ATHLETICS
MAC Cyclists Prepare for Competition and Fun
T
he U.S. Masters National Cycling Championships are held every year for athletes age 30 and older. The venue changes every two years among the east, central and western regions of the United States. The championships were held in Louisville, Ky., for the past two years. In 2011 and 2012, the championships are hosted in Bend. This year’s event is Tuesday, Aug. 30 through Saturday, Sept. 3. The championships consist of races in three disciplines: road, time trial and criterium. Races are held for each age and gender group. Masters categories start at age 30 and increase in five-year increments; i.e., 30-34; 35-39; 40-44, etc. Racers must only compete in their own age and gender group.
Each road race is a mass start event; the first rider across the line at the end of the race wins and earns the right to wear the national champion’s jersey for the next year.
The length of each race is shorter as
the racer’s age increases. At press time, the length of each race and the exact course has not been announced. The race course is anticipated to have a mix of hills and flat sections that allows riders of all types to have a good race.
In a time trial, each rider is individually timed and starts at 30-second or one- minute intervals. Drafting is not allowed, so each rider must gage his or her effort to ride as fast as possible for the entire course. Generally, riders from age 30 through 64 race about 25 miles, while riders age 65 and older race about 12 miles. The exact championship course and distances have not been announced. Since this is an individual race without drafting, it is an excellent race for those who are not comfortable racing in a group. These races favor strong riders who can sustain a high pace for the whole race. This is also a wonderful event for triathletes since it is just like the cycling portion of their event, but without the swim or running to tire them out.
The criterium is a fast and exciting race held on a short course with four or
56 | The Wınged M | APRIL 2011 Time trial races are great for cyclists who are not comfortable racing in a group.
more 90-degree turns per lap. Racers ride for either a set number of laps or a set time plus five laps. These races normally last 30 minutes to one hour, and are both fun to race and to watch. These races are well-suited to competitors with good bike- handling skills and the ability to recover from multiple short efforts. Riders at the back of the field must slow down for each corner and then accelerate to catch the field again. Riders at the front of the pack are able to ride at their own speed through the corners and keep a steadier pace. The MAC Cycling Committee is dedi- cated to sending as many MAC members as possible to the championships this year. MAC has many phenomenal athletes and wants to allow everyone the opportunity to ride in the national championships. Developmental funding is available to
MAC members to help defray the costs of racing in preparation for these champion- ships. MAC offers championship funding for U.S. national championship races. Members must qualify for championship funding through the sport-specific standards, and they must request funds before the event.
The required documents are available on the Cycling Committee web page.
Cycling coaches
Mike Sheppard, Shari White, Ian Penner and Benjamin Jacobsen are MAC’s cycling member coaches. Each of these great coaches helps MAC members learn and perfect new skills, and can help to design a coaching program to get members to their best level.
Sheppard and White host the Wednesday evening rides that are designed to help all riders improve their skills and fitness level. Every ride has a mixture of flat, rolling or hilly roads. The Wednesday evening rides alternate between hilly and flat courses to help riders learn the skills they need for each type of terrain. The Wednesday ride schedule is on the MAC website, the MAC Yahoo site, and is available through Sarah Burchard in Athletic Services.
MAC cycling club championships
Last year, Sheppard and White reinsti- tuted the unofficial MAC championships for team time trial. Seven teams (four riders per team) entered; the cycling
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