New Bike Race Series Begins Sunday

With just one rider, one bike and the clock, cycling time trials are much simpler than mass start races.

“It’s just about pedaling your bicycle as fast you can do it by yourself,” explained Joanne Thompson, Bike Station Aptos owner. “You don’t have to worry about bumping elbows with anybody else. There’s no intimidation at the line. You get to go at your pace, whatever that pace is going to be, and not have that dictated by other people.”

At 8 a.m. Sundat, the first race in the new three-part South County Time Trial Series begins with riders completing a 20-kilometer solo ride against the clock. Organized by Thompson and Steve Yatson, president of Santa Cruz Endurance, a local triathlon and running club, the event fills a gap they saw in the local cycling community.

“There are very few time trials in the Northern California. I like to time trial myself so that is kind of why I wanted to start the series,” said Yatson. “However, I don’t think I’ll get to race because I’ll be working it.”

Thompson felt the same way and after Yatson initially looked into holding the event somewhere on Santa Cruz’s West Side, Watsonville’s lightly trafficked Trafton Road won out easily.

“We have the best riding in the county in the South County so it was just the logical move to have a time trial series out there,” explained Thompson.

While Santa Cruz is home to underground, non-sanctioned, time trials, the South County Time Trial Series is fully sanctioned by USA Cycling. Riders securing a podium finish—placing in the top three in their division, receive upgrade points on their cycling license. This might sound like something only for experienced cyclists but according to the organizers, they felt a sanctioned event also worked with their goal to use these races as an entry point to bring new riders into the sport.

“It made a lot more sense to make it a sanctioned event so we involve all levels of rider,” said Thompson. “Get some people involved into actually racing that hadn’t done it before; show them how easy it was to go pay 10 bucks for a racing license for a day and participate in an event.”

The one-day USA Cycling license the race requires is actually only $5 and riders can buy it race morning. Along with points, the one-day license and $30 registration fee gives riders the opportunity to win prizes including helmets from Giro and Cannondale, as well as bike fittings from Thompson’s shop.

But from the podium finishers and prize winners, to the person with the slowest split on the day, the task is still the same.

“You’re competing against the elements and your own little voice inside of you that says, ‘this hurts, this hurts, this hurts,’ and how fast can you push yourself over that distance,” said Yatson.