The Way Back Machine

 Good evening Sherman, you are ready for another step back in time?

OH Jeez yes Mr Peabody, were are we going tonight? 

Well Sherm, since we went to Rockford last week, and we visited a very hard course, i thought this week id set the way back machine to the same year but this time on the opposite  side of the state and a much more tame if i do say so myself type of race course

OH goodie..lets go!!!!!!!!!!

Sherman,  The setting is the late 90's..mountain bikes pretty much take up most peoples car racks, and very few even consider the road bike as a second bike. But with a growing series conceived for the roadies..The mountain bike crew suddenly decided maybe they too would like a piece of the action.  But most normal hair legged mountain bikers were often intimidated at the sight of a crit course. But not the Allen park venue. They even got treated to mountain bike only class..

Why is this Mr Peabody?

Well you see Sherman, the Allen Park course just off the Oakwood blvd was just your average industrial park oval. safe enough for the first timer and fast enough for the Super Daves The Adams or the  Frankies that might show up in June. The Curbs were smooth and made for ample get off should a rider take a elbow to the ribs. Ran counter clockwise the finish was slightly down hill, and true to form 53/11 effort. parking was super simple and it was family spectator friendly 

OH JEEEZ..

Yes sireee. young lad. For an Industrial park crit. The Allen Park saw its fair share of battles.

But Mr Peabody, it was just an oval with no turns, nothing technical, how could it be soo hard

Well you see my naive friend. For years the race stayed pretty tame, most classes hovered around the 45-50 minute range and the the 1/2 field got treated to the normal 1 hr 10 minute length.

Then one summer the promoters upped the ante, and bumped the 1/2 field up to 1.5 hrs

But how did it change the outcome? 

Sherm, the field started with a healthy 40+ group and by the 1 hour and 15 minute mark was whittled down to a mere 12 riders..It was chaotic to say the least, as it became a scoring nightmare with with groups of three or four getting lapped, but missed getting pulled.  A quagmire and delay was imminent for the results to be posted. 

But by next year the promoters had it figured out, and this format would last for a few more years.

But what happened Mr Peabody. why did it die?

Well like many others the promoter, and just the lack of volunteers were tired, this coupled with the course itself becoming more and more pot hole ridden. Large separations in the 80's laid concrete caused many a broken wheels in last few editionS Ask the the Evil-Dude Sherm, next time you see him on how trying to hold Ben Renkemas wheel, while fighting off the Pony Boy for it caused a double wheel last lap disaster..Yep Sherm, The race would see its last edition on 2008 ending a chapter of another interesting saga of the Michiganscene