By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
The Salisbury City Park Criterium rolled without a hitch Sunday, attracting more than 300 bicyclists and numerous spectators for a variety of races.
By early afternoon, the sky was blue and the temperature pushing 70 degrees as riders circled the mile-long course, breezing by time and again in a collective “Swoosh!”
Little ones cheered. Older adults sat back and reminisced about the days when they might have been tempted to participate.
“It’s a choice race,” said Charlotte’s Bill Burgess, whose son, 15-year-old Kevin, was a winner in one of the event’s junior races. “It’s one we look forward to.”
The elder Burgess said members of the Carolina Cyclone development team, of which his son is a member, consists of riders between the ages of 13 and 18. They pencil in the Salisbury Criterium on their racing calendars early in the season, Burgess said.
He said that while team members ride between 30 and 40 races a year, the Salisbury event is one of their favorite, one they won’t miss.
The fact that his son won one of Sunday’s races made it all the more enjoyable, Burgess admitted.
“He was fired up,” he said. “It’s a big deal. This is something he’ll never forget.”
Others involved in Sunday’s races tossed similar accolades on the event.
“It’s a great race,” said Don Stephenson, another father whose son rides with the Carolina Cyclones. “We love it.”
Stephenson said the Salisbury Criterium is recognized as one of the premier biking events in North Carolina, the kind of race where riders and members of their families are treated like kings. He said news of the quality of the Salisbury event spreads by word of mouth.
“All the guys know each other,” Stephenson said of members of the bike-racing community. “It’s a small community, really.”
The Criterium included races for everyone from teens to masters.
Charlie Brown, a member of the Carolina Masters and the man who makes the Salisbury Criterium go, said he was pleased to hear so many praise the event.
“It’s a super, super competitive course,” he said. “The weather was ideal for racing.”
But Brown didn’t finish the masters race in which he was competing, crashing in the final lap of the plus-35 age group. Brown crashed in the first turn of that final lap as racers kicked their bikes into high gear in a sprint for the finish line.
He said his front tire rolled off the rim as he entered the curve at a high rate of speed. That’s what caused the crash.
Brown was treated in the emergency room of Rowan Regional Medical Center, but said he suffered no broken bones and his injuries required no stitches.
“I’ll be at work tomorrow,” Brown said Sunday night.
Not all members of the Carolina Masters were as lucky.
Derek Powers, Brown’s teammate, crashed in that same race, though at a different point. Powers suffered a pair of broken bones to his left wrist, Brown said.
Fortunately, such crashes and injuries were the exception.
Eric Peterson is coach of the Carolina Cyclone team. He’s a long-time rider, and said he works to help members of his team improve.
“I made enough mistakes when I was young,” Peterson said. “I don’t want them to repeat my mistakes.”
Peterson said he hopes that members of his team might eventually join professional racing teams.
“When they’re stolen by bigger teams, that’s success,” Peterson said.
He said events like the Salisbury Criterium help them prepare for greater races. Peterson said boys he has instructed have gone on to ride professionally in California and overseas.
He said the hilly nature of the City Park course makes for a tough competition that not all riders enjoy. But Peterson said members of his team are the exception.
“This is a great race,” he said. “We love coming here. We’re suited to this kind of course. Some people think this is a hard race. We seek out the hard courses.”
Richard Allen and his wife, LaCreasa, own a house that borders City Park. Accompanied by their dog, Margo, they enjoyed Sunday’s races from their front yard.
Numerous riders paused to thank the Allens for letting them enjoy their neighborhood, words of thanks the couple said weren’t needed.
“It’s great for the community,” Richard said of the Criterium. “Fortunately, everybody that’s walked by has been very appreciative.”
A number of local riders performed well in the competition. Salisbury’s Ryan Jenkins finished sixth in the Pro 1, 2 division, the Criterium’s top event, made up of professional riders. John Patterson, a Salisbury native who now lives in Charlotte, was first in the plus-45 division.
Results are online at www.usacycling.org/results/ index.php?permit=2009-529.