Quite frankly, the road races are not great spectator events unless you have a specific interest in cycling. Just like golf! You may wish to develop a specific interest in advance of the Elite Nationals. This will be very high-calibre racing, and you may see cyclists that will represent us in the next Olympics, or appear in the Tour de France. Loveland and Cincinnati is taking some ambitious steps towards becoming a cycling center for the midwest, if not the country. Cycle racing is a great sport for our area - much better than, say, surfing or bobsledding.
A common form of cycle racing that even casual spectators should find exciting is the criterium. Last year's Tour de Loveland was a criterium, consisting of many laps around the streets of Historic Loveland. The crowd at this event, probably with little background in cycle racing, was clearly excited by the blur of colors, the whir of chains and sprockets, the ringing of the bell to announce primes, and the truly amazing speed with which the cyclists could maneuver around the tight course.
Each Wednesday for seven races in June and July there is a criterium in Ault Park, as there has been for the past thirteen years. Spectators can enjoy the cool evening in the park, have a picnic, and watch 50-100 riders participate in two races. Points are given not only for finishing well, but also for winning intermediate sprints every five laps.
Most locals racers belong to clubs - traditional cycle racing is actually a team sport, with complex strategies that attempt to control the race and help a designated team member reach the finish line first. The major effort of a fast cyclist is in fighting wind resistance; few cyclists can simply charge off by himself and win. Or herself: there are several strong women's teams in the area.
The strongest cyclists are invited to join small clubs that arrange for sponsorship from local or national corporations. These clubs are often associated with a local bike shop, such as Biowheels, Campus, Oakley and Wright Brothers. The Queen City Wheels is a different sort of club that anyone may join and race for. There are many more recreational riders than racers, of course, for which the Cincinnati Cycle Club is an excellent organization.
There is advice on how to get started in cycle racing at www.qcw.org, as well as a schedule for the Spring Series mentioned above. The Spring Series has a special division for first time racers, so why not give it a try?
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Curt Austin maintains the web pages for the Queen City Wheels at www.qcw.org and can be reached at curt@AustinImage.com.
© 1998, Curt Austin