Trofeo de Walburg Overview

by Pam Udall
I got into the whole race promotion scene kinda by accident, Greg Hall needed someone to take over the Round Rock race and Bob Ostrom and I volunteered. I figured it was a yearly event, all the intricate details were neatly laid out, all I would have to do is make a couple phone calls, get the word out and show up to register riders for the race.

However, after my first call to the Round Rock Parks and Recreation department I found that we would have to share the race course again with Round Rock's baseball league and we all know from past experience that baseball players get a little impatient when they have to share roads, parking lots, or counties with cyclists.

Since I no longer had an established race, or race site, I had to start from scratch. It was at this point I started learning a lot more about promoting a race. John and I spent several weeks driving around the surrounding counties trying to find a safe course. Greg Hall tipped us off about the great roads around Walburg. Great roads around Walburg? All I remembered about Walburg was wind! My first ACA ride and group ride in Texas was the "Walburg Waltz" where I fought 80 mph head winds for 300 miles, following 50 feet behind a pack of testosterone machines who wouldn't slow down enough to let me catch their wheels. It was the worst ride of my life. I don't remember the roads, just how much I detested the wind howling through my helmet. (Those riders in front of me are now teammates and lend me a wheel whenever I need one, thanks guys!).

Anyway, we decided the Walburg course would work out fine. Although there was one patch of Paris-Roubaix style road (a great place to attack), the rest of the roads were as smooth as could be. Bob contacted Georgetown for permits and sheriffs and I went to work on the many other details. The first thing was soliciting advice from fellow teammates. Greg showed me the ins and outs of filling out USCF paperwork. Susan, our official, gave me a whole list of dos and don'ts about putting on a trouble-free race. The most important being, feed your officials. Meanwhile Richard was searching for a hook guaranteed to bring cyclists out of the woodwork. A gimmick! And what do all cyclists like -competition and recognition for their collective efforts. What better way to accomplish this then to award a team trophy, a really big team trophy.

Richard's staff also designed an award-winning flyer boasting all our generous sponsors which were rounded up by John. We wanted to make a small race look big, and we did this by having a really big flyer/poster! It served it's purpose and before we knew it, we were receiving registration money and phone calls. I also made a mental list of all the things we commonly bitched about at other races: Slow and disorganized registration; waiting forever to get your prize money, medal or trophy; poor facilities; races not starting on time; poor directions and no road signs. It seemed that more than once, we found ourselves saying, "If we did that race, we would have done it differently!" My goal was that when Trofeo De Walburg was over, that everyone would walk away saying, "Great Race".

With the help of teammates, we started solving racing logistics: Jonathan volunteered his theory on registration mechanics; Bob's technical skills paid off with quick computerized results; Susan ensured the races started on time; John's artist abilities made finding the race a cinch; and I get credit for location, location, location. Plus, we had a great bunch of volunteers who showed up on race day to lend a hand. All of which combined, contributed to a great day of racing.

We had over 162 riders, lots of great looking trophies, some cash prizes, a Bavarian-style award ceremony along with beer and sausage, ending with Chris Carlson spraying the crowd with champagne, and lots of sunshine! I'm definitely planning on doing the race again, maybe even twice. Only next year you may find the following enhancements: Starting the fields staggered five minutes apart so the 1,2,3's and Women can start sooner; Adding a tandem category; More cash prizes and hopefully less heat! Thanks again to all of you who helped!