15th annual Oakland Grand Prix draws hundreds of bicyclists to Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - The 15th annual Oakland Grand Prix is an exciting event for those watching and even more exciting for those on the bikes, "People going fast north of 30 mph," said participant Brian Shields.

It's Shields' 13th race of the year, but his first time riding in this annual event. He had his goal for his race planned out, "I'm looking forward to seeing how much my training and riding with groups like C5-10 have been able to improve my performance," he said.

Shield was joined by hundreds of top athletes in the final event of the California Cup. The event is split into different categories based on skill, gender and age. Bicyclists ride miles and miles around a looped course in Oakland and end where they started on 21st and Franklin Streets.

"You'll see bar to bar angling bikes leaning over on the downhills. Click, click through the gears in the big rings picking up the speed to that 50 miles an hour," said race announcer Rick Cunningham. 

We followed Shields to the finish line where he was met by friends cheering him on. He said he felt good even though Hector Alanis took home the victory in that category.

As competitive as the event is, there is a lot of support among the athletes, "Everybody is giving fist bumps and everyone's like ‘hey man good job, good race,'" said Shields.