Torture
Struggling to get both bike and self up a steep incline, Kris Tilford tests the cyclo-cross course at Martin Park last weekend.
The cyclists came from as far away as Dakota, the first course at Lawrence's Martin Park last weekend.
They braved cold winds, steep inclines and declines, uncertain footing, log and stream obstacles and each other for a handful of merchandise prizes.
Some came with the most modern in cycle racing equipment. The winner brought a 12-year-old-age BMW.
It was a race where speed was secondary in importance. Balance and the ability to mount and dismount the bike with one fluid motion were premium abilities.
The two-kilometer course embraced most facets of the terrain of the park. The narrow, winding course took racers over logs and streams, through heavily-wooded areas and piles of loose leaves.
The Blue Hills Bike and Hike Club of Kansas City and the M. Oread Bicycle Club, co-sponsors of the race, vowed to hold the race no matter what the mid-winter weather offered. It could have been worse, but a stiff north wind and temperatures in the high 30s kept small fires popular.
Things warmed up, at least for the riders, when the race began. Tightly bunched at first, the racers jockeyed for position as the course left the first turn and descended onto the path through the woods.
As the race progressed, the gap between riders widened. The course became the competition for the racers.
After the speedy start, the racers were forced to dismount to cross a shallow stream. A few hundred yards later, they dismounted again to hurdle a log set a foot and a half above ground level.
The course then wound through the middle of the park, narrowing in places to pathways just inches wide. Before the backstretch came the hills. The first steep incline again forced a dismount as the matted leaves and steep slope dictated a gear not found even on a 10-speed bike.
Then came a short, but steep, decline in the course. Heavy braking was necessary to avoid a head-over-heels fall. Immediately preceding the backstretch was a rideable slope, which proved to be especially testing following the ride through the woods.
The winner of the feature race, as expected, was Tyger Johnson. Johnson, from Dakota, Iii, easily outdistanced a field of 14 riders. Johnson was a member of the U.S. team at the World Cycle-Croo Championships in Switzerland last January and was the highest finisher among the U.S. riders.
Johnson also won the Midwest Championships last December in Rockford, Ill.
Finishing two minutes after Johnson was David Conrad. Lawrence freshman.
Tightly spaced, the racers head down the first backstretch. As the race progresses, the cyclists are spaced widely apart.
Jim May seeks shelter from the cold before the start of the feature race. Chilly at first, the racers finish damp with
Dave Conrad wipes the sweat from his eyes after he finished a distant second to Tyger Johnson in the feature race. At left, Danny Capan performs a routine with the windmill.
Staff photos by DON PIERCE
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