First, it was the Spirit of Racine Triathlon, then the Great Midwest Dragon Boat Festival and finally, Extreme Volleyball Professionals beach volleyball. All of these events put Racine County on the national and, in some cases, the international stage for sporting events. And along with the athletes come their families, friends and spectators, many of whom are experiencing our community for the first time.

The spectators marvel at not only the race venue, but our quality of life throughout Racine County. Imagine a community where, if you work in town, the average commute is probably 15 minutes, along with direct access to all the amenities of the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor.

And while there is significant debate on the community payback that professional sports teams bring to the community, the events mentioned here use existing local resources. Research shows that events in U.S. cities that focus on sports and the hospitality sector can contribute to downtown development, coupled with commitments from other businesses to expand or stay downtown.

Well, just when we think it can't get much better, the Racine County Convention and Visitor's Bureau comes through again. They bring another international sporting event that communities across the corridor are clamoring for. This time it's the Point Premium Root Beer International Cycling Classic. Known to most cyclists as Superweek, the event is the world's largest multi-category cycling event.

The highlight of racing will be the men's and women's Superweek Pro Tour races, featuring top professional and elite amateur cyclists and teams from across the nation and more than 20 foreign countries. The 2008 event series will feature races in 12 city centers throughout eastern Wisconsin, including Racine.

While merchants will be able to take advantage of the extra money coming into the community, spectators will witness the fusion of some of the best athletes in the world and today's high-tech bicycles in an explosion of speed, power and excitement.

Downtown Racine's race will be held July 24. The approximately 1-mile course is Main Street to Sixth Street, to College Avenue to Water Street to Wisconsin Avenue to State Street and then back to Main Street. Lots of turns and speed guaranteed to bring you thrills, spills and plenty of excitement.

There will be five races from 10 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. of varying distances (25-62 miles). Most riders will be in a pack, leaving time to walk the course and stop at local merchants and check out the stores and street art sponsored by the Downtown Racine Corp.

The convention bureau also needs your help. Sixty volunteer course marshals are needed for the race. There are 15 locations along the course with three-hour volunteer shifts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Volunteers' primary job will be facilitate pedestrian and vehicular traffic throughout the course during breaks and when it is safe to cross.

To volunteer, or for more information about the race, contact Dave Blank, Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau, at

(262) 884-6405.

Gordon Kacala is executive director of the Racine County Economic Development Corp.