July 3, 2009
Altoona hosts series of bike races
By KRISTA KIELSMEIER
kkielsme@dmreg.com
The Tuscany development in Altoona will be the home for three cycling races through Thursday, Aug. 20.
“It’s a new development, but the part that we race on doesn’t have any houses on it,” said Lane Anderson, who will coordinate the series of races through his Bike World/All9Yards Cycling Team.
Anderson, 35, lives in Altoona and is the owner of All9Yards Realty in West Des Moines. He started the cycling team in 2005.
Anderson led a test run for the Altoona Thursday Training Series on June 18, which drew about 30 participants. The next three races are scheduled for the Thursdays of July 16, Aug. 6 and Aug. 20.
Women’s races begin at 6 p.m., followed by 7 p.m. advanced men’s races and 8 p.m. races for male beginners.
“Some of the races that have beginners in them on the weekend races also have some experienced racers, and it can get frustrating for the beginners,” Anderson said. “This is to try to keep all the experienced guys out of that race, so they can be competitive.”
The advanced cyclers will complete 20 laps on the 1.2-mile course that features four corners and one hairpin turn per lap, while the women and beginners will travel half that distance.
The entry fee is $10, and registration will start at 5 p.m. at the corner of 17th Street S.E. and Tuscany Blvd. For more information, call Anderson at (515) 971-1761.
Anderson has organized other races in Des Moines and a series in Elkhart. He plans to offer cash prizes and merchandise for the top racers in Altoona.
The Bike World/All9Yards Cycling Team also will bring the Iowa State Cyclocross Championships to Altoona in the fall, said club member Paul Jensen of Altoona. He said cyclocross combines road racing and mountain biking.
Jensen, 43, bikes about four times a week and continues into the winter, when gravel road races become more popular.
Jared Osterloh, a firefighter and paramedic for the Altoona Fire Department, won the advanced division in Altoona on June 18. He finished the race in about an hour.
Osterloh, 31, bikes to work from his Des Moines home and often tallies more than 300 miles in training runs a week. He is a member of Anderson’s cycling team. Osterloh had competed in marathons and triathlons before he set his focus on cycling.
“It was good training and fun to get out in a local event,” he said of the June 18 Altoona race.
Members of the Altoona Triathlon Club helped manage the races less than a week after the Copper Creek Triathlon in Pleasant Hill.
David Doty of Altoona had to miss that Sunday triathlon due to his position as the minister of Woodland Hills Church of Christ near Runnells.
The 40-year-old moved into triathlons after several years as a runner, and he picked up cycling two years ago. Doty occasionally bikes to the church, and he entered the beginner cycling race on June 18.
Doty said the Altoona Thursday Training Series will be an opportunity for cyclists to meet new people and test out their talents in a laidback setting.
“With my job being on the weekends, this is another chance to compete and see what skill level I am, even though I was the slowest one out there,” Doty said.
