Races held April 3rd, 2001 at the 1/3 Kilometer Brian Piccolo Park Velodrome in Cooper City, FL. 
Thanks to Shari Bernhard for organizing and running the race, providing the results, and the race report.

* Due to a discrepancy in the outcome for 5th position in the last man out race, a sharing of 5th place was deemed a suitable solution.

Shari Bernhard's race report:

It was a beautiful day, warm and breezy. Perhaps a little too breezy for bike racing, but everyone took it in stride. This was the First Annual (does that mean she's gonna do it again???) Human Powered Race America Florida Challenge HPV Race, held at Brian Piccolo Park's Velodrome in Cooper City, FL.

I arrived at the Velodrome 45 minutes before registration started, knowing I'd need time to get things set up. This was my first time as a race director, and I was so nervous that my mouth felt like I stuffed it with cotton. It was almost 8 am and I wasn't nearly ready. With Garrie Hill's awesome assistance, along with a plethora of volunteers from the racing riders and my own bike club, including Steve Levy, our club's Racing Director, and Fritz Mueller, our club president and dynamite bike wrench, things came together eventually - people were registered, bikes safety-checked, and numbers assigned without incident. All told, there were 20 registered riders, exactly the number I hoped for. Fewer would have been disappointing, and more would have been more work than I thought I could handle. Knowing what I know now, another 10 riders would have been okay, but I'd have 4 races instead of 5. 

There were no surprises as to the winners, according to the experienced racers in the group, and a devious scheme was afoot at the awards dinner that night to create a special "Foreigner Class" which those of  "English"birth were required to ride in, and no other class.

A few highlights(?) of the day:

• Steve Levy came up to me at one point and said, "I don't feel comfortable. These people are weird." A short time later, he was test riding George Reynolds' low racer for several loops around the track. I have pictures.
• I kept forgetting people's names. Every time someone switched bikes or took off a hat, I humiliated myself.
• The stock class drag race was done in two heats because there were so many bikes. I needed Garrie's help to figure out how to score it.
• The Last Man Out race was done in two groups, all unfaired bikes and all faired. Because of the mix of classes, I got confused about who to point out as last and let someone do another lap who shouldn't have. When I called the next racer out and also informed the previous racer he was out, there was a minor protest. I was about to cry when they took pity on me.
• By afternoon, it was hot, and it was windy. Just in time for the 30 minute lap race.
• For the time trial, I called to the folks from Bicycle Outfitters that if they wanted race on their tandem, they'd be unopposed because I wasn't going to do that race. It wasn't until I noticed that there were two tandems
  (only one had registered), that I mixed up Jerry and Diana from Bicycle Outfitters with Joe and Tess who were the registered tandem team. I had to tell Jerry and Diana they couldn't race.

I'm sure there are more embarrassing highlights, but you get the picture...

Seriously, though, it went really well even though it sounds like a comedy of errors. The Awards Dinner Saturday night was attended by 21 people, mostly the racers, some spouses and a son. The food was yummy (if slow to arrive for hungry cyclists), and a whole lot of fun. The Velodrome facility is top-notch. There is a large, grassy center area with a bike rack and the park people put up two huge tents with a couple of benches and two picnic tables. It was the perfect place for spectators and racers alike to hang out in the shade. Over the course of the day, spectators from my bike club, others in the park, and kids who were at the skate track next door came by to watch. There was a tall scaffold and a public address system setup, and we used it for some of the races, but it turned out we needed to be at track level more often, so we resorted to yelling a lot.

Garrie's help throughout the day was critical. There were moments when I stumbled because I was unsure of how to proceed. He was an indispensable resource and I owe him for success of this event, and I can't thank him enough for the assistance.

 It would have been better for several of the classes to have more competition, so if you've ever thought about racing even a
little, do it. I can personally attest to the feeling of accomplishment, and there's no question about how enjoyable a time you'll have.

The Fun Ride on Sunday wasn't a lot of fun for a few people. The wind was whipping out of the southwest and for riders needing to recuperate from the energy expenditure of the day before, it was too much. A couple of  riders turned back after 6 miles, and a couple of others needed to be reined in every now and then. Still, the route for the 27 miles was about as 
nice as we get in this urban jungle, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves, especially the paved path through Robbins Park.

I can't end this without thanking the sponsors: 'BentRider OnLine, X-Eyed Designs, Bicycle Outfitters, Atlantic Bicycle and Broward County Parks and Recreation Division. (If I forgot someone, I apologize.)

Again, my utmost and deepest thanks to Garrie Hill for his help and encouragement, to Steve Levy who may think we're weird but who had a great time and put in a full day's work, to the volunteers who supplied mechanical assistance and motivation, and to all the folks who came out to race and did double duty as timers and lap counters. It made my job easier, and my efforts very, very worthwhile. I'll be ready for next year.

Shari Bernhard
Plantation, FL

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