By Jon Schroeder
The Cove Herald

With a record number of riders, the 2008 TBi Copperas Cove Classic Road Race is bigger than ever. And better, some would say.

For Andy Hollinger, who started the race, it’s another good year; Copperas Cove, he says, is “Texas’ most bicycle-friendly city,” and Hollinger’s race is one of the most popular in Texas, if only because it kicks off the season.

Saturday’s competition was the first road race in Texas since last season came to a close in October. That makes it a bigger deal than most, organizers said, although Cove also hosts the state championship race on an overlapping course.

Texas Bicycles Inc. and the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce put on the race, and with 315 registered participants this year — about 100 more than last year, said Chamber of Commerce President Marty Smith — organizers said the day was an exciting one.

For the top riders, the course was 83 miles long, starting and ending at Copperas Cove High School. The top-rated category one, two and three cyclists rode the loop twice, while master’s division (ages 35 and up) riders and category four and five riders still raced more than 50 miles, much of it over difficult terrain.

“I couldn’t even make it past the lollipop stick,” said Melanie McNearney, referring to the course’s shape.

Illness forced McNearney out of the race after only a few miles. She’s finished before — at last year’s championship course, which is roughly the same, but with a different starting and ending location.

But she’ll be back.

“You fall into it, and it’s an addiction,” she said, noting that this particular race is different than most because its 23 female entrants ride the same distance and at the same time as lower-category men. Still, McNearney said she likes the race, even if she’s never seen it from this side before.

McNearney caught a ride back to the high school with Betty Price, vice president of the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce, and she said she was impressed by the volunteers at the race. Several other racers also said the friendliness and dedication of the volunteers, many of whom set up tents and prepared for a long day, set the race apart.

While the racers were both impressed and bemused by the Citizens’ Fire and Public Safety and Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, the volunteers reacted similarly to the racers, most of whom spend a great deal of money on equipment and a great deal of time in training.

At the “feed zone,” the halfway mark in the race, volunteers Pricilla Beaureguard, Cathy Stockman and Alma Swift were making a day of it in a tent filled with food and water.

They said they enjoy working chamber events, particularly short events (three to four hours) like bike races where there’s plenty of downtime.

“It gives us a chance to relax and talk,” Stockman said. And as their conversation continued, the women said they were both perplexed and impressed with the commitment the riders have for cycling.

Some people came out to the race to support friends or simply because it was Texas’ first of the season.

Houston cyclist Amy Capra wasn’t racing Saturday, but like many others, she still showed up to the feed zone to support friends who were competing. She said she doesn’t particularly like the course, having raced it before. “It’s hard,” she said, noting that the first and last seven miles are much hillier than the rest.

“It kind of catches you,” she said.

That doesn’t mean that those racing didn’t enjoy the race, she said. “When you watch these cyclists come by, they’re smiling.”
For her and for McNearney, every race is a liberating experience. Both cyclists said that to race is to feel like the training wheels are off for the first time.

“It’s just you and your bike,” McNearney said.

David Golden, a master’s division cyclist with the Hotel San Jose team, said his first race back was a tough one. His family gained a new member five months ago, and he hasn’t been riding as much as a result.

“It was good,” he said of the race, calling the course a “challenging” one.

But Golden said the best part of the race was the varied terrain. “It’s got everything,” he said.

Contact Jon Schroeder at jons@kdhnews.com or call (254) 547-0428