Anyone who competed in or attended the last
Specialized-sponsored bicycle race in town a decade ago wouldn’t
have recognized Sunday’s Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix.
Anyone who competed in or attended the last Specialized-sponsored bicycle race in town a decade ago wouldn’t have recognized Sunday’s Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix.
After a one-year appetizer in 1995, Specialized put out its best silverware for an impressive feast of top-shelf racing over the weekend.
Specialized, and founder and president Mike Sinyard, enlisted an accomplished race promoter in Tom Simpson of Pilarcitos Sports – and it showed.
The first-year Grand Prix had the feel of a longtime event. There was the big red Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix banner above the start-finish line. On the Main Stage were knowledgeable and (mostly) entertaining announcers. The barricade-lined downtown portion of the course was festooned with sponsors like Specialized (of course), Shimano and Clif Bars. Scores of officials and volunteers scurried about.
Even the weather cooperated, shining sun and wafting a slight breeze through the downtown just days after rain made organizers nervous.
And the reaction from the estimated 1,000 fans in attendance, along with the hundreds of riders who competed in the events, was uniformly positive.
Most said they were hoping the event would continue.
In addition, there were apparently few complaints other than a few disgruntled neighbors inconvenienced by the road closures and a business owner or two who didn’t feel like they got enough business either because, a) they were too close to the event, or b) they weren’t close enough.
By all accounts, Sinyard and Specialized are serious about making this an annual event, perhaps even stretching it into a two-day race that will be a real happening.
“We’re committed to creating a sustainable event that’s built out of the passion of the riders,” Sinyard said. “But there’s more to it than that. Morgan Hill is a great city, we’ve had our headquarters and R&D facility here for more than 20 years, and hosting a cycling race here provides a way for people from outside to discover what Morgan Hill has to offer. Ultimately we want to put our hometown, Morgan Hill, on the map as a destination for cycling worldwide – and believe me, there’s some awesome riding in this area.”
This year’s event was about building a top-flight list of riders in the various events, and with the exception of the late addition of the Fat Boy Mountain Bike event, the response was even better than organizers said they had hoped.
Instead of the predicted 300 to 500 racers, there were an estimated 600. And the marquee event, the Men’s Pro, drew a solid contingent of internationally ranked competitors, many on their way to this weekend’s Sea Otter Classic in Monterey.
Said Specialized racer Sean McLaughlin: “This was fantastic. We had a real good turnout. All the athletes that showed up were real pros. I’m proud to be a part of it all.”
Where the Grand Prix could improve, and should improve, over the long term is in its attendance and its media coverage.
Many of the estimated 1,000 fans seemed to melt away after the Men’s Pro event was over.
And there was a remarkable lack of media coverage of the event.
In the future, don’t be surprised if many more thousands venture downtown to watch this race, once word gets out.
And, as often occurs, with the crowd comes the media, TV, radio and print, en masse.
There may be a few more years left before the event gets truly big. Local cycling fans would be well advised to take the opportunity to enjoy a well-run, but still moderately sized collection of races.
See you all next year.
