INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Some of the fastest athletes on two wheels in the US are enroute to Indianapolis for the 15th annual Indiana University Health Momentum Indy bike festival.

More than 100 professional and amateur cyclists will take over the streets of downtown Indianapolis Friday and Saturday for the Mass Ave. and Indy Criteriums, or bike races around a closed circuit.

The milestone year brings expansion to the event. Momentum Indy partnered with Marian University to host the inaugural “Parkside Throwdown” Sunday morning at the Indy Cycloplex.

Marjie Bemis is an assistant cycling coach at Marian University. It’s her first time participating in Momentum Indy, so she says she’s looking forward to racing on familiar grounds.

“It’s basically where I work every day to help coach the team,” Bemis said. “It’s really cool that we get to kind of put that out there and grow the Indy Cycloplex. And it’s going to be an awesome course with a summit finish.”

Dr. Andrea Cyr practices medicine full-time at IU Health and is a professional cyclist. She joined WISH-TV on Daybreak Tuesday morning to say your whole family is welcome.

“They can get out on the bikes any distance, any level,” Cyr said. “Come out, enjoy the community and what Indianapolis has to offer. There’s food trucks, there’s music, there’s a lot of electric energy around.”

As if the field of competitors couldn’t get more impressive, a 17-year-old will be racing alongside the pros. Westfield native Jackson Cleary will be making his professional debut during Friday’s Mass Ave. Criterium.

He won the Junior division at last year’s race. He’s looking forward to bumping elbows with some of the world’s best.

“The crowds here are amazing,” Cleary said. “It’s always electric, especially the Friday night on Mass Ave. … This is a big deal for the U.S. Crit Series. This is one of the biggest races — I would say, top three to top five easily. But I think the number one thing for this race is definitely the atmosphere.”

Everyone can get in on the cycling action ahead this weekend. The festivities kick off with a ride along with the pros on Thursday.

For a full rundown of events, visit the Momentum Indy Website.

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