NOTES AND QUOTES for a Friday in the Napa Valley:

Two hundred cyclists have registered already for Saturday’s Napa Downtown and Riverfront Grand Prix, a criterium presented by Cycle Circus and ZteaM Cycling that will be conducted on a course that is less than a half-mile in length.

But that number is expected to grow to around 400 by race day, said Jess Raphael, one of the event organizers. This is the first race for Cycling Circus, a partnership of Raphael of VOS Racing and Rick McClanahan of the Eagle Racing Team. Previously, Raphael was the 2007 Cherry Pie race director and emceed a number of other cycling events. McClanahan has been actively involved with the Eagle Racing Team and BBC races for the past few years.

One of the year’s most exciting courses, it will feature a sprint down Main Street alongside the newly opened Veteran’s Park and Riverwalk.

Racers will navigate the short, fast course that includes five turns and signature “270 degree monster,” with races based on time (40 to 60 minutes) and laps completed.

The start-finish line is at Brown and Third Streets and the course will go on Main Street, Second Street, Brown Street, Third Street and Randolph Street.

“It’s a very fast course with lots of turns,” said Raphael. “It should be very exciting.”

Professional and amateur races will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with cash prizes, T-shirts, and awards of Cycles Gladiator wine, bike products from Napa River Velo and others.

It will also feature live music and vendors. Proceeds from the first-ever race will benefit the Stone Bridge School.

A community kids race for youths of all ages is at 11:25 a.m. The day’s biggest races are the masters 1-2-3 (2 p.m.), women’s pro 1-2-3 (3 p.m.) and men’s elite pro 1-2-3

(4 p.m.).

Race flyer and registration information can be found through the NCNCA site, www.ncnca.org/road/ and bikereg.com.

Entry fees are $25 with a $15 second race. Online registration closes today at 5 p.m.

The race course is closed, but spectators can watch.

The criterium is sponsored by the Napa Downtown Business Association, Napa River District, Napa River Velo, Cycles Gladiator, Morgan Lane, Downtown Joe’s, Law Office of Mark Henderson, Cytomax and Road Warrior Kit.

ZteaM is a national cycling club supporting the growth of masters, elite, and youth cycling through club riding and racing. While ZteaM has a racing emphasis, its objective is to support all areas of cycling and to encourage family involvement by hosting social events for both cyclists and their families.

ZteaM Cycling has largely focused on club riding and masters racing since 2004, but recently formed an elite team, which is managed by veteran riders Christian Kearney and Dave McCook.

For race, volunteer and sponsorship questions and information, contact Raphael at 815-4828 or e-mail

jessraphael@sbcglobal.net.

For information on ZteaM Cycling, visit www.zteam

cycling.com.

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The Napa Track Club’s Dominic Giovannoni and Kevin Cardey (young men’s division), Mario Giovannoni (intermediate boys), Tatum Souza (intermediate girls), Claire Miller and Ashley Augustus (youth girls) and Kyle Beaver (midget boys) have qualified for the USA Track & Field Youth National Championships in Charlotte, N.C. The meet runs from June 24-29.

Cardey is injured and is unable to attend.

Miller, a seventh-grader, recently broke Jamillah Titus’ school record in the 800-meter run at Silverado Middle School. Miller clocked 2:42.

Running for Vintage High School, Titus won the girls 800-meter race at the CIF State Track and Field Meet in Norwalk in 2002.

Titus was also the Napa Valley Register’s Female Athlete of the Year for the 2001-2002 school year.

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Jessica Spigner, a pitcher-shortstop for Valencia High, was named this week as the 2008 CalHiSports.com Ms. Softball State Player of the Year.

As a batter, Spigner hit .480 with 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and 37 runs scored.

In the pitching department, she was 29-5 with a 0.62 ERA with 222 strikeouts, 12 shutouts and a perfect game in 236 innings.

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In its third decade of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in partnership with Rise Magazine, named German Fernandez of Riverbank High School as its 2007-08 Gatorade California Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

The senior distance runner won the 3200-meter race at the CIF State Track and Field Championships with a time of 8:34.23, breaking the National Federation record of 8:41.1, previously set by Michigan’s Dathan Ritzenheim in 2000.

Also the 2007-08 Gatorade California Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, Fernandez won the 1600 at the state meet in 4:00.29, which set a new state meet record.

Riverbank (Stanislaus County) is a Division IV school in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com

or call 256-2223.