Weekend Racing

This weekend sees the Midwest road racing season kick off in earnest. On Saturday the 8th edition of Hillsboro-Roubaix road race takes place in Southern IL. This race is fast becoming a Midwestern classic due to it being run on small country roads often in howling gales, is of long distance and even has a few cobbles in the host town of Hillsboro. The fields are REALLY big with a hundred riders lining up in the Cat 3, Cat 4 and the Cat 1/2 race. Sadly the Womens 1/2/3 field has just 14 pre-registered riders. There is plenty of Bloomington interest in the 88-mile Cat 1/2 race as it is the coming out party of the new improved Alderfer Bergen Cycling Team which, although based out of Warsaw, IN features Issac Neff, Mike Sherer, Tom Cox, Brett Stewart, Chris Chartier, Bri Kovac, Erin Hetzel, Louise Turner and Pam Loebig, all of whom have Bloomington connections. Other local riders participating in the main event include Eric Hamilton, Ryan Knapp and John Meyers. The field is a whos-who of Midwest talent including a full Texas Roadhouse squad and Jelly Belly pro Bryce Mead. Elsewhere in the 66-mile Cat 3 event look for Tortugan Adam Rodkey to open his season with a strong performace. Check out the linked blogs to read all about the race.

On Sunday there is a full slate of collegiate racing on a tight criterium circuit through the grounds of Marian College in Indianapolis. It is usually a great day of racing and I’m sure there’ll be a good selection of IU riders in attendance (there should be!). Following the collegiate races there is a Men’s Cat 1/2/3 race in which all the Indiana hammerheads will be attempting to take on Guy East, the Indy native who now rides for the Trek-Livestrong P-R-O team! In last years collegiate ‘A’ race Marian student Bennett-VDG made the classic mistake of celebrating his ‘win’ a little too soon….it happens to the best of sprinters…once!