The University Daily Kansan
Monday, July 1, 2013
Page 9
LAWRENCE
Tour of Lawrence brings cyclers to town, campus
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
Rochelle Schleicher, from Kansas City, crossed the finish of the 2013 Tour of Lawrence at the intersection of Jayhawk Boulevard and Sunflower Road after 33 minutes and 40 seconds of cycling the challenging course around Lawrence and the University campus.
She was the winner of the women's Masters Category Four race, but the difficulty of climbing the hills of Lawrence on her bicycle had left little energy for a celebration. However, Schleicher still managed to enjoy the ride.
"It's a climber's course," Schleicher said, referring to the many hills that riders had to overcome to reach the finish. "So, either you like to climb or you don't. I loved it."
The annual event was on Saturday and Sunday. The Meadowbrook Apartments KU Campus Circuit Race were on Saturday.
Bob Sanner has organized the event since it began five years ago. He became interested in hosting a cycling race in Lawrence after watching the collegiate nationals here nine years ago.
When he began organizing the event Sanner couldn't think of any better place for a cycling course in the area than the hills of campus.
"I'm grateful that the University administration allows us to do this," Sanner said as he stood near the start/finish line of the race. "I don't know if there's any other event where they shut the campus down for an
entire day."
Members of the KU Cycling Club team enjoyed competing on their own campus, and used their familiarity with the course to their advantage.
Adam Trunnell, a junior from Liberty, Mo., said he had been preparing for the race all year by biking up the hill to class.
He said that despite controversy the sport of cycling has recently faced in the media, there are a lot of people who still love the sport, and Lawrence is a perfect example.
"Lawrence is a nice pocket of a lot of really good cycling," Trunnell said. "I think these races are great for the community, the riders, and the University."
Edited by Allison Kohn
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Above: Bikers race down the hills of Mt. Oread during the Fifth Annual Tour of Lawrence on Saturday. The city was swarmed with cyclists during the three-day event that consisted of races on campus and downtown. Left. Two cyclists weave through campus Saturday during the campus circuit race, which acted as the KCA's Kansas State Road Championship.