Classic concludes Sunday
Clocktower Classic events keep handcyclists busy, as a crowd gathers downtown to watch.
It was a busy day for the 27 handcyclists Friday, as the Clocktower Classic races continued with a 3mile climb up Lavender Mountain on Fouche Gap Road during the morning and the evening Downtown Criterium on Broad Street.
“You have to get a good meal, relax and let your body hydrate between the races,” said David Neumer of Knoxville, Tennessee. “Arms don’t have the same endurance as legs, so you have to build up.”
Neumer said the Criterium was a fun race, however. “You’ve got a slight hill, with four corners to negotiate without crashing,” he said, smiling. “The faster guys can average up to more than 20 miles per hour.”
The Clocktower Classic is a “great race,” according to Zeeland, Michigan, handcyclist Brad Baumann.
“This is my second year,” he said. “I admit it’s a little hotter now than it was this morning. I’ve been in the hotel, watching TV and trying to recover from the Fouche Gap run.”
The route for the Cri- terium started at the corner of Third Avenue and Broad Street and circled around Fourth Avenue, down First Street to Second Avenue and back up Broad. The racers had to make three laps during the timed race.
Solomon Revils of Chesapeake, Virginia, and a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America team, said the Fouche Gap run Friday morning was “tough.”
“That will make a man out of you,” he laughed. “Whew. I went to the hotel and fell out after that. I wish I could have taken my arms off to let them rest.”
He and his fellow PVA member Cody Goss of Vicksburg, Mississippi, joked before the Criterium started and talked about why they love coming to the Clocktower Classic.
“It’s not too far from where I live,” Goss said. “Rome is a pretty town, with lots of nice history. It’s great to see a downtown like this thriving. You don’t see that just anywhere.”
Nyasha Alston brought her younger sister Aniya Fields to watch the Criterium. The two sat on a bench at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Broad Street and enjoyed snow cones and watched the action.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Alston said. “We just decided to hang out and watch the race, and we’re loving it.”
Today, the handcyclists will participate in the 26th annual Up the Creek Without a Pedal Century Ride, beginning at The Forum at 8 a.m. This will not be a timed event, according to Hortman.
“This is just a fun event for them,” she said. “They
have an opportunity to ride with each other and not worry about time.”
The final stage of the Classic will be Sunday at 9 a. m. on Technology Parkway. The road will close to traffic between Scott Logistics and Huffaker Road, including access to and from Technology at Mathis Road. The road will close at 8:30 a. m. and is expected to reopen at 11 a.m.