By JOSEPH BUSTOS
DIXON – They came from around Illinois and around the country, racing professionally for teams Spidermonkey and Hotfoot, Jelly Belly and GearGrinder, Apache, Dogfish and Get a Grip.
Some came from just up the road, racing just for fun.
About 160 bicyclists circled through the downtown Saturday, past First Street Pub, Spurgeons Bay, Books on First and through residential areas on Highland and Peoria avenues in the retreaded Ronald Reagan Criterium.
The 1.1-mile course began and ended at Haymarket Square; in that short space, it offered six turns, two straightaways and two hills.
The criterium attracted racers from Chicago, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Downingtown, Pa., as well as kids, parents and other local bike riders just out for a day of fun on wheels. There were 10 divisions, for people of all skill levels.
“Most riders enjoyed the course,” said Josh Albrecht, director of Dixon Main Street, which sponsored the race.
Independent racer Tony Damhoff, 21, of Morrison, had a good run up until his last turn. He was in third until he took a spill, right before the final straightaway.
“I just clipped my pedal and went down,” said Damhoff, a mechanical engineering student at University of Wisconsin in Platteville.
He was left with a road rash on his right side that ran from his shins to his hip. He hopped back onto his bike and glided to the finish in 19th place.
“I had a couple breakaways earlier in the race and I thought I was doing good,” Damhoff said.
Some of the professional racers who participated reached 50 mph, which is why the event had a Corvette acting as the pace car, said Bill Mick of Dixon, one of the organizers and racers.
Dixon last had a criterium in 1992, then lost its sponsorship and its organizers.
Main Street brought the race back in hopes of once again making it an annual event.
“It’s a big success that we draw these people from outside the area,” Albrecht said.
Bryce Mead of Sterling, a professional bicyclist for Team Jelly Belly, finished third in his race, the Pro 1/2/3.
Mead, owner of Mead’s Bike Shop, is one of the local sponsors for the race, which was sanctioned by the Illinois Cycling Association and by USA Cycling.
He hopes to see the Ronald Reagan Criterium become part of the Illinois Cup, a professional cycling series. “I hope this event can grow from here on out, and I can say nothing but good things about this event.”
