2015 ALS Road Race Series Sundays, March 1st, 8th & 15th First rider off at 10:00am Lake Perry, Kansas
Criterium racing (or road race, as it were) has found its way back to my season calendar after a two-year hiatus (Tour of KC last year doesn't count). I'm a bit nervous, but excited all the same. Given my lack of base training (I'm working on that), it should be quite the challenge. Race Day Parking & Check-In Race day parking will be located on the western-most portions of the race route, with most of the parking just south of the start line. Take Hwy-24 to Perry, Kansas, exiting north on to Kansas 237. Take an immediate right on to 22nd street all the way to Dam Road. Take a left on to Dam Road (which is the western edge of the race route -- so if you're arriving after 10am, you may hit some road closures), following it to the start-finish area. Parking will be on the left and right side of the roads, with the race-day check-in to the right of the start-finish line (and EXACT location is provided below). Race Day Schedule The race day schedules for each of the three days (March 1st, 8th & 15th) are nearly the same, with only the number of laps changing for each category. The official schedule run-down, along with field sizes, prizes, and registration fees, can be found at the USA Cycling registration page HERE. The following is the schedule run down for each of the three days... Sunday, March 1st START TIME GENDER/CATEGORY LENGTH (# LAPS) 10:00am Men / Masters Cat 1-5 40/50/60/65+ 4 laps 10:03am Men / Cat 5 4 laps 11:50am Women / Cat 4 3 laps 11:52am Women / Masters Cat 1-4 40/50+, Cat 1-5 60/65+ 3 laps 11:54am Men/Women / Junior 14-18 2 laps 11:54am Men/Women / Junior 9-13 1 lap 1:00pm Men / Cat 1/2/3 6 laps 2:30pm Men / Cat 3/4 5 laps 2:35pm Women / Cat 1/2/3 5 laps Sunday, March 8th START TIME GENDER/CATEGORY LENGTH (# LAPS) 10:00am Men / Masters Cat 1-5 40/50/60/65+ 5 laps 10:03am Men / Cat 5 5 laps 11:50am Women / Cat 4 4 laps 11:52am Women / Masters Cat 1-4 40/50+, Cat 1-5 60/65+ 4 laps 11:54am Men/Women / Junior 14-18 3 laps 11:54am Men/Women / Junior 9-13 2 lap 1:00pm Men / Cat 1/2/3 7 laps 2:30pm Men / Cat 3/4 6 laps 2:35pm Women / Cat 1/2/3 6 laps Sunday, March 15th START TIME GENDER/CATEGORY LENGTH (# LAPS) 10:00am Men / Masters Cat 1-5 40/50/60/65+ 6 laps 10:03am Men / Cat 5 6 laps 11:50am Women / Cat 4 5 laps 11:52am Women / Masters Cat 1-4 40/50+, Cat 1-5 60/65+ 5 laps 11:54am Men/Women / Junior 14-18 4 laps 11:54am Men/Women / Junior 9-13 2 lap 1:00pm Men / Cat 1/2/3 8 laps 2:30pm Men / Cat 3/4 7 laps 2:35pm Women / Cat 1/2/3 7 laps Course Preview Introduction The ALS Road Race Series -- formerly the "That Dam Road Race" of years ago -- was actually my very first cycling race, way back in 2008. Though I actually haven't returned since (always opted for the Spring Fling Criterium Series the Saturdays before), the route hasn't changed since. The lengthy circuit, along with lap-number-format edges this away from criterium and in to the road race category (or circuit race). At almost exactly five miles per lap, the loop is long, and features the dreaded Dam Road hill -- tacked at the least 3 times per race. Route Basics Here are the basics for the 2015 route...
Climbs One significant climb on-route (per lap), which really lends to this route's infamy. Since this is a circuit, it's not uncommon (especially in category 5 and 4 races) to see riders attack early, only to explode the third and fourth time up. It starts off with a few minor blips, the opening mile only an average grade of just over 1%. The final half-mile, after the turn on to Dam Road, is where it really kicks -- hard -- with a 5% average slope, some spots at 8%. Seems like not-so-bad, but at-speed, upwards of 8 times over, it starts to wear on the legs.
Virtual Ride Roger Harrison of Lanterne Rouge Kansas gave a nice little tour of the route via auto in January of this year. You can access the video (via his Facebook profile) HERE. A big thanks to Roger for the video. After the first week of the series, I will post an on-bike video of the route, with embedded metrics and all. That's all for now. Let's just hope for some cooperative weather. -tds ~~__o _-/<,_ @/ @
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