Cycling season reaches fevered pitch
Zabriskie, riding for Slipstream/Chipotle, has been mostly resting since a strong performance at the Tour de Georgia a couple of weeks ago and will be eyeing another time trial stage win or two in this, the first of the three grand tours of cycling.
Leipheimer's Astana team received a late invitation to race in the grueling 21-stage race through Italy. That may put the talented team at a bit of a disadvantage in regards to scouting the routes and preparation, but with a star-laden roster that includes 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and Andreas Kloden, Leipheimer will still be considered one of a handful of favorites in the race — especially since Astana may be trying to send a message to the Tour de France organizers that have so-far declined to invite Astana to race this year.
A little closer to home, Cedar City native and Salt Lake resident Burke Swindlehurst continues to have one of his strongest seasons as a pro. Riding for Bissell, Swindlehurst found himself on the podium after the Redlands Cycling Classic a few weeks ago and followed that up with a second-place overall finish at last week's Tour of the Gila.
"He wasn't hard to stay with, but he was hard to drop," Swindlehurst told VeloNews.com of his strategy. "As we got closer to the finish, the efforts I made earlier in the day started to catch up to me and I had to shift my ambitions."
Also racing at New Mexico were several local cyclists. Bill Demong, an Olympic ski jumper and nordic combined athlete now pedaling for American RADD/Agel, showed he's got skills off the snow as he finished third in his first stage race competing in the Cat 2 field. Taylorsville's Robert Lofgren and Sandy's Mike Sohm, both racing for Porcupine/Specialized, placed 10th and 15th overall with each making runs at individual stage victories.
Heber City's Kathy Sherwin is normally a mountain biking expert, but tried her hand at road stage racing in New Mexico. Sadly, Sherwin's race ended with a broken thumb after a rider crashed in front of her and the pro mountain biker was caught up in a massive pileup.
Hurting, but not knowing the extent of her injuries, Sherwin remounted her bike and completed the remaining 60 miles of the stage placing 23rd before ultimately being forced to drop out of the competition.
Jeff Louder, also a Salt Laker, was sent oversees last week by his BMC Cycling team, where he raced in the Tour of Romandie. Perhaps a little jet-lagged, Louder finished 68th in the star-studded field racing against many of the top teams in the world.
Even more close to home, the Utah State Criterium championship will be held this weekend at Rocky Mountain Raceway. Traditionally held around Pioneer Park but moved because of ongoing construction, this year's races will begin Saturday at 8:45 with junior categories. The Cat 1-2 racers take to the course for 90 minutes of high-speed attacks, turns and action at 3 p.m.
PLAYING IN THE DIRT: If road racing isn't necessarily your thing, the local mountain bike race season is also taking off. After starting the season in southern Utah, the Intermountain Cup moved north for the Showdown at 5-Mile Pass last weekend.
Bart Gillespie, Mona Vie/Cannondale, easily took the pro division with an 11-minute victory over David Welsh. Heather Holmes won the women's pro division race, beating Roxanne Toly by 13 minutes.
Several hundred cyclists participated in the various races, and many will be back in action again this weekend when the Intermountain Cup moves farther north to Sherwood Hills in Sardine Canyon near Logan.
In addition to the big weekend races, local mountain bikers can look forward to midweek races at Solitude (Tuesday nights, starting June 24) and Sundance or Soldier Hollow (Wednesdays, beginning yesterday). Sundance will also host a Super D series beginning May 24.
ROAD TOURS ROLLING: Of course, not every cyclist is looking for high-speed racing. Most, actually, hop on the bike recreationally and for fitness. For many of those, a 100-mile ride is the highlight of a season.
Last week, several hundred cyclists took to the roads of the Tooele Valley for the Ghost Town Century. On May 17, well over a thousand bikes will roll out of Salt Lake City for the Cycle Salt Lake Century which takes participants to Antelope Island and back.
Then on June 7, the Bonneville Bicycle Club will host its annual Little Red Riding Hood gathering in Cache Valley. A women-only day of cycling, LRRH traditionally attracts several hundred female cyclists of all abilities for rides ranging from 36 to 104 miles. Visit bbtc.net for more information on Little Red Riding Hood.
TRIATHLON SEASON: Cycling is great fun. But when combined with swimming and running, it becomes just one leg of one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. Local triathletes have been training for months. and the first major outdoor triathlon of the year takes place Saturday at Sand Hollow State Park.
The St. George Triathlon will attract more than 1,000 athletes, with some hoping to simply complete the event and others chasing personal bests or using the day as a training race for a bigger event down the road.
The Women of Steel Triathlon, again for the ladies only, will be held a week later at the American Fork Fitness Center.
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com
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