Me in 2003, grinding up Snake, yellow jersey, Cat. 3 race
Snake Alley before the Pro 1-2 race, 2003
Every May I start thinking about Quad Cities weekend, and how some of the best times of my life have been spent up there either racing or watching the races. I’ve actually only finished a few of the many races I’ve done there, which probably a lot of folks can also admit to. I’ve never finished Snake Alley, the greatest criterium in the universe (well, it might have been second to the old Moline Crit before they moved it to the cage match of Rock Island). Back to Moline in a second.
I know exactly what makes that weekend so great. A lot of it has to do with getting to see my old friend Tater, who I’ve known since 1988 atTruman State and who is now a damn good Cat 2. Some of it has to do with my history with the sport, the Muscatine Crit being the first race of the season for me in the year 1986, the same year I somehow ended up going to the Junior National Road Championships. It was also the first year I ever went up to the Quad Cities weekend. Weed Park hasn’t changed much since then, the road is maybe a little bit better and the speed bump doesn’t make you catch air anymore. But the Sunday before Memorial Day is still the same if you spend it in Weed Park—surrounded by friends and family and doing the thing that you love to do the most.
Most of all, though, the weekend represents first class Midwestern American criterium racing, each in distinct venues surrounded by a pleasant, early summer festival vibe.
But back to Moline. I’ve raced the Rock Island cage match several times now, but it just doesn’t compare to the old Moline course. The old Moline course kind of reminds me of Soulard, except even the Cat 3s were racing for thousands in cash and huge payouts for 1st through 20th place. At one time I think the Pro 1-2 race prize list was 15k, but I might be mistaken about that. It could have been more. Guys were racing for big money, but it was also blood sport.
But not in the broken bike/destroyed femur/neck injury blood sport way of the current cage match. Because of the narrowness of the streets and the incredibly sharp 8 (or was it 10?) corner configuration of the course, if you were going to go down it was usually by yourself as you stacked it into some hay-bails mounded up along the course. Strong, tenacious guys might do this twice or even three times in the race and get back into the winning break in the end. And the fields would just shatter pretty quickly, because the accordion affect was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. If you weren’t near the front, you were going to get gapped, and you were eventually going to crash out or get pulled.
To add to the chaotic and charged atmosphere, most of the working class crowd (numbering in the tens of thousands) by the time even the lower categories started their races, were desperately intoxicated. They wanted you to crash, hell yeah, but they also wanted you to get back in there with blood on your jersey and holes in your arm. They were Belgians for God's sake.
Man that was a great f*cking race. It is the greatest weekend in the Midwest, hands down.
watching Anderson win the masters 30+ on the old Moline course is what made me decide to get a license. driving across iowa to watch a bike race and get drunk as hell with jim brill and greg lincke. we were so drunk someone stole our beer cooler from right between our legs. anyway i went back there the next year as a 4 and finished 1 place out of the $$. after that, i was hooked. one of my favorite moments of all time is from there - christian winning the 3's, kevin wilkins getting 3rd, and me 7th. 3 lincoln boys in the top 10!! representin'!!
ReplyDeleteman, I remember one of the years up there, you took at least one, maybe two free laps after going down (you had blood all over your arm) and snuck into the money at 13th or something like that. I was always amazed at your ability to just perform out of your mind at the quad cities weekend. 2nd at Snake, man, 2nd at Snake. . . .
ReplyDeleteyes, i hit the manhole on the only left hand turn. then i made the mistake of cutting through the middle of the course (and hence the drunken crowd ... 4 deep at the fence) to get to the wheel pit.
ReplyDeletewhen i got there the mechanic said "i heard you were coming" (i guess they had radios). then he checked my bike out, got me calmed down (no small feat), all the while looking up the finishing straight to keep on eye on when the pack was coming through. when he saw them coming, he got around behind me and pushed me right back into the top 20 - which is where i was when i crashed.
something about those big fields always made me fight harder for a placing. that and in those races i was always on my own ... not looking out for a kevin or a tom or anyone. just doing my own thing. if i were a master at the time it probably would have been a little different.
MOLINE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove, tater
i just wanted to post again in this very important thread.
ReplyDeleteweed park.
yes ...
weed.
park.
I remember a ride out to Branched Oak with Mauer right before Quad Cities weekend of '94. That was some good "training" alright :)
ReplyDeletebranched oak? oh my god. if i had a nickel for every lap out there ...
ReplyDeletei don't know nuthin' about riding w/maurer. as shultz would say on hogan's heros: absolutely nuthink!!!
I feel like I missed out on some crucial cycling education. All I can offer is that I did the first edition of the Rock Island crit in 1997 (when it was a six corner course) as a 4 in a pouring 45 degree rain. 100+ starters and 15 minutes in there were about 30 left. The final lap I tried to move up my I could not feel my fingers and therefore could not shift. I was undergeared for the sprint and ended up 15th or something but still won $35! Man, that is such a fun weekend!
ReplyDelete