I went out to High Cliff this morning to try and feed some water bottles to friends who were participating in Race the Lake. I've rebuked the Wisconsin racing scene for having a plethora of shitty road races, and for starting and ending the season way too early. Why start racing in April when there's at least a 75% chance there'll still be snow on the ground, and end, for all intents and purposes, in June? I just don't understand. Not too mention the boring office park crits, and exorbitantly-priced "stage" races that feature crits almost exclusively. What gives?
I mean, where are the cycling promoters in the Southwestern part of the state? La Crosse has some of the most amazing road riding I've ever done, anywhere. Bar none. But the only race you'll find there is a crit. Though this year, there is the Dairyland Dare, which looks plenty awesome. But overall, for all the cycling that happens in this state, the racing is really paltry.
Granted, I only took part in three races this year, but it's pretty hard to get excited about Great Dane Velo's Office Park Crits Numbers One and Two, when A) At least one of them is likely to be cancelled and, B) There couldn't be more boring races, anywhere, and C) The last time you raced, it was in totally fun races like the Ballard Twilight Crit, or the Cascade Classic.
Enter Race the Lake. This thing looks pretty cool. I've ridden around Lake Winnebego plenty of times, but never at a 27-mph average. The great thing about this race is that it's open; meaning everyone from pros to Cat. 5's races together. I participated in several races like this in the Northwest, and it's so much fun because often you don't know the categories of those you're racing with until after the fact. If you're going well and get a good result, you learn later that you were up there with Cat 1's and 2's and maybe even some pros.
It would sure be nice, though, if there were more races leading up to Race the Lake. More road races, maybe a real stage race. In any case, if Rose and I are here next year, I plan on riding in this event. It looks like a blast. 90 miles at 27 miles per hour is Tour De France-like. If for no other reason, I'd want to do it just for that experience.
