Calvin’s Challenge

The Insider’s Guide to Calvin’s Challenge

By Michael Bauman

January 2000 Ultracycling

The screen door slammed loudly shut behind him as Red stepped into Joe’s Country grill, a run- down, greasy spoon on the edge of town, a place that he’d been avoiding religiously since the day he became an ultra rider.

As he looked out across a sea of flannel shirts and oil-stained Ford baseball caps, Red felt more than a little out of place. Clearly this was not the right venue for skintight lycra and a UMCA jersey in sunburst colors.

Oh well,” he thought to himself, “if it’s good enough for John Hughes, it’s good enough for me.”

Red spotted his friend Louie, a recent convert to big mileage bike events, hiding unobtrusively in a corner booth. As Red clicked and clacked his way across Joe’s tattered linoleum floor, nearly every head in the place turned toward him. He began silently to long for the 1970s - the days when you could ride across the entire continent in cut- off blue jeans and running shoes, which never insisted on announcing your presence to all within earshot.

Red slipped into Louie’s booth, eager to get the conversation going. Louie wanted to enter his first ultra event, and he’d chosen Calvin’s Challenge as the place to start.

“Calvin’s is perfect for you,” said Red. “It’s not too hilly and it’s not too long. Twelve hours on a moderately rolling course Is exactly the place to begin. Because it’s held on May 6, you start after sun up and you finish before sun down. No need to worry about lights, batteries, reflective clothing, or anything of the sort.”

What do I need to know?” Louie asked.

It’s pretty simple,” Red replied. ‘The race is run over a long and a short loop. Both loops start and end at Shawnee High School, over on East good riders. Possum Road, in Springfield. The big loop is 50 miles long, with a checkpoint at the South Solon Fire Department. 26 miles out. The short loop is just seven miles long, with the only checkpoint being back at the high school. They give you a course map when you sign up, and they mark the turns with brightly colored paint right on the road. So if you’re paying attention, it’s hard to get lost. But it’s been done. I’ve seen it.”

“Because it’s a UMCA event, you get lots of ultra riders. You get some recreational riders too, people who just want to ride a nice course in the company of other committed cyclists. So the atmosphere is good. Couple that with the fact that John and Ann, who run the event, are unusually helpful and foresighted, you see why I like this race so much. It’s what a race ought to be: It’s efficiently run; it’s got moderate terrain, normally comfortable temperatures, low traffic count, well-maintained roads, and good riders.”

That’s exactly what- I want to hear” Louie said with relief. But you need to plan your race carefully,” Red advised. “Only full loops count in your final total, so don’t think you can get half way out on the seven mile loop and get credit for three or four more miles. You won’t. Only the miles completed at the last checkpoint will be official. But you can draft, and you should. There’ll be plenty of riders at all levels of speed and endurance. You’re quite likely to find people with whom to share the load, and who will make your miles run by more quickly Find them; ride with them; work with them.”

But remember that the checkpoint on the big loop closes at 5:30. The short loop opens at 3:30. So you’ve got a tactical choice to make sometime during the race: When do you head off onto the seven miler? John and Ann make determining your tactics on the bike a lot easier. On the reverse side of the map, they even give you a chart to figure out when you need to leave the Solon checkpoint in order to get back in time for all your miles to count, and they do it for 19 different average speeds between 10 and 20 mph, which covers almost everybody.”

‘What about equipment?” Louie wondered.

“You’re a better than average rider, Louie, so you don’t need anything like a granny gear, though some newer riders might, especially on the short but steep hills near the end of the big loop. Apart from that, it’s normal gears for everybody. A triple’s OK, I suppose, but it’s not needed by stronger guys like”

As far as support goes,” Red said, “the organization provides radio cars on the route, but that’s mostly for emergency. Your support crew meets you at two places: the fire station or the high school. Other than at the checkpoints, you are on your own. So be prepared. For safety’s sake, the crews travel a route different from that of the riders. John and Ann give them another map to follow. If your crew runs out of supplies, they will pass a store or two as they travel back and forth between checkpoints. No problem. But don’t count on getting spare tubes, grease, spokes, or any bike repair paraphernalia there. Just take with you everything of that sort that you’ll need, either on the bike or in the team vehicle.”

“If you decide to go crewless - and at Calvin’s Challenge you can - just get supplies for yourself at the checkpoints, like water, fruit and assorted goodies. It’s all provided free. Or, if you don’t like the selection, you can re-stock your on-bike supplies at the convenience store in South Solon, which you’ll see to the right, just south of the traffic light; Can’t miss it.”

“It can be tough on the crews, though!’ Red warned. “There’s not much shade from either sun or rain at the checkpoints, so tell your folks to prepare accordingly. In a pinch, I suppose their best shelter whether from wet or dry is the team vehicle. So have them keep it comfortable and clean, for their sake and for yours. But both checkpoints have good toilet facilities, so one big problem is not really a problem at all. You’re never too many miles from relief.”

And do yourself a big favor,” Red said knowingly. “Get a motel room in one of the motels at exit 54 on 1-70. They’re the closest to the start line, and they also have plenty of good restaurants nearby - a lot better than this place. For Heaven’s sake don’t do what I did. I took a motel downtown and got serenaded all night long by passing freight trains. Bad choice, very bad.” Best part though,” Red mused, “is the ceremony at the end of the day John and Ann are remark- ably fast at putting the final results for every rider in every category - including total miles and average speed - into everybody’s hands. During the ceremony, they’re also generous with their praise, which feels real good after hours on the bike. So even if you don’t get one of the impressive medals they hand out, you’ll get a nice pat on the back”

The waitress finally approached, more in a waddle than a walk.
what’ll you boys have?” she asked.
Scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, gravy and toast,” Red said. Then to himself he muttered: When in Rome….

One last thing,” Red continued, as he turned his attention back to Louie. “Don’t go to the wrong Springfield. You might think because John and Ann have a Kansas City, Missouri mailing address that we’re talking Springfield, Missouri. We’re not. It’s Springfield, Ohio. If you goof this up, you won’t be the first. Trust me. I know.”