This past weekend was all about cycling as the pros rolled into the local region for the Nature Valley Grand Prix. This is a multi-day stage race that has a 13 year history in the Twin Cities area.

In past year’s, I’ve mostly been a spectator – enjoying the various downtown criteriums and the epic closure to the race in Stillwater. It’s a tremendous time as professional cycling gets you closer to the athletes than nearly any other sport.

But, I thought I would take it to a slightly different level this year and participate directly. Not as a racer (obviously) but with the event itself. I designated two ways to be a bigger part of the race; riding the Spectator Ride for the Menomonie race on Saturday and becoming a volunteer for the Stillwater race on Sunday. Both were good decisions and I think I enjoyed the race more this year than in all the past years.

Saturday’s event was organized by a local riding club and involved riding out on the race course early to be able to watch the pros cycling by. Since the Menomonie race was a 100 mile race – most of it takes place in the Wisconsin countryside with no spectators. Thus, we were part of a small group who got to actually see much of the race – as those hanging around town only got to witness the last few minutes.

Our ride started about one hour before the men began and followed their same route for the first seven miles. This was a great part of the countryside, as the route wound along the Red Cedar River heading south of the town. It was a beautiful, narrow canopied road that offered a new look for every turn. The hills were gentle and the ride was casual – as we had plenty of time to make it to the top of Calvary Hill to see the pros for the first time. The hill was long, but not particularly steep and was a nice point to get off the bike for a rest.

Once the pros rode past, about 30 of us jumped on our bikes and headed along a shortcut to the next major hill in the King of The Mountain points jersey competition. This was the “big one” and was called Star Hill – with a 17% grade for large sections of the near 1km distance. The ugly aspect to the hill was that the Spectator Ride group also had to climb it – bringing about one of the tougher experiences I’ve had on my bike. The temperature was rising and it was very humid, so my body was already under some stress.

I ended up stopping completely three whole times before I reached the top. In hindsight, I should have outfitted my bike with a more friendly gear combination – as my 39 x 25 was not enough gear for my weak legs to pedal continually up the 17% slope. But, I was proud not to have walked and did eventually make it – huffing and puffing along the way.

After the pros zipped up the hill (making it look WAY TOO EASY), we jumped on our bikes to ride the last 15 miles back into Menomonie with enough time to catch the final circuits of the pros as they reached the end of their 100 mile trek.

Along the entire route – Wisconsin offered all of its best attributes. The steeper slopes and valleys in that area are a nice contrast to the moderately flat, open conditions in Minnesota. Everything was as bright green as it could possibly be – highlighted by bright red barns and brown cows grazing in the lush grasses. Even though the 32 miles translated into nearly 2,000 of vertical climbing, it was well worth the trip.

Sunday concluded my support of the Nature Valley Grand Prix as I manned the “Information Booth” in the expo area for the entire day of the Stillwater race. The biggest question that I answered at least 30 times was “Where is the registration for the kid’s ride?”. It was fun to be part of the large number of volunteers who make the event happen and I was glad to give back a little for all the years of enjoyment I’ve had at the various races.

Monday also included a basic post-work ride. After Sunday’s recovery, I was amazed at how good my legs felt and had a fairly quick ride (even though it was a little short). I guess all that climbing on Saturday did some good to my legs.