Springs mountain bikers again have a place to race

After the dust cleared and the brakes cooled, the winner of the first mountain bike race to be held in the region since 2002 said what the 75 other riders probably were thinking.

"Man, it's about time. This race was way, way overdue," said J.J. Clark, who rolled over the finish line unchallenged Wednesday after four laps on a newly completed, 2.1-mile trail through Bear Creek Regional Park. It was the first of three races in the Sand Creek Series, which organizers hope marks the return of mountain bike racing to Colorado Springs.

The city regularly ranks as one of the fittest in the nation and is home to USA Cycling, the Olympic Training Center and a number of top tier pros, but for 6 years anyone looking to race a mountain bike in town was out of luck.

"That really surprised me when I moved here," Clark said. "It's such a bike town. I just assumed there would be races everywhere."

At one time, there was. Andy Bohlmann started the first Sand Creek Series in 1993 with the help of his wife and two sons. The first year they had four races, and by 1996 there were 12. Hundreds of riders competed. But the kids went to college and finding venues, volunteers and money proved challenging. Growing bureaucracy and lack of help prompted Bohlmann to throw in the towel in 2002.

In 2006 he got a call from Brian Kay, the county park planner who oversees Bear Creek Park. Kay was building a bike race-specific trail with the help of bike shops and volunteers. He needed an organizer.

"So I came back," said Bohlmann.

The race series is designed to have something for everyone, with categories for juniors, masters, pros, amateurs and Clydesdales (anyone more than 200 pounds.) Races go by time, not by lap, so everyone finishes in about an hour.

"It's a great training race; we're happy to have it back," said Dan Durland,a wiry racer sponsored by ProCycling who won the singlespeed category.

At the start, racers shot up a dirt road, fighting for position before shooting onto a narrow, twisting singletrack fraught with boulders and banked turns. The trail, built last year using donations and volunteer labor, has fast, swooping curves and rolling climbs and drops. Riders of all ages shot by kicking up dust. A few, still in middle school, were racing for the first time.

"I am so happy to see this," said Kay, a former racer who showed up to see his plan realized. "It's important for the community to have this - especially the kids."

He liked what he saw, but said he thought the course could use more boulders.

"I already have the boulders," he said. "I just need the volunteers to put them in."

SAND CREEK SERIES

June 11 and 18, 5 p.m., Bear Creek Regional Park, For more information visit Sandcreeksports.com.