Regional bike race wheels through downtown Albany (PHOTO GALLERY)

ALBANY — A section of downtown Albany was closed to normal traffic most of the day Saturday, set aside for hundreds of brightly-colored, helmeted bicyclists from around the country.

The rapid pedalers came to compete for top times in the first of five races in the Southeast Regional Series (SRS). The last race of the series is set for September in Greenville, S.C.

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Buoyed by the prospect of a dry day with mild temperatures, the first group left its marks at the corner of Pine Avenue and Washington Street around 8 a.m., to complete a 0.6 mile loop down Pine to Front Street, then over to Broad Avenue, north on Jackson Street to Pine, where they pedaled east to the starting point.

The object was to complete the circuit as many times as possible in their designated time. From one group to the next, this “biker merry-go-round” continued through the morning and afternoon. Race participants competed for points toward the series title, culminating with the Greenville race, officials say.

Kristen Schutte, marketing and communications manager for the Albany Conventions & Visitor’s Bureau, told The Albany Herald that 450 racers had pre-registered for the event, an number that was expected to have expanded Saturday.

Rashelle Beasely, executive director of the CVB, ranked the race as one of the most important events of the year in terms of economic impact for the city.

“These cyclists don’t travel alone,” Beasley said last week. ” They bring their families, so this allows us to show our attributes and show that Albany is a family-friendly place.”

According to Beasely, last year’s race generated almost $200,000 for the Albany community. Tourism officials project it to bring in around $300,000 this year.

In addition to the bike race, an art competition was conducted at the Art Park on Pine Avenue.