Triathlon Athletes to Tie Up Traffic

More than 5,000 spectators are expected to watch about 1,500 professional triathletes compete Sunday in a race that will close several streets and two freeway off-ramps for the bicycle segment of the event.

The San Clemente stop in the United States Triathlon Series will close the southbound Avenida Pico exit off Interstate 5 from 6:55 a.m. to noon. The northbound side of the exit will be limited to right turns.

Traffic using the Avenida Palizada off-ramps will be redirected around the race course by police.

The major streets to be closed in the city will be El Camino Real, from Avenida Valencia to Palisades Drive; Avenida Pico, from El Camino Real to Los Molinos; Del Mar, from El Camino Real to Avenida Seville, and Camino Capistrano, from Coast Highway to Avenida Vaquero. The closures will run from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The triathlon will begin at 7 a.m. at the San Clemente Pier with a 1.5-kilometer swim, followed by a 40K bicycle race over the hills of San Clemente and ending with a 10K run.

The competition is part of the 11-race professional United States Triathlon Series.

San Clemente hosted the tour last year when about 5,000 spectators showed up, according to Tim Downs, spokesman for CAT Sports, which is promoting the tour.

Downs said that the seaside community “is a very good location for the race. There is always a great deal of support and enthusiasm for the race here.”

“It’s also a real tough course to ride a bike on,” he added. “And a lot of the pros like that. They want a hilly course and San Clemente has plenty of hills.”