*** Wenatchee Criterium A Big Hit ***

Wenatchee, Washington -- 06/08/2004
~From kids to experts, riders cheered on in downtown races~
Sure, some cyclists attained speeds a might bit faster than
Megan Senseney.

However, the determination that the 7-year-old Wenatchee girl
showed in order to finish two races in back-to-back fashion
Saturday night earned her a special place in the field at the
Wenatchee Twilight Criterium.

It seems that Senseney - winner in last year's 6-and-under
division - accidentally got on the starting line for the same age
group this year. She and her little pink bicycle flew down
Wenatchee Avenue and easily reached the finish line first.

However, officials told her she needed to hustle back down to
the start line for the next race in her age group, which was
queuing right at that moment. So, with her feet flying on the
pedals once again - and her mother, Lisa, saying "I think she'll
be all worn out by the time she gets back," - Megan raced back
to the starting point. Moments later, she started wheeling back
for all she was worth.

"Yeah, she mistakenly got in the 6-and-under race, then she
got in the right heat the second time," said her father, Ernie
Senseney, still wearing a big grin. "I think she got third that time."

As for the weekend of activities, coordinator
Ed Farrar said this year's event was "very efficient."

"The city was fantastic with traffic control, and I talked to
some of the racers after they finished and they really enjoy
the course," he said. "So there were positive reviews."

With spectators lining the downtown-area race course, there
was a fair bit of noise created with the assistance of finger
clickers handed out before the annual event. It was part of the
Washington State Omnium Stage Race Championships, with
a Sunday road race up to the Mission Ridge area among the
activities.

Farrar said Saturday's downtown crowd "clearly swelled when
we had the community events, the kids' race and community race.
The activities that we had clearly brought in people in the area."

Those activities included a jumping pit for children, temporary
tattoo applications, food offerings such as hamburgers and hot
dogs, as well as a beer garden for adults.

"It was a neat thing to see the downtown
transformed with a festival atmosphere," Farrar said.

And there was, of course, some really
competitive racing on display as well.

In Saturday's World Cup Community Race, sponsored by
The Wenatchee World, Biosports of Wenatchee - led by
top-three riders Torin Koos, Todd Strahm and Butch Lane
- easily pulled away from the field.

Koos, a 2002 Olympian in Nordic skiing, showed his
considerable leg strength in bridging back to the lead pack
of two, Strahm and Lane, late in the race to finish three across.

The Biosports team wrested the "World Cup" from a field that
included last year's team champion, Chelan County PUD.
Members of the Wenatchee Fire Department, Apple Capital
Bicycle Club and Wenatchee Anesthesia also took part.

The Pro Category 1/2 field included sensational sprinter
Kenny Williams from Seattle. The First Rate Mortgage racer,
who is a past national criterium champion, displayed his power
in both Saturday's 9-mile time trial and downtown criterium.

"I'm really happy to be racing here. It's unfortunate some of the
other teams went south to race Mount Hood this weekend, because
they are missing out on some great, tough racing," Williams said.
"The time trial course was a good one, extra fast for the first half,"
said Williams. Then, tonight, the (criterium) race was the most intense
ride one of the year. Everyone was battling for points. It was packed
the whole way. Luckily my team was really riding well, helping me
get the win. I was fortunate."

"The quality of races were excellent," Farrar said of Saturday's
portion. "Kenny Williams won it. He's amazing. He was near the
end of the pack with two laps to go, and he moved into the front
of the pack and took a prem (prizes given to leaders of certain laps).

"He just put the hammer down and stayed away from the field
for the entire final lap. He is a Northwest powerhouse as a cyclist."

Two Saturday crashes, one in the women's Category 1/3 and
another in the Community Race, resulted in relatively minor injuries.
That included a shoulder dislocation suffered by one woman, Farrar said.

Farrar said that under the omnium format, racers weren't scored
on time but rather placing. It is structured that way to not penalize
sprinters on Sunday's hilly course over loops totaling between
30 and 60 miles near Mission Ridge.

Note: Results were not available
from race organizers by press time.

Torin Koos, a criterium competitor and
correspondent for The World, provided
some information for this story.

CC - http://www.wenworld.com

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
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