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Organizers of TOTV aim higher
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BIKE RACE - Racers taking a turn at 30 mph downtown Youngstown Sunday afternoon. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays
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BIKE RACE - The leaders draft down the straight away downtown Youngstown Sunday afternoon. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays
By JOHN BASSETTI
YOUNGSTOWN
In addition to holding his 6-month-old daughter and helping his wife conduct a three-day cycling race, Dan Quinlan dashed around downtown corners and led a field of 60 riders during a pro men’s criterium on Sunday.
Because Quinlan placed 16th in the event and 12th for the weekend, he wasn’t Tour of the Valley MVP, but he was most valuable pop.
Not only are the Quinlans proud as new parents, but of their 2-year-old Tour of the Valley, an event they organized.
“It’s a lot of work and sometimes you sit back and wonder, ‘Boy, are we crazy for doing this,’” Dan Quinlan said. “But when you get people downtown like this for a pro race, see the community coming together and get feedback from riders, it’s worth it.”
Quinlan was confident that the weekend races and activities attracted more than the 4,000 estimated at the inaugural TOTV last July.
“The riders doubled this year and they brought more people as well,” Dan said. “We had riders from 12 states, plus Canada and Belgium.
“We’re always trying to grow the event and, this year, we basically doubled our participation. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t grow. Hopefully, our sponsors all come back.”
Udder Cream of Salem has made its imprint with Tour riders and McAllister’s Homemade Ice Cream did so with spectators Sunday.
“You get your $2 worth,” a man and woman said while lapping up the confection in front of the old Phar-Mor building.
Bob McAllister and Kathy Allen have locations at 23 W. Boardman and on Youngstown-Poland Rd. in Struthers.
Aside from the Udder Cream and ice cream, the Quinlans, of Greenford, hope to bring in some different types of riders and raise the status of the event.
TOTV carried a race value level of Category D as permitted by USA Cycling.
“We’re still a top-level event,” Quinlan said of the weekend that attracted three of the six intercontinental pro teams.
“We’re taking little steps each year toward getting all six and maybe become a national championship event. Hopefully, one year when we bid on that we’ll be able to bring a full-fledged championship to the area.”
Several factors, including purse, spectators and exposure affect the point total used to award or reject applications.
“There are hundreds of races across the country trying to bid on getting national championship events. As we get more points toward that, we have a better chance of being evaluated favorably to bring one of those types of events here,” said Dan Quinlan, who is convinced that the TOTV has been established successfully.
“Your event has to show that you’re able to pull off and put on the event you said you were going to do,” he said. “It’s just a matter of expressing that to the board that makes those decisions.”
Mountain Khakis, Kenda and Team Type I were the three U.S. intercontinental teams in the latest TOTV.
“That’s an accomplishment and we’re excited,” Dan Quinlan said. “If we can become a much bigger event or be one of those intercontinental events, we can get most of them [probably a dozen] here.”
Quinlan said about 20 such teams exist worldwide.
An Ohio state championship designation is possible.
“That’s something we were looking at for next year,” Dan Quinlan said. “We had a lot of riders express the opinion that our road race [in Columbiana] should be the championship road race because it’s so-well laid out, safe and very challenging. Our riders really want that to be here.”
The sites for the Tour won’t change if Dan Quinlan gets approval.
“As long as the city of Youngstown and Columbiana and the [Mastropietro] winery are happy with us, there’s no chance we’re going to be moving out of those areas anytime soon,” he said.
“We may talk about adding an event back in [like two per one day in 2009] and maybe putting that up for bid in communities interested in having it.”
The TOTV gained some recognition recently and Don Quinlan believes there’s more to come.
“Earlier, we were on the front webpage of USA Cycling,” he said. “So, after this event, I think we should get some more publicity.”