March 22-23, 2008
The Steel City Showdown is the result of a collaboration between the Carnegie Mellon Cycling Club and the Panther Cycling Club. Never before has a collegiate race of this scale been held in Pittsburgh. The race features two events: a classic western Pennsylvania road race and a magnificent downtown criterium. The organizers have worked closely with experienced racers, race coordinators and officials from the area to show off the spectacular cycling of western Pennsylvania and celebrate the city of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is a city of many names:
"The Steel City"
Headquarters to U.S. Steel, the city used to produce a large portion of the nation's steel, an industry that helped build the city during the early 1900s. Now the city is a center for education, tourism, healthcare and finance. We pay tribute to the historic past of the city through the naming of our race weekend.
"The City of Bridges"
With over 400 bridges within the city limits and over 2000 in Allegheny county, Pittsburgh has more bridges than any other city in the world. The downtown area is situated at "The Confluence," the place where the Allegheny and Monongahala Rivers combine to form the Ohio River. Our criterium crosses two of the large bridges that cross the Allegheny River.
"The City of Champions"
Black and Gold might as well be the official colors of the city. Pittsburgh is home to three major professional sports teams - The Steelers (NFL), The Penguins (NHL) and the Pirates (MLB) - and the University of Pittsburgh Pitt Panthers. Our road race is held on a former National Racing Calendar circuit course which Pro racers have called "One of the toughest on the east coast."
