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Purdue cycling club to host
Midwest regional competition
By Cathy McLaren
Staff
Writer
Grand Prix isn't the only race happening around
Purdue this weekend.
The Purdue cycling club also will be competing
when they host the Midwest Regional Criterium Championships beginning
at 9 a.m. Sunday in downtown Lafayette.
"We're really excited," said race director Carl
Weaver. "This is the second time we've raced this course, but it's the
first time we've hosted regionals, so we're excited."
The Boiler cyclists are set to compete against
the 20-30 other schools in their conference. Comprised of the Big Ten
universities and some smaller schools from around the area, the conference
also includes two schools that offer cycling scholarships. This makes
for intense competition, Weaver said.
"We were 11th in the nation last year and finished
fifth in the conference," he said. "We're seventh (in the conference)
now."
Favorites in the regional are Indiana, which has
the most riders in the conference, and Miami of Ohio, which has the
most quality riders, including a potential top male individual winner,
said Weaver.
Sunday's competition features five races based
on skill level. There are three men's races and two women's races. Most
of Purdue's riders compete in the intermediate B category, said club
publicist Kevin Marks.
"It's a higher, faster, more experienced category
than the beginners," Marks said. "It's a pretty solid group, too."
Purdue has three men and one woman in the highest
division, the A category. The riders in this category are highly skilled
and extremely fast. Many even have outside-school contracts, said Marks.
Each contest starts and finishes at the Tippecanoe
County Courthouse. The athletes compete in a criterium, or a short sprint
race, of 35-40 laps, which are slightly less than a mile. At various
times throughout the race, riders will go through short intermediate
sprints called primes. The top four finishers in each prime earn points
that will eventually be added to their points earned during the final
finish, said Weaver.
Purdue's cyclists are proud to be hosting the regional.
"A lot of racers think this course is good," said Weaver. "It's cool
because it's downtown. A lot of schools just race through campus, and
that's neat because you get to see what the campus looks like, but racing
downtown and seeing the sights feels more professional. That's why we're
hosting (regionals)."
"We just hope to do well on our home course."
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Purdue
cycling club to host Midwest regional competition
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