High Spin: Valley cyclists race in inaugural criterium

A horde of cyclists silently buzzed Brownsville. The Velociraptors Cycling Club held its inaugural criterium Sunday morning with about 50 racers showing up to participate in the event.

Events like this race help the community participate in a better way. Bicycling is a lifestyle that improves not only the riders, but the overall condition and appearance of the city," Cesar Oliva, River Rockets president said. "This event shows what Brownsville is capable of for bicycling."

"This is perhaps the third event of its kind in a number of years," Oliva said. "We have events like the Pedal to Padre, but we’re really seeing the number increase."

Sponsorship in the community helps events like the criterium to be successful.

"This event had a number of sponsors, from the Velociraptors Cycling Club and the River Rockets, to Bicycle World, Denny’s, Estela Vasquez," Jiame Hernandez, event coordinator said. "There were so many wonderful people that donated their time and energy to make this event a success."

The event was broken into three categories. Women, who raced a 30 minute lap race, went first. Following them, an intermediate division race took place. Riders in this group rode for 40 minutes. Finally, an open division race of 50 minutes rounded out the event. Prizes were given to riders for placing in the top three of their division, and for winning sprint primes that were periodically spaced in each division’s ride. For a morning of high speed racing, only one minor accident occurred with the rider not being injured seriously.

"Overall, this race went very well," Hernandez said. "There was good planning. It went so well in fact, that the first question out of most of the riders was when we will be doing more races like this in the future. People were really happy and surprised that the weather held up so well."

Winds picked up early in the morning in excess of 10-15 MPH but "we had a lot of riders come out and make this happen — despite the wind," he said.

"We’d love to do another criterium here in Brownsville - we’re looking at downtown being a great location," Hernandez said. "These kind of races do require a lot of space, so limiting traffic and police involvement is really important. These events allow families to come out and enjoy the excitement of racing."

Racers from all over the Rio Grande Valley were in attendance. "People from Brownsville, Harlingen, Edinberg, Mission came to this race because there aren’t many criteriums held in the Valley," Hernandez said. "They are really looking forward to us hosting more races in the near future."

Terry Hall, manager of Bicycle World in Brownsville said there was a "combination of new riders and professionals who race in Mexico, so there was a diverse field in all the different categories. There are some really strong riders here, and I’m seeing more and more people locally getting involved in the racing side of bicycling. We haven’t seen this kind of interest in a very long time."

Oliva said "The goal for many people in Brownsville is to start bringing top of the line events like the Ironman to the area, because we have excellent infrastructure. We have South Padre Island, Port Isabel and we have FM 511 and State Highway 48 that are in excellent condition for professional-style racing.

"We just need to work a little bit harder and then contact national organizers for events like the Ironman to get them interested in bringing their event to the Valley," he continued. "We have all the tools for successful racing here in Brownsville and the rest of the Valley. ... Brownsville compares well with San Antonio or other big cities when it comes to racing because we have all the conditions needed to host top-tier bicycle racing events."

Estela Chavez Vasquez, a candidate for the At-large A seat on the City Commission, was one of many sponsors for the event.

"Family-oriented events like this are great for the community," Vasquez said. "Cycling helps get families outside and doing activities, which helps with their health and the overall well-being of Brownsville."

The next major event for bicycling in the Valley is the Pedal to Padre. The charity ride from Brownsville to the Island is set for May 1. The 30 mile event begins at 8 a.m. For registration information, stop by Bicycle World of Brownsville.