This post would fall under "other stuff" with regard to the title of my blog. So while race reports seem to roll off my tongue with ease as I simply replay the race in my head, "other stuff" may not come so easily so bear with me. The junior cycling scene here in Central Arkansas has exploded. Whereas, ten years ago there were only two or three kids under the age of 17 racing bikes, there are now no less than twelve or thirteen juniors that are out there riding their bikes on a regular basis. Why is this exciting for an "old head", washed up bike racer like me? Well, for starters, its just awesome seeing these young guns out having fun doing something that is healthy and that generally has a positive influence on their young lives. Cycling can take up a lot of time in one's life that might otherwise be spent being idle. Idle teeneagers are prone to get bored, bored teenageers try to find something to do, and without sounding like the Comcast commercials that end with the mantra "don't end up in a roadside ditch", you get the picture. Cycling keeps these kids out of trouble and immersed in a healthy lifestyle that will serve them well their entire lives.
Another reason this phenomenon has me excited is that it will result in a sharp increase in the number and quality of bike racers coming out of our state. I saw first hand a significant decrease in the pool of talent from the mid 90's through as late as 2010. When I was racing for the Walmart elite team in 1996 we had twelve Cat 1 and 2 racers all of whom hailed from Arkansas and all but me were under 30 years old (I was 32). Beginning in the early 2000's there were very few active racers that held a Cat 2 license, and fewer still that held a Cat 1 license. That situation got progreesively worse until the only cyclist holding a Cat 1 or Cat 2 license in Arkansas were over the age of 40, with no new blood replacing the old ranks. Included in this latest crop of junior racers are several that are already Cat 3's and should easily have their Cat 2 licenses prior to turning 19 years old. I firmly believe we have a few guys that will become Cat 1's prior to reaching their 20's. This is in stark contrast to what we have seen for the last 15 years where there were no new Cat 1 licenses being issued in our state at all, and only a handful of Cat 2 licenses. These statistics speak volumes about the overall health of competitive cycling in Arkansas. I see the tide turning back to the days of having as many as twelve Cat 1 and 2 bike racers, all under the age of 30, racing here in our state. I have always believed in a "trickle down effect", whereby, up and coming cyclist are motivated by their stronger peers. When a beginning cyclist can go to a race and watch their friend, who happens to be a Cat 1 or 2 racer, competing in the Pro 1,2 category at a local race, it tends to inspire those just starting out to reach for new heights with the attitude of "if he or she can do it, I can do it"! That phenomenon is extremely healthy for the sport as it increases the quantity and quality of competive cycling in our state.
One of the reasons for this recent resurgence in the popularity of the sport for juniors has a lot to do with several High Schools in Central Arkansas that are participating in the Texas High School Cycling League. A local veteranarian, Renee Lavergne, is responsible for having recruited most of the kids involved, including his son Zack, who recently won the overall championship. He has donated both money and time to ensure that these kids could get to the races (all in Texas), and to ensure that they all had access to the equipment needed to be successful. While some of the kids would have gotten involved in the sport without this avenue, most would not have. I believe that Renee's dedication to this effort is the single biggest contributing factor to the dramatic increase in the popularity of the sport for juniors, which in turn will ultimately result in the increased popularity of the sport in general. The more cyclist out there riding and racing means more people advocating for the rights of cyclist, as well as for our safety. So, if you see Renee, please tell him thank you for doing his part! Thanks for reading.
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