Longtime race director plans to bring big cycling event back to Merced, including a party
Longtime MERCO Cycling Classic director Doug Fluetsch is planning to bring another big cycling race to Merced in March of 2023.
Fluetsch says he’s in the beginning planning phase of bringing the race to Merced.
The race would be a two-day event with a big festival-like atmosphere on Friday night and the actual race taking place on Saturday. The race would start and end in downtown Merced.
“This is exciting,” Fluetsch said. “MERCO got so big it was hard to manage. I’ve always missed it but I knew I couldn’t take on that much. This race will be huge to bring international athletes back to Merced and it won’t take up 12 months out of the year to plan.”
Fluetsch was the founder of the race which started at the McLane-Pacific Bike Race in Merced in 1993. That turned into the MERCO Cycling Classic, which was last held in Merced in 2013.
For 20 years Merced had a big-time race held in town that started with about 120 entrants that first year and peaked at about 2,500 cyclists toward the end of the run.
The Merced City Council this week authorized potential community funding for the event up to $50,000, if the full amount can’t be raised through private donations.
Fluetsch says he’s already raised $24,000 toward the amount.
“It’s an honor to host the event,” said Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto. “It’s exciting for the community because one, we get to host and amazing event and two, the economic opportunity and exposure it brings to Merced. The event will bring a lot of people to town and it’s an entertainment opportunity.”
Fleutsch says he expects the race to draw 2,000 to 2,500 cyclists, which would be good news for Merced hotels, restaurants and other downtown businesses.
“It will draw competitive and recreational cyclists from all over California to Merced,” Fleutsch said. “People will travel from all over the state to do this thing.”
The race will start in downtown Merced and the cyclists will make their way through other parts of Merced County, including Snelling and Hornitos with some twists and turns and will finish back in Merced.
“We want to use this event to serve as a postcard for our area,” Fleutsch said.
There will be different divisions which will all start at the same time. There will be a kids division, a 20-mile race, a 40-mile race and a 90-mile race.
“Cycling has changed a lot since we had MERCO 10 years ago,” Fleutsch said. “Those type of concrete events were popular back then, but now they don’t attract the 1,000 racers. Now gravel events are popular with longer distances. The races are on dirt or gravel roads.”
Fleutsch says these races are kind of like a marathon where 10% of the participants are there to actually race while the rest of the competitors are there just to complete the event.
Fleutsch says he hopes to work with a company that will help coordinate the event and bring in the celebrity cyclists.
“We’re looking for a lot of community involvement,” Fleutsch said. “We want bands, music, we’ll have beer gardens, it’s going to be a big festival and party.”
Fleutsch says he hopes to have an official announcement regarding the race in the coming month.
