Hey Guys!
Had a great time today racing road bikes in Burlington, Iowa at the "Snake Alley Criterium." You can check out a good video showing the race course on YouTube. Burlington has magnificent old homes, built on 200 ft hills overlooking the Mississippi River. You can imagine how bustling this town must have been in the early 1900's, when riverboat traffic merged with the Burlington Railroad heading west.
Raced in the Cat 5 (beginner's) class - which you pretty much have to do when you begin cycling races until you've accumulated enough experience to advance Categories.
Tracy and I raced this together, and since we waited to register until race day, they made us start at the very back of the pack. Well, this switchback, cobblestone alley was perfect for our style of riding, which favors hill climbing over drafting and sprinting. I took us one hill to pretty much pass 90% of the field, and by the start of the 3rd lap, I was in the lead with Tracy right on my butt. We swapped leads for the rest of the race (8 laps in all) and in the end, Tracy had a bit more left in the tank when we attacked the final hill. He rolled across the finish line first, and I, second. Standing on the podium was hilarious for this 41 year old!
Minutes after finishing our race, Tracy and I lined up for the Cobblestone Alley Challenge - a straight up hill climb over some pretty rough cobbles. This has typically a Mountain bike only event. We decided to give it a shot on the road bikes! Photos
Later in the day, we cheered on the advanced race Categories, culminating the day with the Pro's race. It's an awesome event! The Snake Alley makes for spectacular viewing because it slows everybody way down, and you can see the pain on everybody's faces as the laps roll by. After just a few hours, you'll be a cycling fan for life! Mark this one down on your calendars and throw it in the Bucket.
