In (and out of) the wind

Real cycling competition, camaraderie happens in the Twilight Series

By JERRY HITCHCOCK

Staff Writer

It was more than seven years ago now that I first stepped into Vertical Earth and picked up a new road bike. Over the course of the next couple years, I lost more than 60 pounds through exercise and diet, and was at that point I was looking for another carrot to dangle just out of reach — something to keep me interested and help me become a more complete athlete, and hopefully meet some new and interesting people along the way.

I was steered toward the Cooper Jones Twilight Series, which holds cycling events on Tuesday nights during the summer. Luckily, they had categories for a wide range of experience and abilities, from novice to professionals.

The website (www.baddlands.org) had a contact number, so I put in a call to get some more information. This was the first time I talked to Alex Renner. At the time, Alex had just turned 65, was still racing and through the course of our conversation, he was very upbeat, even though I was somewhat pessimistic that racing a bike would be something I could excel at.

Renner, the current executive vice president of Baddlands Cycling and its director of competition, assured me the series is meant for everyone, and that I’d be placed into a category that allowed me to learn the sport at my own speed.

Once I got off the phone, I had already made up my mind to head over to Spokane and dip my toe, so to speak, in the competitive waters.

That was back in April 2012. A complete beginner, I spent the first year just trying to hone my fitness, in an effort to keep up with the group I was placed in. By the end of that first season, I had learned a great deal and was thirsty for more. I spent my first “offseason” trying to be better prepared for the rigors of weekly competition, and steadily learned what worked and what didn’t for my body.

In 2013, I was better prepared and with that preparation came some inner pressure to build on what I learned the previous summer and start finishing near the front, instead of near the back of the field. A year later, in 2014, I won my first Group C race, and I was able to put my experiences to use and make more instinctive decisions during the races. By now, the pace of the races did not faze me, and I noticed a pack of riders took on a sound and life all its own. Fast riders rode out in front of the group, as those less experienced (and not as quick) rode in their wake, trying to keep pace without wearing themselves down. Soon, things started to slow down in my mind, and I could anticipate what might happen next, how that affected my strategy, and my ability to adapt on the fly started to emerge.

A year later — and in search of a new dangling carrot, I moved up a notch to Group B, the second tier from the top, to see how I would fare. Again, I struggled for a year, trying to adjust to a more fast-paced level of competition. Finally, I was able to capitalize on all my race miles and knowledge and place myself smartly within the pack near the end of the race and get into some sprint finishes last season. I ended up with four top 10 finishes during the season, moving the dangling carrot up to a goal of some top 5s (and possibly a race win) for the 2017 season, which begins April 11 at Spokane County Raceway (behind Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights).

Frankly, when I talked to Renner all those years ago, I had no idea that I would devote a good deal of my life to doing well in the series. But competition is only a part of the equation. Renner and the whole Baddlands Cycling organization are a great group, in this for the fun as much as anything.

Renner turns 70 this year, and he’s still pulling up to the starting line, ready for another season of competition. A fellow club member, Joey Reagan is also 70, and both are currently listed in the top 15 nationally by the U.S.A. Cycling organization. “Joey’s a real dedicated rider, and he also sweeps our courses and donates lots to the club — he’s a real asset to the organization.”

“I’ve spent most of my life in the Spokane area,” Renner said recently. “I got into cycling after participating in motocross and from there I got into mountain biking in 1980.” Renner eventually returned to motorcycles, but didn’t completely leave mountain biking behind. “They had no (mountain bike) races around here then (around 1980), but 49 Degrees North put on a race, and there were probably 50 or so (competitors) there. I finished in fourth place, and got into road racing shortly after that.

In 1985, Renner said Spokane hosted a cycling event called Tour d’Hillyard. “(The race) was neutral — moms, dads and kids all participated, and the race went through Hillyard, and then came back into town and we had lunch,” he said. “Later on the race started going up Cedar Hill, and then went through the Five Mile area, and ended up on Indian Trail Road, for a big, long loop.”

Baddlands Cycling came into being a few years later, with a Cheney bike shop owner named Mitch Lamoure becoming the club’s first president. “I went to a meeting in 1988, we had eight or so members then, and each year it has grown.” Renner said the club has had an many as 100 members, with 58 paid members presently.

The club started the Twilight racing series in 1989, and racers in the Inland Northwest have had their Tuesday nights set up for competition ever since.

Asked what keeps him coming back every year, Renner didn’t hesitate with an answer.

“The club has a lot of healthy people and we love being around each other,” he said. “During the winter months, we do intervals (training) together on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then in the summer we have rides on the weekends, and we even go on vacation together.”

If you, like me at one time, are on the fence about racing, here’s Renners take on getting you off the fence and onto your bike. “It’s just great camaraderie — we are happy to answer questions anyone might have. Whether you are a Cat 1, 3, 5 or have never raced, it makes no difference. We want people to enjoy their Tuesday nights as much as possible.”

Most local bike shops have cycling teams that are free to join, and most compete in the Twilight Series. Contact one in your neighborhood to build some relationships in the cycling community.

With the club for 24 years, Baddlands board member Phil Kercher said the Twilight Series is under the umbrella of U.S.A. Cycling, and is a very professional operation, not a slam-bang, go-out-and-race environment.

“If you have the competitive spirit as many of us do, here’s an opportunity for affordable, safe, serious-but-with-a-large-dose-of-fun-mixed-in racing,” Kercher said of the Twilight Series. “We’re able to offer that opportunity to someone who is considering racing or is a competitive racer and can take benefit from weekly racing opportunities at various venues and polish their game.”

Spectators are welcome, and encouraged to ask questions of officials. But better yet, stumble out there like I did many years ago and see if that dangling carrot appears at the front of the pack.

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Jerry Hitchcock can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, via email at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at HitchTheWriter.

Cooper Jones Twilight Series Schedule

- All races Tuesday evenings

Series 1

April 11: Spokane County Raceway

April 18: Spokane County Raceway

April 25: Spokane County Raceway

May 2: Spokane County Raceway

May 9: Corsa Brutale

Series 2

May 16: Spokane County Raceway

May 23: Spokane County Raceway

May 30: Spokane County Raceway

June 6: Spokane County Raceway

June 13: Spokane County Raceway

Series 3

June 20: Spokane County Raceway

June 27: Spokane County Raceway

Aug. 11: Corsa Brutale

Aug. 18: TBA

Aug. 25: Spokane County Raceway

Race times, directions and other information at www.baddlands.org

About Cooper Jones

The Cooper Jones Twilight Series is named in memory of Cooper Jones, a middle school student at Chase Middle School in Spokane who was competing in a time trial competition on June 24, 1997, when he was struck from behind on a public highway while riding legally on the shoulder of the roadway. Jones died in a hospital a week later.

Jones had dreams of becoming an Olympic cyclist and the Baddlands racing series was renamed in his honor.