The last weekend of August saw Annual Fixed Gear Symposium in it’s 5th edition and the Cherry-Roubaix Classic in its 3rd edition take place in and around Grand Traverse City, Michigan, USA as part of the Third Coast Bicycle Festival.
The programme involved a multitude of different disciplines making sure everyone had something to look forward to. A breakdown of the main events are detailed below.
– 27 August: Hill climb
The Hill Climb was held up Wayne Hill on Friday afternoon under the blistering sun, with local pro rider Larry Warbasse from team BMC (2009 World Road Race Champion Cadel Evans’s team mate) taking a commanding win as he stormed up to the top on his fixie, finishing over half a minute ahead of second place and setting a new hill record in the process. Marcus Bush took victory in the Men’s geared bike category.
Larry Warbasse (BMC) on his hill climb winning fixie
The woman’s victory in the fixed gear category went to Tracy Halsinski as she took her third straight win in as many years. Local rider Johanna Schmidt from Hagerty Cycling Team took 1st place in the geared bike category.
Downtown Sprints
Friday evening witnessed a new event for the first time as part of the Cherry Roubaix Classic’s programme: Sprints in the form of drag races, i.e. standing start sprints. This proved to be a hugely popular event with both riders and spectators. Both geared and fixed wheel riders were catered for. The highlight of the event was without a doubt a local bicycle mechanic on his bmx who turned up to race against the swarm of lycra clad roadies. Not only did he handsomely hold his own, but he beat many of the riders he went up against, which was a huge crowd pleaser in every way.
DowntTown Sprints: Bmxer drops roadies from the gun
– 28 August: Criterium
Saturday afternoon saw the first of the two big events of the 3rd Annual Cherry Roubaix Classic take place. A 1.22km (0.76ml) course through the old town, including cobbled sections like in the Paris-Roubaix, had been sectioned off and was to showcase the criterium race. This was also to prove a very spectator friendly event, as the riders would pass by frequently and often. The format was based around a set time rather than number of laps, plus one ultimate lap after the set time had elapsed. Larry Warbasse confirmed his status as pre-race favourite, firmly stamping his authority on the race. He took overall victory in the show topping Men’s Pro 1, 2 race, riding smart during the entire time before finally turning the screws and making the race winning move in the last lap to pull clear with his two podium standing adversaries who both finished barely a second behind, yet well ahead of the chasing pack.
Larry Warbasse (BMC) on his way to victory in the 2010 Cherry Roubaix Criterium (Mens Pro 1, 2)
– 29 August: Road race
The showdown was staged on Sunday with the road race tracing a 13.7 mile (22km) circuit over the rolling hills of Leelenau County, on a slightly altered version of the 12mile course used for the late 80s Michigan State Road Race. This time Larry Warbasse was a marked man from the gun, having to withstand one attack after another from every quarter. While in the end it proved too much due to the fact that he had no team mates to support him and was therefore racing alone against a plethora of well organised teams, he still finished in a very respectable 4th place.
However the real race I had come to watch was the Cat 4 Women’s one, staring one of the new 2010 stars to the Hagerty Cycling Team, Grand Traverse City local Barb Beauregard, along side her more seasoned team mate and climbing ace Bridgett Widrig. I would not be disappointed, as together they decimated the field, both simply riding away from the peleton from the first KOM, making it a superb display of dominance through positive team work and sealing a deserved and undisputed 1, 2 for Hagerty Cycling Team. Over four minutes separated them from the trailing 3rd place rider.
Bridgett Widrig and Barb Beauregard (Hagerty Cycling Team) following their impressive 1, 2 in the Women Cat 4 road race.
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