I want to ride my bicycle

Walter Sprague
Arts and Culture Reporter
 
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Bent Sprockets Club held its second annual 50-50 bicycle race in Newcastle. The race began at 10 a.m. starting and finishing in the parking lot of the Fountain Inn. Three different categories of racers participated. The adult race was a 22-mile run, high school-aged kids raced for 18 miles, while the youth cycled an 11-mile course.
The race had well over 18 sponsors this year with businesses donating prizes and cash support. 
Tony Sandoval, vice president of the club and owner of Lunatic’s Bicycle Sales and Repair, was very positive about the future of the club. Sandoval was especially optimistic about the responses the club has been getting from the sponsors. He predicted that the club will be able to increase the number of races this coming year. 
Sandoval also predicts that the number of participants will grow, in large part due to the level of sponsorship from Newcastle businesses. That support, he said, gives the club an opportunity to do a 50/50/55 adult race next year, which means 50% asphalt, 50% gravel/dirt, and 55 miles long. Plans are underway to race in May, if all goes well, for about 110 miles, he said. The three legs of that race will include the towns of Newcastle, Sundance and Upton. Sandoval said that he hopes some participants will be able to complete the entire run. But even if those who can only do a partial section of the race are encouraged to participate.
Sandoval is also encouraged, he said, by the increase in the number of women participants this year. Last year, only two raced. This year, four participated. By next year, Sandoval said, he plans to split the adult category into men and women competing separately.
Jeremy Dedic, president of the club, said the club’s goals are not just about increasing awareness of the sport but also to promote businesses in Newcastle, as well as other locations. The other activities that the Bent Sprockets are active in are the maintenance of the Serenity Trail and the Flying V Trail, both of which have areas for bikes. Dedic said he hopes to promote an awareness of and respect for nature and the ranchers in the area. For instance, the youth are taught to give the right-of-way to livestock and hikers. 
Dedic said he also hopes that the club will be able to create a 4- or 5-acre “pump track” in Newcastle soon. While similar to BMX tracks, it is designed to let a person ride without having to peddle. Instead, the rider maintains forward motion, combining the design of the course with pumping up and down on the bike. It is this action that gives this type of track the name.
This year the winners of the races in the different categories were as follows: Junior High Youth, Roman Slack, $200; High School, Conrad Sandoval, $300; and Adult, Casey Bergstrom, $500. After the race, the club enjoyed a buffet spaghetti lunch at the Fountain Inn Restaurant, where the prizes were handed out. The post-race event also featured a raffle. 
Anyone interested in participating in the Bent Sprockets Club can call Tony Sandoval at 509-844-1013. You can also visit his store, Lunatics Bicycle Sales and Repair. at 112 Main St. in Newcastle.