Andrew Schrauben

We didn't have any big plans for Saturday other than dropping off our foster dog at an adoption event for Vicky's Pet Connection. The event went well because Darva got adopted and we got a new foster Marty. It was what happened on our way back home from dropping off Darva that changed the day's (lack of) plans.

The drive home took us through Ada and as we skirted the quaint downtown, we noticed a main road was closed off. It seemed like a parade was getting underway until we saw the "floats" fly by - a group of cyclists with bib numbers pinned to their team jerseys. It was a bike race!

The event was the Ada Criterium, a series of ten bike races sanctioned by the US Cycling Federation and also serving as the Michigan criterium state championships. Riders of all abilities, even pro, were competing. It was about 12:30pm, so we found a parking space and found a place to watch along the sidewalk.

The race course was simply a 0.8-mile loop on the downtown streets and there were very few spectators. That isn't to say it wasn't crowded, because the sidewalks near the start/finish line were full of cyclists and their friends and family. We watched the men's Cat 4 race at 12:40 where the riders race 30 minutes plus 5 laps; they ride the 30 minutes at whatever pace the peloton feels like, but once the time is up then there's automatically 5 laps to go.

We chatted with a few volunteers who informed us that the premier race of the day would take place at 4:50pm with the Cat 1-2 (and pro) men. They neglected to tell us that the pro and Cat 1-2 women were racing next at 1:30pm! So after watching just one race we drove home to take care of some errands and grab lunch. Soon we were on the road again, heading to Vicky's to pick up our next foster dog, Marty. Then, we were back at the races.

The elite men's race was 80 minutes plus 5 laps, so we decided to walk around the entire course (it's only 0.8 miles, remember) during the race to watch from every possible angle! It was just like going for a stroll on the neighborhood sidewalk with a pack of VERY FAST cyclists humming past every 100 seconds or so.

While walking near the start/finish area I ran into David, a guy I'd met twice before. The first time was back in February while running on the North Country Trail near my house - he was running, too! We said hi, but didn't introduce ourselves until we happened to meet at the bookstore during the Dean Karnazes book signing! He's a triathlete and recently completed the Lake Placid Ironman in a little over 12 hours, a very solid time - at least I think it is, but I've never done a triathlon before. Maybe someday...

David stayed to take some photos while Amanda and I continued our circuit of the race loop. We talked with one volunteer whose son finished 3rd in the junior men's race, and another volunteer couple who had a son in the last race, the Cat 3 men. At one point a police officer, whose job was to keep the public OFF the race course, nearly got nailed by the race leader when he tried to cross the road without looking! I felt bad for the rider who had to shout "Watch out!" and swerve when he was doing his best to attack the peloton.

Finally the race was over, won by a local rider, and Amanda and I decided to go home. Not without a couple souvenirs - the sponsor Ada Bike Shop was selling nice water bottles for $3 each! It was our first time watching an organized road bike race and it was quite thrilling - the speed, the strategic tactics, the competition! It made me feel like racing, and I'm not even a "roadie"! But I'll stick to running and adventure racing for now.