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Big Race in a Small Town Desert Exposure May 2004 "In its eighteenth year, Tour of the Gila has placed Silver City on the international racing circuit." Silver City seems an unlikely spot for an international racing event: a small town where narrow roads curve for miles, hotel rooms are limited and the nearest major airport is three hours away. Yet on April 28, 2004, over five hundred riders will converge on Silver City, along with another three hundred friends, family and sponsors. For the eighteenth year in a row, they will participate in the National Geographic Adventure Tour of the Gila. Jack Brennan, co-owner of Gila Hike and Bike and co-director of the race, emphasizes that Silver City's roads offer "charm, danger and beauty, like a European course. Racers like the roads above Pinos Altos, where the yellow center line disappears. And the descent off Route 15 with hairpin turns -- 180 degrees in one spot-- adds danger and excitement." Perhaps that's why "a list of winners reads like a list of
who's who in American racing," Brennan points out. Racers in the Tour
can earn points toward national rankings. Regional representatives of
USA Cycling assign each rider to a category, based on past experience
and wins, ranging from a high Category One to a low of Category Four
(women) or Category Five (men). Ones and twos are considered
professional. All will take away bragging rights. "When you say, 'I raced in Tour of the Gila,' people respect you, no matter what your category," says Patti Fallstitch, who raced two years ago. "And some of the world's best women come here -- champions like Genevieve Jenson and Jeannie Longo. It's one of the few courses where women can enter a three-day stage race." "Everyone in biking knows Tour of the Gila. At a wedding in Vermont, someone found out I was from Silver City," says Aaron Manelos, owner of sponsor M Construction. "And he said, 'I want to come out to do the Tour of the Gila someday!'" "The Tour is a climber's course and I consider myself a climber," says Alex Hagman, a twenty-year-old college student from Durango, Colorado. Hagman's win in last year's Category Four helped him rise to his present Category Two ranking. " I love the terrain and the race organization is really good. No major mishaps with scoring and they're just friendly and supportive to the racers. When you come return the hotel after a long race, the employees greet us and ask how we did. That means a lot." The terrain comes, literally, with the territory. The rest comes from a corps of three hundred volunteers. As one example, for each of the last sixteen years, dentist Gail Willow has been finding rooms in " local open-hearted homes" for two hundred riders who lack funds or can't get into the packed hotels. "Hosts develop close, almost parental relationships with riders, " says Willow. "Some riders stay with the same families for five years or more. Hosts travel to attend weddings of their riders." "Riders are well-behaved guests and good role models for my children," says Sue Schiowitz, who hosts four riders each year. Everyone supports the race! Michael Sergeant, MD, coordinates medical services for the race. "The real credit goes to the volunteers," he says, "the Emergency Medical Technicians who volunteer their time to stand by for emergencies." Dozens of police and fire departments contribute vehicles and equipment. Most riders enjoy good health, but the Gila Regional emergency room has repaired injuries from bruises to back injuries. Both Willow and Sergeant have raced themselves and appreciate the sport. However, like most volunteers and sponsors, they support the Tour because of economic as well as social benefits. The economy benefits, too. Racing means big business to Grant County. "The tour brings people up to Glenwood and Mimbres and other towns around Silver City," says Manelos. "Every nickel counts in these communities and riders always spend money." Racers learn to book hotel rooms a year in advance. And after six hours on a bike, racers bring record sales to restaurants and grocery stores ("lots of bananas and pasta," says Brennan). Racers and their friends visit just about every store in town, buying souvenirs and gifts as well as extra clothing and accessories. The Tour also bring long-term benefits to the region. Six years ago, racer Chris Grealish of Boulder, Colorado, "fell in love with Silver City" and bought a house in the historic district. Now he divides his time between his Colorado courier business and his Gila Tours company, where he guides long distance bike tours for private clients from all over North America. Early in March, for example, Grealish hosted three riders from Wisconsin and New Hampshire. They patronized local restaurants and bought gifts to take home. "My wife wants a certain type of pottery," says Bryan Johnson, a high-tech Boston company employee, "and this is the third year in a row I've used vacation time to come to Silver City." Cycling has become mainstream. Local racer Jamie Thompson founded Cyclophilia, using donated bikes to "turn kids' lives around." The program focuses on Southwest Advocates for Kids, Juvenile Probation and Parole and El Refugio. "Kids earn community service credits by fixing bikes," Thompson says, "and many become committed to the sport." Members participate in children's events and Thompson believes some will graduate to competitive racing. Silver City benefits from the increasing popularity of cycling, the fifth most popular sport in the United States and the second most popular recreational sport in the world, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Riders are quick to identify what gets them hooked. "A stage race," says Jamie Thompson, is "like running a marathon every day for five days. You wake up and your legs feel wooden. And then you're ready to go again. It's hugely addictive." "A healthy sport," adds Dr. Sergeant. "You can cycle at any age and it's non-percussive. People race when they're sixty years old. Last year I was beaten by someone ten years older than I was." "Racing," says Alex Hagman, is "almost like a moving chess game, because there are so many team tactics. The strongest person may not win -- the winner plays his cards better than anyone else." Racers need strategy because they move in a pack, the "pelaton. " Front row riders fight wind resistance, creating a "draft" that gives trailing riders more speed with less effort. Teams assign riders to "work" the front row or conserve energy for a final sprint. Two or more teams may cooperate to ensure that one will win. Those who support a winner will share the prize money, even if they're on separate teams. Professional cyclists create a culture, says Thompson. Team members keep the captain supplied with food and water. And at each stage, the rider who has accumulated the most points to date gets to wear a "leader's jersey," which typically earns courtesy and respect from all teams. The best race for spectators, says Brennan, is Saturday's Downtown Criterium, where professional men race forty laps in the Bullard-College-Cooper-Sixth Street loop. "Take watches," Brennan advises. "See how long it takes a specific racer to complete a lap. Notice gaps between the racers." Favorite viewing spots include Broadway and Bullard, where racers fly through the corner at forty miles an hour, and the start-and-finish line at Bullard and Sixth Street. For a five dollar entry fee, anyone may walk or run around the Criterium loop in the Silver City Mile event, organized by Sue Schiowitz, beginning at noon on Saturday. Fees will be donated to a youth-oriented charity. As the race gains in prestige, spectators and volunteers can expect to enjoy bragging rights simply for being on the scene. And Tour of the Gila offers several options for getting involved. To volunteer as a race marshal or driver, call Jack Brennan at
Gila Hike & Bike. 388-3222.
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is a freelance writer and
business/career consultant. |