Sports

Gay Games Coming to Lakewood in 2014

And, just as awesome, the Lakewood Criterium race is back on.

Coinciding with the return of the Lakewood Bike Criterium, the Gay Games are coming to Lakewood in 2014.

That means Lakewood stands to benefit from the thousands of people flocking to Northeast Ohio next year.

“We have secured a partnership with Gay Games 2014 and they will be bringing over 100 riders to the Lakewood Criterium in 2014,” said city planner Bryce Sylvester.

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The news became official at a special Criterium planning meeting last week.

Lakewood Criterium, called off this summer, is a high-speed bike race geared specifically to riders that reach speeds of at least 30 mph.

Find out what's happening in Lakewoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

An official date is not yet confirmed, but the plans are moving forward.

With more than 35 sports and cultural events, the Gay Games are slated to take place in Northeast Ohio from Aug. 9 through Aug. 16, 2014.

According to the website, the principles behind the Gay Games are “Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best mean the Games are open to everybody regardless of sexual orientation, gender, transgender status, religion, nationality, political convictions, age, physical condition or athletic ability.”

An estimated 10,000 people are expected to come to Northeast Ohio for the games.

Earlier this year, organizers of the Lakewood Criterium announced that the event was taking a year off to regroup and reorganize.

The USA Cycling sanctioned race takes place on a one-mile, six-corner course with a start-finish at Detroit Avenue and Riverside Drive.


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