Cyclocross riders muck it up
Rainy day at River Run
By MICHAEL AMES
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If you were to take a stroll down to the River Run Lodge Saturday afternoon looking for some peace and quiet, the Polka Band would have come as a sore disappointment.
The Oktoberfest Cyclocross race descended on River Run Oct. 23 and by the middle of the day the base was crawling with mud-covered survivors of a cold, wet day in the trenches of cycle cross racing.
?It was insane,? said event organizer Bill Olson, who you may have recognized as the Lederhosen-clad, beer-drinking race mascot from posters and ads around town last week.
In all, 62 racers from the Wood River Valley and southern Idaho converged on River Run. The three-meter-wide course included three 16-inch high barriers requiring riders to dismount, hurdle, and remount their pedaled steeds.
?I was really impressed by the pro riders and how smoothly they got over the barriers. I on the other hand had a number of wrecks,? said Matt Furber, who was racing in his first ever cyclocross.
Races were held in junior classes, women?s, B Class (45 minutes plus one lap,) and A Class (1 hour plus one lap). As races finished, the lodge filled with mud encrusted veterans, warming themselves with liters of dark brown beer.
Furber raced on his 16-year-old Bianchi that got him from Canon Beach, Ore. to Nantucket, Mass. in a 44-day cross country jaunt. ?There is nothing greater than sacrificing little for a lot of mud and a little blood,? he concluded of his inaugural cycle cross experience.
Cyclocross is an event that ?has been around for 50 to 60 years,? Olson said.
Originally, European cycling professionals put treaded tires on their road bikes in the off-season to stay in shape. The racers would cross barriers and be required to frequently get off their bikes, a way to get a break from the cold steady winds of off-season riding.
Saturday, the spacious lodge reverberated with the bouncing rhythms provided by a local three-piece Polka band. By day?s end, the accordion, upright bass, and flute trio were leading the filthy, merry riders in group renditions of ?Edelweiss.?
Olsen, a local snowboard coach, was thrilled with the turnout and the enthusiasm. Intermountain Media played an integral role as event sponsor, even providing the authentic imported Lederhosen for Olsen?s now-famous ad.
Cyclocross results follow:
A Race (1 hour plus a lap): 1?Richard Feldman, 2?Shawn Mitchell (Boise), 3?Sam Krieg.
B race (45 minutes plus a lap): 1?Sean McLaughlin, 2?Jon Engen, 3?Grant Folske.
Womens B Race: 1?Georgia Gould, 2?India Wysong, 3?Sue Connor.
Juniors C Race: (16-18): 1?Corey Bellinger. (13-15): 1?Max Durtschi, 2?Zach Lowry, 3?Cary Reinemann.
Shimano Youth Series 12 and under: 1?Timo Gould, 2?Karl Kaiser. 6 and under: 1?Elliah Pfau.
