The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic returns to the Triad for its 11th year this weekend with criterium racing, dragrace-style street sprints, and more for professional and amateur cyclists. This year, Team Winston-Salem will represent the City of Arts and Innovation.
For a time, the idea of having a professional team that would elevate the city’s bike riding community and geography, develop young riders, and make some noise in national fields, seemed like a distant dream. But not for long, says Team Winston-Salem Board Member Greg Ralston.
"It happened pretty quickly," says Ralston. "Jon signed a bunch of really good riders. One of the things that I learned is that people were willing to come and be on this team because of Jon Hamblen, terrific coach, wonderful human being, just a great guy, and they wanted to ride on his team."
And they’ve ridden well. The team’s 2025 highlights include top 3 finishes in several notable races, and on Wednesday, team member Owen Cole placed second in the Pro Road National Championships for the Under-23 Men division.
But Board Member Keith Vest says equally as important as the results is the role these women and men play as ambassadors.
"The hope is that we're representing — the way we compete, the way the cyclists are talking about our city — that we're doing a good job of taking Winston-Salem as a mindset to other parts of the country," says Vest. "It's a thread drawn all the way back to our city itself."
On Saturday, they’ll represent on their home turf, competing against other teams during the Cycling Classic. The event — also known as Gears & Guitars — kicks off on Friday night with riders drag racing each other downtown during Streets of Fire. There will be live music both nights and the events are free and open to the public.