2003 Rose City Criterium

Ron Utter

[Editor's Note:No it's not a time trial in the Tour de France. Those aren't the cobblestones of Paris or some other French town. It's Jackson, Michigan. Maybe it's the porta johns on Michigan Ave. that give it away. The event was held Thursday, July 24, at 6:30(?) pm downtown Jackson and sponsored by the local bike and fitness shop, Pedal and Tour. For those of you who don't know what a criterium (sometimes seen or heard in a shortened form, "crit") is, but don't want to sound stupid for asking, here's some assistance. (If you're new to cycling, you may not know and the word's not in my Webster's dictionary. I had to figure it out when I started getting into cycling.) From Bicycling Magazine's Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills (Rodale Press, 1998, Ed Pavelka, et. al.), a criterium is a "mass-start race covering numerous laps of a course that is normally about 1 mile in length." Hey, we strive to promote cycling as well as continuing education and appreciation for the sport.]

Perhaps it isn't as famous as the Chili Cookoff or the Hot Air Balloon Festival, but the Rose City Criterium was one great event. It took place on a beautiful July evening in downtown Jackson, and, quite frankly, it has to be one of the premier events to ever hit this town. It isn't often you can go to an event and have a curbside seat to see some exciting racing from Michigan's top cyclists.

What even makes it more exciting is watching some of the Cascades Cycling Club's elite riders like Karl Grieve, Jeff Dayss, Shelly Wilson put forth their maximum effort to go against the best in the state.

Thanks to George and Mick Webster at Pedal & Tour for putting on this fine cycling event. Plus, thanks to the many who volunteered to help make this an unforgettable event.

Ron Utter is a long-time member of the Cascades Cycling Club. He is currently serving as club Secretary. In the past, Ron would often contribute feature articles to the newsletter. Thanks to Ron for both the article and the photos.

For past articles from Ron, Click [Here]