One of the longest running stage races in Indiana has changed somewhat for 2009. Due to the Indiana State Fair running longer this year, the date and venues had to be altered slightly. The first leg of the stage race will be the Eagle Creek Park Fast Crit. Known for its lightening speeds, the Fast Crit makes an ideal venue choice. The 0.6 mile oval course provides no place to hide or rest – a track-lovers dream. Seldom do riders get a chance to consistently hit speeds in the upper 20’s, without touching the brakes, in a crit – you will at the Eagle Creek Park Fast Crit.

A new 9 KM TT course will greet the riders (except for the hand-cyclists) in the afternoon. The TT has been moved from Fall Creek Parkway to the Eagle Creek area so that participants don’t have to travel to the other side of the city. The TT course will be point A to point B and will be an easy ride/drive from the Fast Crit.

The last leg of the stage race will be comprised of the always challenging Fort Ben Road Race. This course always keeps the riders on their toes with its twists and turns through the woods and the screaming descent to the finish line. This year will be no different. We are excited about the changes and look forward to some great racing.

For more information, download the race flyer from the schedule page.

The fabled Monrovia Time Trial will be the scene of some hot TT times this Sunday. One of the best TT courses in the country, Monrovia is a fun venue to test your fitness level on. If you are able to break an hour, a very nice “sub-hour” t-shirt will be awarded to you (limited quantities – they are flying off the shelves and will soon run out…) So come out to Monrovia and lay it down!

A few other notes: We have some very nice pictures of the Eagle Creek Fast Crit. See the results page for the link. Please give proper credit if you decide to use them.  Thanks to Brian West for taking such nice photos and letting us relive that nice day. A map of the Monrovia TT course is also posted on the schedule page. The Indiana Stage Race is taking shape and the race flyer will be posted soon. A solid line-up of races.

Enjoy the short week.

Dan.

The Eagle Creek Park Crit was simply fun. This race has been a staple for the IN racing scene for a very long time. 2nd oldest race next to Mooresville to the longest in IN history. The race course has just about everything you want in a crit. Some people may want more turns and stuff like that, but the swooping downhill, gradual uphill, the fun downhill section that curves to the right slightly and the beauty of the park makes it a worthy venue. The Park has allowed me to expand the schedule some and the pressure to get out by a certain time has reduced the stress I feel about hosting a race there.  We are able to offer the longer distances as a result which helps make the race more attractive to the racer. The racing action on Saturday was exciting to say the least — a CAT 3 break away group, CAT 4 solo, Nebo flexing their muscle, Strock coming back to great form, Women’s racing is back, big citizen fields and John Kelly soloing for the win in the MAS 40+ group. The races were relatively safe and well raced.

I would like to thank the IN Hand Center Team. They did a superb job in monitoring the corners. The IHC has been a great asset to the race and I would not host a race w/o their support. One of their sponsors, Blue Ridge Design (Sandi Perlman) not only helped watch the corners, but gave over $100.00 in primes. Thank you, Sandi! Tom Bonduran also gave away some gift certificates to his shop, the Runner Forum and he displayed some hot AeroCat Bikes. I think I need one!  We are also very lucky to have GP at the helm. He is a treasure and helps make the races even better when announcing. The photos by John Bennett are outstanding and he provides a great service to the racers whenever he shoots. PJ is the rock of the IRS, Skip’s help has been instrumental, Vic gave the IRS a fresh new web look, and ABR helps pull the insurance and permitting stuff together.  It’s not easy to promote races, but these people help make my life and promoting a bit easier and manageable.

Thank you.

- Dan

* Results posted!

The threshold of 100 riders has not been met and thus the Mooresville Race has been canceled. We will be having the Monrovia Time Trial on Sunday, May 10th. Perhaps next year we can ride up pack splitter in decent conditions and numbers. Those who did register, I will roll over your entry fee into the Eagle Creek Race or a future event.

Thanks for signing up, Dan

Looks like the Monrovia TT is way out in front of this two-event race. I guess people really do want to experience and feel the nicest quality t-shirt in IRS history.  I really can’t say that I blame them. However, I am not about to call it quits on the “Pack Splitter” just yet. I won’t be calling this election early – so, waiting for the riders from the South, North, West and East to respond (or not).  Nothing but rain here in PA. So to see if an end is in sight, I looked west and saw sun on the horizon for both weekend days. There is hope…

Be well, Dan.