SMETHPORT (EC) — Cyclists will be racing for the gold watches Saturday in the annual “A Wheel Around the Hub,” which has always attracted an impressive number of racing enthusiasts, many from foreign countries, to Smethport since it was revived in 2005.
Staging for the seven circuit, 53-mile gold watch race and the two-mile, two-circuit Fun Race is 11:45 a.m. in front of the McKean County Courthouse on West Main Street. The start of the 53-mile race is noon, with the Fun Race to follow immediately.
The male and female winners of the 53-mile race will win gold watches, reminiscent of the gold watch that was first prize when “The Great Smethport Bicycle Race” — a seven-mile event organized by Dr. F. C. Pierce and Martin Armstrong — debuted in 1892, the heyday of the bicycle. That annual race continued until 1899.
Finding old photos of the race after almost a century spurred interest in reviving the races.
Cash prizes will be awarded only in the 53-mile event. Lap premiums will be paid to first place for every lap and first and second places for laps one and four.
Male and female age categories for the event, which is organized by a special committee of the Smethport Fire Department, are 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60 and older.
The course follows a scenic route past Victorian homes in the borough and along rolling hills in parts of Keating Township.
Following the awards presentation, the public is encouraged to attend the barbecue at the Smethport Fire Hall.
