Day 3 of Joe Martin Stage Race marred by weather, crashes
Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Sports/65084/
After two days of glorious weather, the skies looked a bit gloomy on Saturday morning but managed to hold off enough to allow for Day 3 of the 31 st Joe Martin Stage Race.
Consisting of a road race that looped south around Hogeye and wrapped back into Fayetteville before finishing up at the intersection of Razorback Road and 15 th Street, Saturday was the day to make or break a chance of finishing high in the event.
With only Sunday’s criterium left, Saturday’s racing featured a lot of jostling and maneuvering by cyclists in hopes of securing a good time and being in a good overall position.
But with the hard racing came consequences, and the road race saw a number of nasty falls and wrecks that come from pushing one’s bicycle to the limit.
One local emergency medical responder, Lucky Mortensen, wasn’t on site when the accidents and crashes occurred, but alluded to the fact that sometimes things can get pretty rough if the cyclists are packed together and sprinting to the finish line like they were Saturday.
Mor tensen says that today’s criterium will be the best time for fans of the event to come watch and support the cyclists.
“ I would encourage people to come out and watch because [Sunday ] is the very spectator-friendly aspect of the event, ” Mortensen said.
Responders like Mortensen are essential to the safety and success of the Joe Martin Stage Race.
Just like any other sport, accidents and injuries can happen in cycling, so medical crews and tents are set up around the sites of the races to assist and help the hundreds of riders who have found their way into Fayetteville for the weekend.
The fans have also been out in force during the weekend, cheering on some cyclists who might be seeing Fayetteville for the first time.
Today should to be even more fan-friendly than the first three days have been.
Things will get started at 8 a. m. with the Women’s 3, 4 division beginning its criterium, which is a multiloop, one-day race with the start / finish line at the corner of Church Ave. and Center Street.
Many other divisions will hold criteriums throughout the day, and around 12: 30 p. m., a kid’s ride that lasts 1. 1 miles will begin. It is free to the public.
The Pro Men’s 1 division will take off for its criterium at about 1: 30 p. m. and should last about 90 minutes. The day’s hardest racing will likely occur here with leaders attempting to hold their spots while other cyclists will be looking to gain some ground in the overall standings.
“ I would call tomorrow the NASCAR of road cycling, ” Mortensen said Saturday. “ The racing will be real close and competitive. It’s also a shorter race, so the riders won’t pace themselves as much. They will hit it hard. ”
Results from Saturday were not available at presstime.