Roll me away

The whir of chains and hum of wheels filled the air Saturday afternoon on Kirkwood Avenue as a crowd gathered and several blocks were closed to downtown traffic for the Bloomington Cycling Grand Prix. The sixth annual bicycle race, consisting of a women’s race and men’s races of different skill levels, was organized by TrueSport.com and co-sponsored by local cycling club Team Tortuga. \nDarren Reno, owner of TrueSport.com and main organizer of the race, said it has been a success in Bloomington for so many years because of the atmosphere of the town and cooperation from the city to allow downtown to be utilized as a track.\nReno said that although there are cash prizes for those who do well in the races, the teams involved do not typically compete for the money. \n“Racing at this level is for the fun of competition,” he said.\nThe competition involved several different club teams. Unlike the Little 500, in standard cycling races teams may enter as many competitors as event organizers will allow, with a cap being put only on the size of the overall race field and not on individual team participation.\nThe races were criterium-style, i.e., fast, timed races run over a short course, often with tight and technical turns. The course for the Bloomington Crit ran up Indiana Avenue, turning left at Seventh Street and then again at Dunn Street. Racers then turned right onto Sixth Street, left onto Grant Street and made a final left onto Kirkwood Avenue, which ran back into Indiana Avenue, completing the circuit.\nIn all categories except the Category 1/2/3 advanced men’s race, participants rode the course for 40 minutes in addition to laps added after the 40th minute passed, with the winner being the rider to cross the finish line first. The advanced men’s race was 60 minutes long plus added laps after the 60th minute passed.\nIncentives for riders to win even one lap of the race included random premiums such as money or gift certificates given away in addition to what money the overall category winner would receive.\nClayton Feldman won the Category 4/5 men’s race and took home the $200 prize. The IU junior raced with Morris Trucking Velo/Team Bloomington and races for the Cutters cycling team throughout the school year. Feldman said he’s only been racing a year, and only seriously racing at the club level for two months. He said he enjoys both the fun and competition involved. \n“It’s really rewarding to win a solo race,” Feldman said.\nFeldman’s Cutters teammate Alex Bishop, who helped the team win Little 500 this year, was in the crowd cheering for Feldman. Bishop said he’s taking a year off from IU before returning as a senior so he can participate in races throughout the western U.S. He said he has taken little time off from the sport since his Little 500 win. \n“This is my first weekend off all summer,” Bishop said. \nOthers in the crowd included IU junior Jaime Grebitus, who was cheering for her boyfriend junior Pat Shelton, also of Morris Trucking. Shelton rides in Little 500 for Acacia fraternity. The first-time Bloomington Cycling Grand Prix watcher enjoyed the race. \n“(I) think it’s exciting,” \nshe said. \nShelton’s Acacia teammate, junior Cameron Robinson, had to drop out of the 4/5 race due to a crash in front of him that slowed down his timing considerably. He said his team works year-round to maximize its potential. \n“In the summer, our program focuses most on gaining race experience,” Shelton said.\nIn the Category 1/2/3 race, Floridian Chad Burdzilauskas, riding with the Indiana Hand Center team, took first place, receiving the $750 prize. Mike Sherer, who rides for the club team MetLife/Pony Shop as well as the Dodds House Little 500 team, took second in the 1/2/3 race.\nOther winners included IU graduate Bri Kovac, riding for the Texas Roadhouse team, who took home the top prize of $200 in the Women’s Open. James Gray won the 40+ Masters race with the Schellers/Indiana Masters team and Sean Steele won the Category 3 men's race for Team Bolla/SonoVelo. They received $200 and $400, respectively.