May 9, 2008

Gearing up for Wild West
Annual recumbent bike race takes over Petersburg this weekend

By RODGER NICHOLS
of The Chronicle

     Some of the fastest bike riders in the world will be in town this weekend for the fifth annual Wasco Wild West 75 recumbent and tandem bike race.
     They will be drawn by two things: a course Portland rider Michael Wolfe calls “the toughest recumbent road race in the world,” and a new $1,000 grand prize for the first-place finisher.
     The latter may not sound like much in these days of multimillion-dollar athlete salaries, but in the world of recumbent racing, it’s huge.
     “As far as we know, this is the largest prize purse in the world,” said race organizer Clay Smith.
That prize comes courtesy of Full Sail Brewery in Hood River, which has stepped up as main sponsor of the event.
     Standard diamond-frame bikes have dominated international racing since recumbent bikes — in which the rider’s legs are stretched out in front, rather than below — were banned from international competition in 1934 because they were so much faster.
     In recent years, recumbents — or “bents” as they are popularly called — have made something of a comeback, but most race courses are flat or with gently banked corners.
     The Wild West 75 course begins and ends at the former Petersburg School near The Dalles and covers 18.7 miles of rolling wheat country. There are flats and gentle hills, but also The Cruncher, an eight percent uphill grade more than a mile long with fast curves on the downside.
     Four times around the course gives a distance of just under 75 miles.
There’s plenty of drama in the race. Last year British champion Rob English had a 15-20 minute lead on his nearest rival, when his secondary drive chain came off — at 40 miles an hour. He escaped without injury, but was out of the race.
     The race also features prizes for tandem riders and adult-sized trikes.      Signups and technical inspections start at 8 a.m. at Petersburg School, pre-race meeting is at 10:30, races start at 11 and awards will be presented at about 4:30.