BIG Race Weekend

Members of team Indiebike.com p/b Angie's List are readying themselves for a tough weekend ahead. Riders will race up to three times in three days as they compete to establish Indiebike as one of the top amateur teams in the region. They will be competing against full squads from rival teams including Upland Brewery p/b Sustainable Cycling, Scholars Inn Bakehouse Team Tortuga, Blue Ridge Design, MOB Squad and newcomer Joe's Cycles/Cardinal Bike Co. Riders will be competing at three venues this weekend to prove who is the master of the criterium. Each course offers unique challenges.

Friday's Lawrence Village Crit is a short tight course that features 6 turns in just .62 miles. Getting in and out of the final turn up front and clean will be a key to success. Last year's race was fast and featured several breaks. However the course was longer and very windy on the back side. This year's course should create a whole new dynamic.

Saturday riders head up to the Zipp Village of West Clay Circuit. This is a classic event and a great venue. The race has been moved up this year and will take place much earlier than the usual late summer date. I know many racers will appreciate a break from the typicallyy brutal heat. The course is technical but wide and super smooth. If you get in a rhythm you can really rail it through the turns and get around the course quickly while the pack squeezes through behind you.

Sunday is the first ever Broad Ripple Criterium. Some thought it couldn't be done, but they were wrong. I guess the BR neighborhood and business associations have a price (which is reflected in the entry fees unfortunately). Anyway, it should be exciting. The course features a tight 140 degree turn at the end of a long straight. If you go into that turn in the back its going to be a long ride up to the front after the leaders sprint down the back straight while you bump into handlebars 4 wide. We have yet to see how repairs to the massive potholes on one section of the course improve the conditions. As of this week things were still looking pretty rough.

Look for a full race report as the action unfolds...