Cyclists competing in the women's masters 40+/50+ and women's 4 divisions speed through the intersection of 7th and Massachusetts during the 2014 Tour of Lawrence downtown criterium races on Sunday.

The whir of spinning spokes will fill the streets this weekend when more than 750 cyclists compete in the 7th annual Tour of Lawrence.

Cyclists will compete on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in sprint and criterium races. The tour includes professional, amateur and youth categories, with racers competing for cash prizes.

Friday evening’s sprints will have racers pushing for top speeds on the street sprints course, which comprises a block and a half of Vermont Street. The event will include food and beverage vendors and a free kids’ zone with bounce house. Following the sprint races, spectators can stick around for a free street concert by Split Lip Rayfield, described as “a mix of bluegrass and country with an accent of metal.”

Throughout the day on Saturday, cyclists will compete on the longest race of the tour. In the criterium race at Haskell Indian Nations University campus, cyclists will race the 2.2 miles-per-loop course that goes through the Haskell campus and the adjacent Breezedale neighborhood.

Racers then return to downtown on Sunday for the multilap criterium course. The start/finish line is at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets, with the course looping the blocks between Seventh and 10th streets. Sunday morning features the kids’ zone and free kids’ races.

Tour of Lawrence is a USA Cycling sanctioned event on the Pro-Am men and women cyclists’ circuit, presented by U.S. Bank and made possible by eXplore Lawrence, the city’s travel and tourism organization.

Registration and more information on the races, events and schedules are available at touroflawrence.com or on the event’s Facebook page.

Hey Lawrence, #TourOfLawrence would really love some more volunteers for Saturday and Sunday! Click if interested : http://t.co/r2NlRQZHxx

— Downtown Lawrence (@downtwnlawrence) June 25, 2015

Sharing the road

Because many cyclists bike to and from events and will use nearby roadways to warm up, expect to see more cyclists on the road than normal, said Jim Whittaker, coach and founder of Team GP VeloTek. Fifteen cyclists from Team GP VeloTek, which originated in Lawrence, will race in the Tour of Lawrence. Whittaker said a good overall motto for motorists is: “Slow down and be kind.” Below are three reminders for sharing the road:

1) Be aware of cyclists

Cyclists can be on all roads except interstates and can ride up to two cyclists abreast, riding as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable.

2) Three-foot passing

A motorist passing a cyclist must pass to the left at a distance of at least three feet and not move to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the cyclist.

3) Proper yielding

Motorists should yield to a person riding a bicycle on a roadway as they would to a vehicle. A cyclist using the roadway has all of the rights of motorists and is subject to the same traffic laws.

Source: Kansas Department of Transportation

A previous version of this story misidentified Saturday’s race. The campus event will be a criterium race.