|
Longtime director Burke overseeing last Criterium
It's a good thing Terry Burke didn't get a taste of victory in his first and only try at racing the Quad-Cities Criterium in 1969. Had he done so, the event might not be set to go off for the 41st time Monday in the District of Rock Island. "I was never terrifically fast, but I was good enough to hang on in the back of them," Burke said. "I went around three laps and got blown off, and that was the end of my Criterium career." Actually, it was just the beginning. Burke took on an administrative role in 1970 and, after the Criterium went on hiatus in '71 and '72, he served as co-director for 15 years. He became sole director in 1987, a position he's held ever since. Monday's event will be his last in the director's chair. "He has done just a tremendous job," said Roger DeLanghe, who founded the Criterium in 1965. "If it wouldn't have been for Terry, I don't think the races would have been going on that long." From the ground up When Burke first got involved with the Criterium, the race featured 50 riders and drew 500 fans, most of whom were friends or relatives of those in the event. Monday, more than 600 will take to the hour-glass course and compete in 13 different races in front of a crowd expected to exceed 10,000. Burke had a an early vision. He used to attend dirt-track auto races at the old East Moline Speedway and was fascinated by how the spectators seemingly could reach out and touch the cars as they whizzed by. Why not bring the same thrill to bicycle racing? That's just what he did. The result, cyclists say, is one of the liveliest, most exciting rides in the Midwest. "That's one thing we've done throughout the entire event is continually change it, because you can't leave anything static," Burke said. "You can't ever tread water, because somebody might be crawling up your back." If it was Burke -- who steadfastly argues that many, many people have made the Criterium what it is today -- who brought the race from there to here, it's Donnie Miller who will have to take it beyond. Miller, a 43-year-old Moline native who owns Donnie's Indoor Cycling Experience, was announced in December as Burke's successor. He's been learning the operation since this time last year. "Terry deserves to have someone fill his shoes who really cares about that race," said Miller, who attended his first Criterium as a 9-year-old in 1973. "I am who I am because of that race. I've been watching that race since I was a kid." What's next? Burke retired from the Rock Island Arsenal a few years back, and he actually wanted to cede his role as race director at that time. But it wasn't the right time for the Criterium. Now, with the feature events on the verge of being awarded a spot on the national racing calendar, he felt comfortable turning over the reins. He likely will stay involved, though, serving as a member of the event's steering committee in the coming years. "There's no way after how ever many years that he's been involved that he's just going to walk away and say, "All right, bye, bye," " said Jennifer Fowler, community marketing director for Renaissance Rock Island, which honored Burke as its 2006 volunteer of the year. That's right -- volunteer. He's worked all these years and hasn't seen a dime in return. While a shift to the national calendar will draw more prominent pros from across the country and overseas, it will put a much greater demand on the event's director. Burke wasn't up for it. He wants to enjoy his retirement. And, as he said, the time finally was right. "It's like any small business. You get to a point where you're ready to get out of here, but who do you give it to? If there's nobody there, you close the door," Burke said. "There was the opportunity to pass it along to somebody, and I took it. I want the event to continue, but I want to have a life, too." Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com. |
