Cyclists will be coming to Calgary from Germany, the U.S., and all over Canada for the Tour de Bowness Race and Street Festival this summer.

The Tour de Bowness is a three-day amateur cycling race in Calgary that features three days of races—a road race, a hill climb, and a high speed criterium through the streets of Bowness—from Aug. 2 to Aug. 4.

Tour de Bowness Race Director Bob Grunewald said that the festival of sporting excellence expecting about 3,000 spectators to watch the race on final day in Bowness, and 220 racers to participate in the races across the three days.

“The criterion is always the most exciting part of the three stages.”

With the street festival being held alongside the race, the overall attendance is expected to be more, he said.

The Road Race stage on day one, the Montgomery Hill Climb stage on day two, and the Cory Mezza Memorial Criterium stage on the last day are the three stages of the Tour de Bowness.

Grunewald said these races gather big crowds, with the road race being a provincial championship and the hill climb being “an absolute blast.”

While this year’s event didn’t have many changes over past years, spectators can check out some of the newer additions that have remained a part of the festival post-pandemic.

The Tour de Bowness introduced a kids race in 2023, and they included para-cycling as separate as an event in 2024.

The kids race was something Grunewald was thinking about including for a few years before it was introduced, because other races have done something similar and many families come to the race each year.

“It just gives them an opportunity to stay a bit longer, keep the kids entertained and it’s been a lot of fun,” said Grunewald.

“It’s really been a crowd favourite.”

The road race is a 44-kilometre course with bewteen one and three loops based on competitor category, and is being held on Horse Creek Road just outside of Cochrane on Aug. 2., starting at 7:15 a.m.

The winner of each category in the race will receive a jersey from the Alberta Bicycle Association.

The hill climb is a kilometre-long timed sprint to the top of Mackay Road NW Calgary on Aug. 3, at 8:30 a.m.

The racers with the five best times will race each other for the final placements in each competitor category.

The criterion is a seven-turn course in Bowness Road NW, just under a kilometre in length, with multiple laps. That race starts on Aug. 4, at 9:00 a.m.

The number of laps very depending on the racers’ skill level—20 laps for the lowest competitor category and 45 laps for the highest.

Cyclists can join any combination of the three races but are only eligible for the cash prizes if they participate in all three events.

The Kids Crit race takes place at the criterion course, in between the other criterion races at 1 p.m.

For more details, see the Tour de Bowness website.