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Criterium in Mt. Joy gets views of nearby air show
As F-16s raced overhead, diving and spinning through the sky, cyclists from across the Midwest came together Sunday afternoon at the Hummer Hammer Criterium in Mt. Joy to perform their own feats, at a few g-forces lower. Last year, the race accidentally coincided with the Quad-City Air Show, as it was moved to an earlier date than usual. After the Blue Angels came swooping down as one race began last summer, it was no accident that the two events coincided this time around. "Where else can you ride and have an A-10 come fly over you?" said race director Michael Zugmaier. Put on by the Double "I" Cycling Experience cycling club and part of the Cody Race Series, the Hummer Hammer, not surprisingly located next to a Hummer dealership, takes place on a 1-mile course with an unusual twist - three 180-degree turns. "It's rather unique. It's a little different from Rock Island where you can get top speed going around the corners," Mike Winter, of Rock Island, said. He dismissed the danger, though. He said he wasn't too worried by them: "Just have to take it a little slow going around them." Half an hour later Winter walked up to the main tent with scrapes on his shoulder. "I must have had a premonition or something," Winter said, enjoying a post-crash beer. "I did exactly what I didn't want to do." Perhaps he didn't take it a little slow after all. Combined with a rain delay, the sharp turns proved to be a challenge for more than only Winter. Two other crashes took place on the turns, one of which sent a racer to the emergency room. Richard Wooten, of Des Moines, returned to the race as if nothing happened. "Yeah, it was fun," he said. "Just wish someone had taken a video of it so I could watch myself." That attitude permeated across the race grounds. It wasn't necessarily about winning, but about enjoying cycling no matter the cost. "Oh believe me, there's a lot of competition, but there's also a lot of camaraderie," Bill Allen, who races with his team Bike Teach, said, pausing as blaring jet engines suddenly drowned out his voice. "That's what makes it good." It often seemed like a family picnic on two wheels. One racer sat out a lap to grab a burger, which he ate on the go. Prizes involve "Baked goods and beverages," with an emphasis on the beverages. But of course, there is a grand prize - a Hummer. The collectible kind. It wasn't all fun and beer. Staying true to the family atmosphere, the race featured a juniors ages 10-14 race with only eight laps around the course Younger bicycling enthusiasts were encouraged to participate just as much as a CAT I, an elite-level cyclist. "Lot's of times, they would have to race with 18-year-olds," Zugmaier said of the younger participants. "You get to do things with races like this that you can't do with a bigger race." At the end of the day, a men's and women's Open for Cat, 1, 2, 3 and 4 levels allowed intermediate racers to ride alongside pros. Carson Christen, an 18-year-old who recently moved up to Cat 4, has been racing seriously for a year. Even though he dropped out in the middle of the 30-mile long finale, he said the race helped him. "You get to know how everything works. It's a learning race," he said. Age isn't everything, however, as some of the older pros might have taken a tip or two from the younger crowd Sunday. Andy Cornelison, the winner of last event and the ,000 purse, is only 18-years-old. Cornelison stayed in second place throughout most of the final laps, letting the leader tire himself out before making a final push and snatching the victory. "It was fun with the jets flying overhead. Rumbled my ears a little," he said. It wasn't enough of a distraction for the cyclist who travels across the nation to compete and trains in Europe. Cornelison took what would be the final Hummer Hammer victory, as the location will not be available for next year's race. But that won't stop the family of racers from coming together somewhere else this time of year; Zugmaier said he'd find a replacement event. They'll be back. Just maybe a few F-16s short. Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or e-mail sports.com |
