The Race Is On!

The sun was shining, birds were sweetly singing, and bicyclists were whizzing by. The third annual Chippewa Valley Firecracker Bicycle Race, which took place in lovely Lowes Creek County Park, was on! A part of the Wisconsin Off Road Series (WORS), it was the fifth of twelve races taking place in the state, this summer.

The evening before, my youngest and I headed to the park to check which trails would be used. We also watched and greeted cyclists both young and old as they pre-rode the trails, becoming familiar with them. Several narrow, twisting, hilly trails had been chosen, along with some wider paths for passing. The Youth category rode a shorter lap of six miles. Citizen and Sport participants cycled 12 and 18 miles, while the the Comp and Elite Women rode three laps of longer trails, putting in 24 miles of mountain biking. The Elite Men rode four laps, totaling 30 miles.

One rider had a flat tire that he quickly fixed. Another had his handlebars suddenly loosen up and had to borrow tools to adjust it, loosing his place as the lead. Towards the end of the race, another man cheerfully walked past us with his bike. Having dislocated his shoulder, he was using his bike to help support his arm. These guys were real troopers!

Participants and spectators came from all over Wisconsin, but we were told that many more were from Minnesota and Illinois, as well.

The next of these races is scheduled for July 15^th in Suamico, WI. For more information on these events, check out their website at: http://www.wors.org/schedule/

--LKR