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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 11, 2006 The Jackson County Sports Park provides a place where bicyclists can ride without interference from vehicle traffic. Races in two categories based on skill began in June and continue through the first Thursday in September. The races are sanctioned by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. (Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta) fast-track bicycle racing Races held at the Jackson County Sports Park every Thursday night heighten competitiveness and skill as riders speed through laps in tight formation By Bill kettler Mail Tribune The first thing you notice when the pack wheels by is how quiet the riders are. There's a low hiss of 40 racing tires spinning across concrete and an undertone hum of well-oiled drive chains as 20 riders speed down the long straightaway. No clattering pedals, no squeaky wheels. No panting, no wheezing, none of the sounds most people associate with pedaling a bicycle at high speeds. The riders gather at the Jackson County Sports Park every Thursday from June through early September. People who know them in their day jobs (lawyer, accountant, firefighter, plumber) would scarcely recognize them in their bright jerseys, cycle shorts and helmets. The races have been staged for years by riders who enjoy the camaraderie as much as the contest. "Even though they're fierce competitors, they're awfully good friends," says Ed Garfield of Medford, a former racer who now serves as starter, lap counter and record keeper. "Some of these guys have been racing together for 10 to 15 years." Garfield, a racer himself until a heart condition forced him off his bike, serves as starter, lap counter and record keeper at the Thursday night races, which are conducted through the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. Advertisement Riders come from as far as Grants Pass and Yreka to test themselves against other riders and the clock. "It's a very good workout," says Kristi Green, 35, an accountant from Yreka. "It's intense the whole time. It's all-out and very fast." "Very fast" is a relative term in an era when people routinely travel to the races at 88 feet per second (60 mph) in steel boxes powered by gasoline engines. Garfield says experienced riders can maintain a pace of 27 to 28 mph; beginners and novices are 6 to 7 mph slower. "That's very fast on two skinny little pieces of rubber," he says. Road racing is an entirely different creature from ordinary street riding or mountain biking. Riders crowd together in a pack (also known as the "peloton," from the French word for ball) to take advantage of the windbreak made by riders at the front. It's the same phenomenon that allows racing car drivers to conserve fuel by following closely behind another car. "The drafting is really an interesting experience," says Eugene Anderson, 45, a Medford attorney in his first season of road racing. "You can absolutely feel it. You can be told about it 100 times but until you've felt it, it's hard to believe." That doesn't mean the people in the middle of the pack get a free ride. "You've got to have a pretty good level of fitness to stay along with the pack," says Anderson, who rode mountain bikes for about a dozen years before he decided to try his hand at road racing. Riding in close proximity at speed takes practice. Beginners and novices are grouped together in B-class races and move into the A-class when they have adequate experience to match the pace of the faster riders. "When you're inexperienced you wobble around a lot," Garfield says. That can lead to ugly pileups when riders are bunched within a handlebar's width of each other. Inside the peloton, cyclists concentrate on riding a predictable line to help prevent accidents. "You never want to become complacent," says Steve Maluk of Talent, who works in a bike shop when he's not on the race course. "You always want to pay attention to what's going on around you. You're never totally relaxed. Accidents do happen. A moment's inattention, and some of the pack can go down. "Just about once a year you have a spill and get a little road rash," says Maluk, 30. Besides its physical demands, road racing has a distinct psychological component. Riders have to decide whether to ride at the head of the pack, which takes more energy, or ride with the pack to conserve energy for the end of the race. There's often a mad sprint near the finish when riders slip out of the pack and pedal frantically at speeds near 40 mph. "It's real tactical. It's a real chess game," says Steve Calvert of Grants Pass, a classical musician and an apprentice plumber. "If you're head and shoulders above the other guys, you have one strategy. If you're weaker, you have another strategy." B-class riders usually race about 15 miles on the 1.2-mile course. A-class races typically go 30 miles. Many competitors ride as much as 100 miles a week to build the endurance they need to keep up with the pack. "It's not an easy thing (to stay on the pace)," Anderson says, "even in the B group." Some, like Calvert, come out year after year because they love the sensation of speeding along in the pack. "As a group you can go so much faster than a single rider," he says. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Advertisement s Advertisement