue for 1 mile to South Lenawee County Line Road. Park in the grass across the road from the white farm house and red barn. We have received permission from the farmer to use this area. Click for a map. SCOTCH RIDGE The Scotch Ridge course is actually located in the quiet village of New Rochester, which is situated along the lazy banks of the Portage River a couple of miles south of Scotch Ridge on SR199. New Rochester is easily found at the northeast corner of US 6 and SR 199. Parking and registration are located at the St. Paul Lutheran Church. No restrooms or water available. Click for a map. WOODVILLE The Woodville course is located just inside Sandusky County just past US 23. The race begins along a 0.8 mile scenic segment of Fort Findlay Road as it follows the Portage River east. It then turns south on seldom used country roads to cover multiple laps of a 6.5 mile course with six turns. From Perrysburg take US 20 east to the junction of US 23. Turn south on US 23 and continue until the highway crosses the bridge over the Portage River [this bridge is located less than one-half mile south of the intersection of SR 105]. Turn left on Fort Findlay Road and park about one-quarter mile east of US 23. Park only on the north side of the road. Click for a map. NORTH CROSS INDUSTRIAL PARK This new crit course serves as a replacement for the venerable Oak Openings Industrial Park course. The road condition of OOIP is such that the course is not usable, and until that situation changes this venue will serve as a stand-in. The industrial park is located off Suder Road in northeast Toledo. The park can be found by taking I-75 to the Alexis Road exit, which is number 210. Upon exiting the expressway turn east on Alexis Road and proceed the short distance to the Suder Road intersection. Turn north on Suder Road and immediately to the left (west) is an empty lot with a paved parking lot. Use this lot for parking and registration/sign-in. No restrooms nor water are available at either the parking lot nor the industrial park. Proceed to the race course by riding your bike, as parking is not available on the course. The course is 0.5 miles north of the parking lot. To ride to NCIP head north on Suder Road and cross over I-75 via an overpass. Turn left on Kyle Street, which leads directly into NCIP. The course is 0.8 miles in length on good pavement. The roadway is at least four lines wide, but there is commercial vehicle parking on the road in some areas of the complex. The course consists of two wide 90-degree turns, one wide, sweeping turn and two 45-degree bends. All turns are righthand. Click for a map. OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Owens Community College is the site for the Club's criterium races. The road conditions at Oak Openings Industrial Park have deteriorated to the extent the venerable course is unfit for racing. Until the OOIP is once again usable, all the Club's criterium will be held at the Owens Community College campus. This area of the campus has two separate areas that are used as venues, but parking for the all races takes place in the same lot. The area of Owens Community College were the criterium are held is split by Tracy Road, and one course is located on the east side of Tracy Road while the other course is located on the west side of the road. The east side is referred to as the Center for Emergency Preparedness (CEP) and it is the longer, tighter course with ten turns. The west side is called the Driving Pad (DP), and it is the shorter, faster, wide turn venue. Both courses are closed to traffic. This portion of the campus can be found by taking SR 795 to Tracy Road. Turn north onto Tracy Road and continue north for approximately one-and-one-half miles. The parking lot for the Center for Emergency Preparedness will be on the left (east) side of the road. Click for a map. |