Race combines collegiate, amateur and professional cyclocross racers on UCI-legal course
By Andrew Hellpap
spindailynews@gmail.com
The University of Wisconsin cycling team is hoping to create
a festival-like atmosphere Saturday, Nov. 10, in Cambridge.
By putting collegiate, amateur and professional racers
together, along with a UCI-legal 2.3-mile course and vendor area, the team is
hoping to create a big-race atmosphere, said Joe Maloney, race director for the
UW team.
"This should be more of a festival atmosphere," he
said.
Putting collegiate B-men with the Category 3 amateurs, the
collegiate Womens Open racers with the Pro 1/2 women, and the collegiate A-Men
with the Pro 1/2 mens field does more than create larger fields, and hopefully
more exciting racing, Maloney said, it also helps the club generate valuable
revenue to sustain the collegiate team.
Collegiate races are usually low cost for student racers,
but they don't generate much income for the club holding the race, but
Wisconsin Cycling Association (WCA) races are valuable moneymakers for any club
or team, he said.
"(A low entry fee race) is
good for the students, but not for the club putting it on," Maloney said.
The race at Cam-Rock Area No. 2, 136 County Road B, may look
familiar to mountain bike racers in Wisconsin because it is held near the
Wisconsin Off Road Series Battle of Camrock race. In addition, the University
of Wisconsin-Whitewater originally used the course when it held a cyclocross
race there for about five years prior to when UW took it over the last year,
Maloney said.
"It's a really cool venue, having raced there when Whitewater
was using it," he said.
"It was really cool to take the race course that everyone
is used to and flip it on its side."
The course has one significant change from last season. The
2011 version featured a run-up section that had a roughly 10-inch tall log
placed at the base, which forced the racers to either bunny-hop it, or get off
their bikes and run up the hill.
"This year we are going to up the ante. We will put two
logs in front of the hill," he said.
That's not the only change, according to Maloney. The club
plans to offer a T-shirt contest on the same hill in the afternoon races. When
the club announces the contest is on, the first rider up the hill will have a
T-shirt thrown at them. If they catch it, and somehow hang on to it, they keep
the shirt.
While rewarding the rider for tackling a tricky tactical
obstacle is entertaining, the onus isn't just on the riders to engage the hill,
Maloney said. The run-up is designed to entertain spectators as well.
"That's going to be the party spot," he said.
The festive atmosphere is what the club is hoping for, but
not just for racers, but the community of Cambridge as well, Maloney said. By
inviting local businesses, Mad City Fry Guy, a local food vendor, and Camrock
Cafe & Sport, a Cambridge cafe and sports equipment rental business, UW
hopes the event will draw local residents as well. The event will also feature a beginners clinic with club
racers.
"It gives the race a bigger feel," Maloney said.
Cam-Rock CX Classic
If you go:
When, Saturday, Nov. 10
Time, 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Beginners clinic, noon
Where, Cam-Rock No. 2 136 County Road B, Cambridge
Event Flyer,
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