| ‘BUMPS AND BRUISES’ AT THE CLASSIC | A light drizzle fell early in the Troy Classic on the Square on Saturday, contributing to at least 10 wrecks during the 7-hour, 6-race bicycle criterium.
That's a "higher-than-usual" number of crashes, said Troy firefighter/paramedics Jeff Covault and Andy Vonderenembse, who were on duty Saturday and have worked previous Classics.
One rider was treated for a possible broken collarbone, but most riders were able to get up and either walk away with a damaged bike or finish their races Saturday.
Troy native Patrick Malarkey, 26, finished second in the Men's Category 3-4 race, despite being involved in a wreck while making the turn around Public Square, about halfway through his 20-lap race.
"The guy in front of me slipped out and I couldn't avoid him. But I was able to get right back up and finish," said Malarkey, a former cross country runner at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Ricardo Cotto took a tumble with three other Category 5 riders on a sharp turn from East Franklin Street onto South Market Street.
"The guy in front of me hit a gate and I tumbled over him," said Cotto, 32, of Woodhaven, Michigan, in his first year of racing. "I only suffered bumps and bruises, but I cracked my bike," he said as he watched the Men's Category 3-4 race.
A bicycle criterium is a race or series of races held on a course that's usually less than 5 kilometers on closed-off downtown streets. Because of the sharp turns and the way bikes are bunched together at speeds of up to 35 mph, wrecks in a criterium are not uncommon.
In fact, wrecks are almost expected, said Scot Herrmann, of Cincinnati, an experienced Category 3 racer who served at the announcer for this year's Troy Classic.
"With a criterium, it's not a matter of if you're going to have a wreck, it's how many and when," Herrmann said.
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A Classic victory
Teamwork puts Grimm across finish line first
By Ron Osburn
Staff Writer
The third time was the charm for Jeremy Grimm in the Men's Pro 1-2-3 race at the Troy Classic on the Square Saturday.
After finishing third the past two years, Grimm took advantage of some help from one of his teammates, Paul Martin, to win the feature race at this year's Classic. Both Grimm, 34, and Martin, 37, race for the Panther/RGF Cycling Team, based in North Royalton, near Cleveland.
Martin finished second, and John Minturn, a 30-year-old Cincinnati native and Philadelphia resident who rides for the New York City-based Empire Cycling Team, placed third.
Grimm said he had finished third in the Pro 1-2-3 (professional and high amateur cyclists) race in Troy the past two years. He credited Martin for wearing down Minturn and John Puffer, from the Texas Roadhouse cycling team, during the 40-lap race, clearing the way for his winning sprint to the finish.
"It was teamwork. Paul dropped both the pro riders and I took a chance with a half-lap to go and made it stick," said Grimm, 34, of Orrville, Ohio.
Grimm received a cash prize and a Festiva watch from William & Boss Jewelers in Troy for the win.
Christopher Slone, of Tipp City, racing for Team Dayton, finished 26th out of 35 in the Pro 1-2-3 race.
In the Women's Category 1-4 race, Jillian Behm, of Erie, Penn., racing for the Hollyloft/El Matador team, held off Tracy Tolson, of the Texas Roadhouse team, for the win.
Tolson, 48, of Louisville, Ky., had won the women's race in Troy the past two years.
"I like coming here. There are lots of good (competitive) women (riders) here. And the course is great; good pavement; very technical - you've got to be on your toes here," Tolson said.
Adam Rike, of Troy, a student at Rose Hulman University in Indiana, placed 15th of 22 riders in the Category 5 race, while Matt Hanes, of Arcanum, finished 21st. Andrew McAllister, of Troy, finished 4th in the Junior 13-14 category, and Dirk Steyn, of Troy, finished 10th of 13 in the Masters 40 category.
The approximately one-mile-per-lap criterium course took riders down West Main Street, through several side streets downtown and around the Square to the finish line. In its fourth year, the Troy Classic drew more than 200 racers from seven states, according to Troy Classic Race Committee chairman Bruce Eliason.
"It was a great day; a lot of good races. We want to see it keep growing," Eliason said.
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