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Show A coiumni Wednesday, July 2d, 1974 BICYCLING HIKING Midway BAR Race The Cold that Kills! by Nancy Kassow Eleven women gathered on the line for the start of Utahs first womens BAR race, held in conjunction with the Olympic Development Tour of Park City. The course was a 6.4 mile circuit, winding through the hills and the town of Midway, which is nestled at about 6,000 feet, at the base of high peaks. The route is mostly rolling, with one moderate climb (which becomes increasingly difficult with each ascent), a number of gradual uphill grades, and a long mild descent. The countryside is beautiful: green fields, mountains still capped with snow, ponds filled jyith migratory ducks. To the observer, the course might seem deceptively simple, but to the rider, it is anything but simple. After the initial laps, the climbing begins to wear on one, and each time up the major hill and the of a mile of uphill grade which follows it, one finds oneself in smaller gears, moving more and more slowly. The race began with a rolling start, the gun was fired and people began jamming for positions at the front. From the start, Linda Feldman (Velo Sport, New Mexico State Road Champion) worked to push the pace. Along the first flats, around the first bad (180 degrees) corner and up the short steep hill out of the corner, the pack held together, but once the crest of the hill was gained, with the long fast downhill stretch ahead, the pack broke up quickly. It was not so much a break off the front as an inability of the rest of the riders to maintain that flying pace into a head wind. So less than halfway through the first lap, the pack began to splinter. The descent was made, and the piece of flat road which runs breakaway group reached the mile-lon- g into Midway. The pace line remained intact until most of the way up the big hill outside of the town, when Kathy Prince (La Strada) and Feldman decided to pick up the pace. The other two, Barbara Clark (Boulder Riders of Rohan-G- S Allegro) and Nancy Kassow (Transition-Pedali- ) jumped, but were simply not fast enough to get back on. Prince and Feldman continued smoking up the hill, and in the next two miles twenty-mile-an-ho- ur back to the start-finis- h gradually increased their lead. Bike handling played a fairly important role in this race, with a number of difficult corners, on which one could lose a great deal of time at y least, and-o- r crash at the worst. On one of these corners, a corner, Barbara Clark rode off the road, barely halfway through the second lap. By the time she had herself, Kassow was long gone. The second lap decided the race for first and second places as well: on the gradual climb after the hill, Feldman put on the pressure. Kathy Prince found it too much, and Linda took advantage of the gap which she had opened and spun away. In the third lap, both Kathy and Barbara had a bit of bad luck which cost them time: Prince got stuck behind a true Utah phenomena, a herd of cows ; Clark lost her chain on fall-awa- re-collec- ted the hill. Over the course of the five laps, the entire field became separated from one another. Linda Feldman set a positively blazing pace - given the hills and the head wind, which got worse every lap, - which no one else could keep up with. She crossed the line 7 minutes up on Kathy Prince. All in all, it was agreed to have been a good race. There were a few problems which seemed inevitable at the time - the race did not start ion schedule but that was. because the senior mens race ran overtime, on the course. There was a vaguely unprofessional air about the running of the womens race, but that was due to the officials (understandable) preoccupation with the timing et al of the mens race, and the inexperience of the BAR promoter. Nevertheless, the race went off smoothly and successfully. All the riders felt good about the experience and everyone who finished (and everyone who entered finished, albeit lapped, in a few cases) went home with something for her efforts: Among the prizes were a $100 down sleeping bag, and a $65 pack. It is hoped that along with the Tour of Park City, the Midway Womens BAR will become an annual event. Along with some good riding by the more experienced racers, the .race brought out some women who are new to the sport. It was great to see them ride such a strenuous course and do so well. We welcome them to the sport wholeheartedly! Midway BAR Results : 34 miles 1. Linda Feldman (Velo Sport) 2. Kathy Prince (La Strada) at 945 Nancy Kassow (Transition-Pedali- ) Allegro Boulder Riders of Rohan) at 1323 3. 4. 5. Jerri Ragland Hypothermia (better known as exposure) begins when your body begins to lose heat faster than it produces it. You begin to shiver as your body forces you to exercise in order to stay warm. Your body begins to make involuntary adjustments to preserve normal temperature and rapidly drains your energy reserves. If exposure and exhaustion continue, hypothermia sets in - your internal thermometer slides down and cold reaches your brain, depriving you of judgment and reasoning power. The tragedy is that you will not realize this is happening and slowly you will lose control of your hands, slip into a stupor, collapse, and die. How to prevent hypothermia? First and most important, know that people do die from it. THINK HYPOTHERMIA? 1. Stay dry - clothes lose 90 percent of their insulating value when wet. 2. Beware of wind - it multiplies the problem of staying dry. 3. Understand cold - most hypothermia cases occur in temperatures between 30 and 50 degrees, in a slight rain (50 degree water is unbelievably cold! ), in a 5 to 10 mile per hour wind. Become aware of the wind-chifactor. Once you become wet - watch out. The cold that kills is cold water held against your body by wet clothes. 4. Use your clothing - put on rain gear before you get wet. Put on warm woolen clothing before you start shivering. If you cannot stay dry and warm using the clothing you have, under the existing weather conditions TERMINATE EXPOSURE! Get out of the wind and rain before they get you. Get going on a fire, camp or bivouac, if needs be, as soon as possible. NEVER IGNORE SHIVERING - its a clear warning that you are on the verge of hypothermia. Make camp while you still have a reserve of energy. A leader. Make the best protected good idea is to appoint a member of your party responsible for calling a halt before the least protected member becomes exhausted or goes into violent shivering. Know the symptoms if your party is exposed to wind, cold, and wet; watch yourself and them for the following : 1. Uncontrollable fits of shivering ll foul-weath- 2. er Vague or slurred speech . 3. Memory lapses, incoherence. 4. Trembling or immobile hands . 5. Any frequent stumbling or a lurching gait. Drowsiness. 7. Apparent exhaustion . If any of these symptoms occur, take action immediately. The victim may deny hes in trouble, so believe the symptoms - not the person. Get out of the wind and rain. Strip off wet clothes. Get the victim to drink warm drinks, and into dry, warm clothing or a sleeping bag. If the victim of hypothermia is or worse, try to keep him awake (to sleep is to die). Keep him stripped and get him and two others (also contact is the most effective stripped) into a sleeping bag. 6. semi-conscio- us Skin-to-sk- in treatment. If you are out on the trail for recreation, you presumably do not intend to jeopardize your life. I realize hypothermia may be a new word for you, but its the only word that describes the rapid, progressive mental and physical collapse accompanying the chilling of the inner core of the human body. Hypothermia is caused by exposure to cold aggravated by wet, wind, and exhaustion. Its the number one killer of outdoor recreationists. Think about it and prepare to prevent it ! TREASURE MOUNTAIN INN SUNDAY BONANZA BRUNCH at 730 Barbara Clark (GS Susan Steffan (Pan World SLW) Lilien (unatt) 7. Marjorie Fitzgerald (unatt) 8. Becky Han-se10. Anita Von (unatt) 9. Carole Wade (Transition-Pedali- ) (La Strada) 11. Roxanne Toly (unattached; 12 years old). 6. Hoppy Page IS ll Op-penfe- ld 10am -- 2pm Various breakfast meats , omelettes to order f shrimp creole, chicken,. pork chops, chicken livers and much more! |