This is a list of some of the bigger races I am doing this year or am focusing on that I look forward to racing at this upcoming season. Some of these races are very large races that draw cyclist from all over the United States while other only draw locals but they are races that appeal to me, and I look forward to racing at each year.
La Crosse Omnium
My first big race of this year will be on the first weekend of May in La Crosse, Wi. I really enjoy this weekend of bike racing because it is right in my backyard and I am very familiar with the courses so I know what I am going to be facing on the day of the race. The first day is the Time Trial at Grandad's Bluff that is straight uphill for 600ft. This is a course that appeals to me because I am good at climbing and allows me to get an edge on my competitors. The second day is a flat four turn criterium downtown that is nothing special and is somewhat boring. The third day wraps up the omnium with a hilly road race in Minnesota. This is a very challenging road race that suits climbers due to a 500ft climb every lap. This tends to be the determning factor in this race and where people get dropped. The rest of the course is relatively flat or downhill so it is hard to get popped. Overall this is a low key race but I really enjoy the courses and scenery for this race which makes it one of my favorite races of the year.
Memorial Day Weekend
My biggest weekend of racing will be Memorial Day Weekend in Iowa. This a 4 day event consisting of one road race and three criteriums, no day is like each other which is something that you do not often seen in an weekend event. The premier event for this weekend is on Saturday at Snake Alley. This is my favorite race of the year and I always try to do my best here each year. Each lap at the snake consist of you either climbing the cobbles or descending through the town of Burlington, IA. Some people call this a cyclocross race because all tactics that you have ever learned no longer work on this course because it is hard to draft people at such slow speeds, and with narrow streets it is not easy to move up if you have the power to do so anyways. This is not only a physical test but a mental one as well, many races do not put you in your red zone every lap but if you want to stay in the front at the Snake that is what you have to do in order to win. The rest of the weekend still has great courses and atmosphere, and people from all over the United States flock to Iowa for this weekend of racing making the competition level very high.
Tour of Galena
The Tour of Galena is 3 day weekend race that occurs in Galena, IL. This is another weekend that is suited for climbers. The first day is only 30 miles but has over 2,000ft of climbing which equates to 66ft per mile; not many races in the Midwest are capable of having these numbers and makes this a paradise for people who can climb. The second day has a hilly TT that is a simple out and back course with one nasty climb that you have to do twice. Later in the day the road race occurs, this is another very hilly course that will challenge you every lap. I tend to enjoy this course because it has a lot of false flats where you can push the pace and slowly drop people off the back of the pack. The third and final day of the Tour of Galena consist of a 5 corner criterium in downtown Galena. Overall, this is my second favorite weekend of racing mainly due to how much climbing is involved.
U23 Nationals - Madison, WI
My next big race for the year will be the U23 Nationals located in Madison, WI. This will be my first time doing this race so I do not have any past experiences on these courses. I hope to do well at these races but we will see how the competition stacks up when I get there. I do know that the road race is a hilly course that appeals to climbers so that is one plus that will benefit me in July.
Edwardsville Criterium
The Edwardsville Criterium takes place right before the big weekend down in St. Louis and I will be able to use this race to see where my fitness level is at. I was able to spectate this race last year and it seemed very interesting to me and was a race that I wanted to do in the future. The course for this criterium is a figure eight with the back sections have very tight corners that spread the field out. Another thing that drew my attention to this race was that it was a race in the dark. Not many times do you get to race in the dark, so this is one of those chances to try it out and also since the first night of the Gateway Cup is at night you could use this as practice race. This race last year had a very stacked field and was a race that never really settled down and seemed like it would be a good place to test where your body is at before going into a larger event.
Gateway Cup
My final weekend of racing will be down in St. Louis for the Gateway Cup. This a four day weekend of criterium racing where people from all over the United States come to race at. I find this to be a weekend of racing with a large amount of spectators and gives you an atmosphere that feels as though you are in an UCI event. Not many races have rows of people lining the barriers and pounding on the boards and when your out their burying yourself into your stem that gives you that extra little motivation to hang on and push through it. I do not know if I could pick a favorite course for this weekend but I know every day but that last day I enjoy thoroughly. The last day has never been appealing to me and it seems as though many people just do that race because they have already been there for three days but that may just be me. Overall, this weekend is packed of fast high speed racing with courses full of spectators to keep you motivated.
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