Cheney-Rock Lake Road Race

Well I’ve been negligent in my bloggigness. To recap my season since last post: I’ve been riding some, getting dropped every time on the race course, and working hard putting on races and helping with races. Two out of three positives…you can’t have it all.

Anyway, we’re getting pretty excited about the Cheney-Rock Lake Road Race on June 20th. This is the 2010 the Washington State Elite Championship Road Race. In USA Cycling speak, Elite = Senior = anyone who wants to race. This is opposed to a race that’s limited to Juniors (under age 19) and Masters (over 35 or so). Riders from around the state will be competing for state championship medals, merchandise, and most of all pride.

The Cheney-Rock Lake course offers something for everyone. Racers will be treated to beautiful rolling hills of the Palouse farm lands and channeled scablands south of Cheney. This is classic bike racing!

For this race we wanted to offer something different than the typical circuit races that racers are so used to: a 10-20 mile loop repeated multiple times in order to get the required distance for the races. Cheney is nice in that you can ride out of town and not see another traffic light for 100 miles. To take advantage of that, for this race we're using a combination of three loops: A 73 mile long loop, a 38 mile loop, and a 14 mile extension loop for give everyone the required distances for state championship courses.

Urban legend says that the Inuit’s have 100 words for snow. True or not, I would say that cyclists have even more words for “Hill”. Check the Dictionary of Roadie Slang if you don’t believe me. We in eastern Washington call the terrain in the Palouse “rolling” and that confuses people from other areas. Yes, they are “hills”, but I would not call them “climbs”. Two of the biggest hills on the course are notable: there’s a one mile long 5% “grade”, and .25 mile long “wall”. There are no mountain passes, no crushers, and no other terrain changes that should affect the outcome of the race. Anyway, it’s a pretty good course.

We’re also looking for volunteers for the event. If you’ve ever wanted to check out road racing, but aren’t sure if you’ve got what it takes, volunteering is a great way to get into it. You’ll get to watch the race unfold and support the cause. Email us for more details.

And for your riding pleasure, the State Championship Criterium is being held in Cheney on Saturday June 19th. Details here. We’re doing this as a combined weekend in order to make it more attractive for west siders to travel over for the weekend of racing.


manditory bicycle photos

Tuesday Night Twilight Series

Eric Abbott leads the peloton through some tight corners at Spokane County Raceway. Photo: Tim Wong

Tuesday night Twilight Series road races start next week! These races are a weekly staple for many local lycra-clad rodies. They're also a low key, low stress way to get into bicycle road racing. The weekly series usually attracts 60-100 cyclists of all ages and abilities, divided into four fields: A, B, C, and Women. A-pack riders are the most experienced racers, and hence the fastest, B's are intermediate, and C's are new racers and Masters age 50+ racers. Women may race in any pack they choose, but most women race in the dedicated women's pack. Distances range from 15-30 miles, or 30-100 minutes.

The peloton racing down the dragstrip area of Spokane County Raceway. Photo: Tim Wong

Hosted by Baddlands Cycling, racing happens almost every Tuesday night of the spring and summer at various spots around the Spokane area. The first race was cancelled because of an issue with a venue. Therefor racing starts this Tuesday, April 20th, in Cheney WA. Check the Baddlands site for complete details!

Ronde van Palouse

Folks, we're in business. Complete details on the 2010 Ronde van Palouse road race can be found at spokanerocketvelo.com .

And don't forget the Bike Hang tonight at the PI @ 1730 hours.

Spokane Road Racing in 2010

The future of bicycle road racing in Spokane looks good. As we finish up cyclocross season and head into the long Spokane winter, keep your mind on the spring racing season as you spin on your trainers in the garage or ride your bicycles over the snow and ice covered roads. 2010 should be a good year. 2010 here we come...


Setting up "Double Trouble" photo: Pat Sprute

The 2010 race season is shaping up well. Local cycling teams including my own have been working together and with the state organization, Washington State Bicycle Association, to organize the 2010 racing calendar. Thanks to the combined effort of the local race promoters likeBaddlands, Spokane Rocket Velo, Spokane Sports Commission and several others, the 2010 season should be the most exciting that Spokane has seen in a few years.

Here is what's on the 2010 road racing schedule for our area:

April 3-4: Frozen Flatlands Omnium, Cheney-Spokane
April 10th: Ronde Van Palouse Road Race, Spangle
June 19th: Elite State Championship Criterium, Cheney
June 20th: Elite State Championship Road Race, Cheney
April - August: Tuesday night Twilight Series Road Races (around Spokane)

There will probably be a few more surprises thrown in that aren't on the calendar yet. Add the other semi-local races like the Tour of Walla Walla Stage Race (April 16-18th),Wenatchee Omnium (May 15-16th), and the races out of Missoula MT, and the Spokane roadie will have enough races available to keep him or herself busy without ever having to drive over Snoqualmie Pass. Isn't that nice?

As we approach next year I will write more about getting ready for the road race season from the perspective of a racer, a promoter, and a USA Cycling official (all part of the hobby). Stay tuned for more.