Spin The District is an annual series of bike races and family-friendly festivals held in spring. The “District” is a series of small, vibrant towns between downtown Atlanta and the ATL airport filled with history, delicious foods, and more hotels than you can shake a stick at. It’s a delicious excuse to visit Atlanta, get on your bike, and let the good times roll.
Why Go to Spin the District?
The races are an international destination with riders from over 34 states, 17 countries, and five continents. If you’re a solid recreational rider who can hold your own in group rides, you’re probably ready to race. Even if you aren’t racing, the parties and other riding and recreational opportunities will fill your dance card.
Spin The District offers three unique venues in three historic downtowns for three epic days of racing. In the past years, these events filled one epic weekend. This year, they are spread out over April and early May. The first event is in Hapeville, featuring a Friday night street party. Next comes Union City’s disco party. College Park hosts the conclusion Spin the District and the Speed Week Finals where the best riders in the country race for the crown.
What is a Crit?
Spin the District is a series of crit races, short for criterium, which Merriam-Webster defines as “a bicycle race of a specified number of laps on a closed course over public roads closed to regular traffic.” For riders, it is a fast-paced, intense ride with lots of corners. For spectators, it’s a chance to see all the action up close and personal.
The professional riders at the Hapeville crit finished 50 laps in just over an hour. You can watch each lap’s bold tactics and intense exertion from your favorite vantage point with a live video stream on the big screen from each corner.
Riding the Airport Loop
I’m always on the lookout for group rides when I travel, and I had the opportunity for a 16-mile group ride around the airport. This wasn’t Atlanta Peloton’s infamous Airport Ride. It was much shorter and at a recreational pace. This ride was part of the premiere party for the Why We Spin documentary, but Atlanta has an active cycling community with many group rides. Be sure to check the fine print to find one that fits your fitness and intentions.
Why We Spin World Premiere
Before the crit, we attended the Why We Spin world premiere at Chattabrewchee The Hangar. There was plenty of good beer and good people, and the film was remarkably entertaining. I loved the animated short that highlighted why crits are so fun to watch. It showed a couple going out to see a traditional road ride. They set up a picnic at their favorite turn. The riders passed by for a minute, then the couple packed up and went home. Meanwhile, at the crit, they cheer them on at the start, finish, and every lap in between.
My Experience Racing the Hapeville Crit
Hapeville was my first crit – ever. I went with my riding buddy, George, who rode races in Hattiesburg and Ridgeland with me last year. We trained like crazy for the century, but I was a bit lazy for the crit. I rode a couple of group rides, but I kept getting dropped if the group went over 17 mph. By comparison, I finished my first century ride last year with an 18.3 mph average, including getting dropped at the end.
I was lined up at the starting for the cat 4/5 riders at 4:00 in the afternoon with adrenaline pumping through my veins like a firehose. I was jockeying in the back with young riders from the local cycle club. Mercifully, they waved me off the course when the free laps were completed so I wasn’t in the way of the riders in contention. I like to say I was the first to finish, even though I didn’t win….LOL! Of course, purists will point out I didn’t technically finish. Still, it was great fun and the highlight of my weekend trip to the ATL Airport District.
Hapeville Block Party
The Hapeville Crit is known for its block party, and George and I were excited to attend. They had plenty of yummy food trucks and fresh local craft beer. We played a little corn hole and sipped some bourbon as the sun set over The District. As soon as the pro-riders lined up, our attention returned to the race.
Professional Bike Racing in Hapeville
The professional women raced first, starting just after 7:00. The $5,000 cash prize attracted some of the best riders in the country. The pace was fast and furious, and I swore to myself that I would never take it personally again if somebody said I rode like a girl.
The men started a little after 8:00 for fifty fast laps under the light. They were also competing for a $5,000 prize – equal pay for equal work. We walked to different vantage points around the track and watched them swoop by like a flock of birds. We could feel the peloton winds rush over us and hear the riders clicking through their gears as they accelerated through the turns into the next straight away. It was equal parts exhilarating and inspiring.
Riding the Atlanta Beltline
We decided to spend an extra day around Atlanta to explore the city. Our first stop was the Atlanta Beltline, an ambitious project that will someday fully circle Atlanta and connect its many unique communities. Today, however, it’s a series of disconnected trails, so we chose to ride one of the most popular segments from Piedmont Park to the Krog Street Market.
We parked about a mile north of Piedmont Park at a trail terminus and rode south, which was a great decision because the park was hosting the Dogwood Festival, and some lots were charging as much as $45. Along the way, we passed by the Spring Wine Festival at another park and the Ponce City Market before we reached Krog Street. Everybody and their dog were on the trail, so we cruised slowly and enjoyed the urban energy. There were so many cute shops with delicious-sounding food and places to rent bikes that we could have easily made a day of it.
Georgia Aquarium Discount Tickets
We also wanted to visit the Georgia Aquarium and were thrilled to discover the ATL Airport District offers discount tickets. We couldn’t pass that up. The connections were fantastic, too, with either riding a couple of stops down the metro line or taking a short, direct trip on surface streets without ever having to get on the freeway.
The aquarium featured several themed sections, but our favorite was the sharks. Did you know that over 100 million sharks are killed every year, primarily for shark fin soup? We learned that from one of their many information displays and watched firsthand as school kids learn that sharks are friends, not food.
Where to Eat in Hapeville
Downtown Hapeville is a charming, main-street community where local businesses create a unique urban scene. It’s developed along the railroad with thriving storefronts on both sides of the track.
We had the opportunity to try four unique local restaurants that left us wanting to stay longer so that we could eat more. For breakfast, I enjoyed their cheddar cheese grits topped with bourbon braised short ribs from Folk Art one morning. The next morning, we went to JPresso for really good coffee and breakfast treats in an eclectic man-cave-esque atmosphere.
For lunch, we stopped into Brake Pad, a vintage gas station that now serves up all your favorite pub food. The next day, we popped into Pit Boss to celebrate the meats of the Deep South with some of the meatiest ribs I’ve ever seen.
Where to Stay in Hapeville
The ATL Airport District has over 7,000 hotel rooms that offer a 30% average savings over downtown Atlanta hotels! We stayed at a nice modern Embassy Suites and racked up some Marriott points. The location was also excellent because we were on the edge of a residential district with quiet and bikeable back roads into downtown Hapeville and the crit events.
Final Thoughts on Spin The District
Spin The District isn’t a singular event. It’s a series of three crits in April and early May: Hapeville, Union City, and College Park. That means there’s still time to plan a trip to the ATL Airport District this spring (2025)!
We’re really tempted to come back for a track certification class at the Dick Lane Velodrome, one of the steepest concrete velodromes in the world, (maybe not) coincidently located 3.5 miles from downtown Hapeville. I didn’t know much about Hapeville before I visited; now I’m counting the reasons to return. That says a lot about both the town’s charm and hospitality!
Disclosure: A big thank you to ATL Airport District for hosting us and setting up a fantastic itinerary! For more Atlanta area travel inspiration, check out their Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube accounts.
As always, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own, and we only recommend brands and destinations that we 100% stand behind.
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Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of amazing adventures through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.
