December 16, 2021 at 10:31 a.m.
A spectacle on snow
Hodag BMX Club clears off track, holds first winter race
A spectacle on snow
Bicycle race?!
It was for the Hodag BMX Club, which made a little bit of history Saturday morning, becoming the first to hold an outdoor BMX race in Wisconsin in the month of December.
The event, aptly named the Hodag BMX-mas race, had been in the works for a few weeks. The club hatched the idea as a different way to celebrate the holidays.
"We like doing Christmas parties. We wanted to do something different this year and we're like, 'Well, let's just do what we do best and have a BMX race,'" Hodag BMX track operator Rob Deede said. "We thought it would be fun. We didn't think we'd have the obstacles in front of us that we did."
That Mother Nature chimed in with a big winter storm less than 24 hours prior to the race just added to the novelty of it all.
"We knew that snow would be a factor. We didn't know it would be this much of a factor," Deede joked.
The Northwoods was blanketed in a heavy snow, with areas around Rhinelander receiving anywhere from 9-to-11 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Green Bay. Luckily the snow stopped early enough in the morning road crews were able to plow the parking lot at West Side Park and volunteers were able to clear the track of most of the white stuff.
"I tell you what, the volunteers that we have are absolutely awesome," Deede said. "We're out here clearing at 6:30 in the morning. We've got plows, snowblowers, shovels. The track was clear by 9 o'clock and we didn't have to delay the race. That's how awesome it was."
And then the riders showed up, 24 to be exact, to test themselves on the Hodag BMX track like they had never seen it before. Fat tire bikes, studded tires with lower air pressure - there was a little of everything as riders tried to find traction in the snow. There were patches of bare asphalt in the banked corners, but the humps and jumps down the straightaways were a totally new experience compared to the hard-packed surface the riders run on during the track's normal months of operation from May through September.
"It's taxing, that's for sure. You get out of Turn 1 and you're like, 'Man, I should be on Turn 3 right now, how much effort I'm putting in,'" Deede said. "It almost feels more motocross-y. There's ruts out there and there's soft spots. It's trying to find the line. It's cool."
The races themselves were in the usual format, with two qualifying heats in each class prior too the main event. There were special trophies handed out to the winners, and a few fun games after the races. But, ultimately, the exhibition event boiled down to one word - fun.
"This is about coming out and having a good time," Deede said. "It's just a testament to the community that we live in and the people that live up here. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than hanging out with these guys."
Deede added that he could see the race becoming an annual event in the future.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.