Nothing beats riding on roads without traffic.

A new addition to the Oregon cycling calendar offers a 25-mile course of closed roads as part of the 17th Annual Helvetia Half Marathon on June 10 in Hillsboro.

The event is run by the Hood to Coast group, which is also behind Reach The Beach and The Oregon Tour de Cure.

This is the first time they have combined cycling and running at an event. The bike race will happen before the unfortunate runners do their thing over 21, 15 and 10 km of rural Washington County just west of Portland.

"We've added the Helvetia 25-mile bike race for a number of reasons. Most importantly, our goals for our races are to be all-inclusive and family-friendly," said Dan Floyd, Chief Operating Officer. "By offering events that appeal to runners, walkers, and cyclists of all ages and abilities, we are achieving those goals.

"We chose the Helvetia course for the 25-mile race, because it will be a beautiful closed race course. As you mentioned, this is rare," said Floyd.

The course has one climb of about 300 feet between miles six and eight, but otherwise is fairly flat.

It takes riders north from the ballpark and then in a loop to the northwest twisting and turning through open farmland north of US Highway 26.

"Since the race begins and ends prior to the start of the run, we'll have a built in audience of roughly 3,000 people to view the end of the bike race, which is also unique," said Floyd.

Riders will be outnumbered 10-to-1 in this first year. If the set-up proves logistically sound then the field will expand beyond the 300 of this year.

The scheduling will have the added bonus of giving riders early access to the post-race beer garden and burgers from Helvetia Tavern.

Registration is open. The cost is $50 before the end of January, rising to $85 on the day of the race if spaces are available.

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