HOUSTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner held a news conference Tuesday to announce plans for the 2019 Tour De Houston.
The city’s annual bike race presented by Apache Corporation is set for St. Patrick’s Day and will be celebrating its 14th year as a Houston sporting event.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said the 2019 race will be held on the “Mayor Wellness Weekend,” with the walk/run being held Saturday, March 16, and the race on Sunday, March 17.
Each year, the routes give people participating in the race a unique view of Houston streets and neighborhoods from a bike level, said Turner.
The 2019 route will cruise through districts I, H, C, B and E.
Riders will begin at City Hall, travel west along Allen Parkway, north through the Historic Heights and Independence Heights and continue north until reaching the Summerwood neighborhood. Riders will then turn around and head back to City Hall for the after party.
The after party will be hosted by Silver Eagle Distributors and Michelob Ultra, and all riders and other spectators are invited to grab a beer, enjoy some music and celebrate post-race.
Pre-registration opened Tuesday and will last through Feb. 18. Prices will start at $35 until Feb 18, after which point registration prices will go up until registration closes. Anyone interested can go to the Tour De Houston website.
Around 5,000 riders are expected to participate.
Sun and Ski, a sponsor of the event, will have tech support at every rest stop for riders who are experiencing issues with their bikes.