We think not, but we’ll explore the changes in the road cycling discipline for the Kansas City area.
Road Racing. We have a long history in the metro as well the region. Stage Races, Circuit Races, Criteriums, Time Trials have all been part of the scene.
The Tour of Kansas City was once the longest running bike race West of the Mississippi; 54 consecutive years.
Penn Valley Park, Cliff Drive, Airworld Center, Charles Wheeler Airport, Kansas Commerce Center, Gardner Airport, Heritage Park, and College Boulevard Activity Center have hosted sanctioned races or training events.
Outside of the metro, Lawrence, Kansas continues to have racing at Clinton Lake (and nearby Perry Lake); but downtown races, East Hills business park, and the KU campus have also been utilized.
Further out in Kansas, the classic Bazaar Road Race likely will return, and the cities of Hilsboro, Hutchinson, Pittsburg, Salina, and Wichita have hosted events.
This is by no means a complete list. Nor are all the events from those locations ‘dead’.
The number of sanctioned events has declined. Yes, there have been some small fluctuations (particularly with the revival of a Wednesday Night Worlds training criterium). But overall the the scene is diminished. While we haven’t seen the current total number of USAC licensed riders for 2022, the trend has been downward.
Some of the ‘Why’. Before COVID, which has had a negative influence on many activities, we were losing races. For a promoter at the grass roots level there are many pressures. Securing a venue can be extremely complex: urban and suburban growth tends to reduce options. Liability: cycling is dangerous. USAC provided insurance is good, but there is still risk to all parties. Financial: the costs to put on events vs. the revenue at small events is far from attractive. Many, if not all promoters, understand that putting on a race for 100 or less riders is often a break even at best.
Cyclocross and Gravel. Both of these disciplines have shared much of the same rider pool with road racing. Cyclocross was originally an “off-season” and rare event in Kansas City, perhaps three or four races per year in the 1980’s. By the mid-2000’s three Cyclocross National Championships had been hosted here and a local season might have 20 races. This trend continued steady until the pandemic.
A bigger factor seems to be gravel. Gravel events, which were very rare in the 90’s, slightly less rare in the mid-2000’s are now proliferate. Most of these events continue to attract larger and larger fields, and they fill the calendar with weekly options much of the year.
Without digging too deep into the reasons for popularity, both of these disciplines have been embraced by new-to-racing riders as well as veterans of the road scene.
The basic problem for road: fewer events on pavement offered, while at the same time more choices are available in other disciplines.
Is road dead? No. Skip over to our Calendar section and you’ll see a fair amount of weekly road recreational/training rides and a slim selection of racing events. Unless COVID continues to derail things, we expect the Spring Fling Series, the Perry Dam Series, The Bruce Edwards-Glenda Taylor Time Trial, The Jesse Blancarte Time Trial, The Peculiar Criterium AND some Summer racing (State Championship events). More critically, a re-invigorated Kansas Cycling Association (and other interested folks) recognize that there are some possible solutions to the decline.
More good news. Bicycles. The bicycle industry has witnessed a significant growth during the pandemic. True, units of gravel and mountain bike are leading in sales; but with the high interest/high demand and limited inventories, road bike sales are up as well. A percentage of those folks are going to eventually pin a number on.
Juniors. A long running joke at Localcycling.com is, “the future of the sport is Masters 60+”. An aging population among USAC license holders has been a trend as well. New riders, while few, tended to be older. That is a limiting trend. Those same riders age out as well. Again, we can explore reasons for that elsewhere. But that may be changing, there are juniors interested in road racing. A new trend?
For Kansas City there are now a couple of programs that are successfully bringing young riders into the road racing world. While there have been youth programs prior, the MoveUp team in particular has inertia. The Donderdag! Cyclocross Youth Clinics have fostered an interest in kids racing as well.
There are certainly plenty of struggles to come, but if road is your thing, don’t despair.