A stunning success by nearly any measure, the Specialized Morgan
Hill Grand Prix capped a heady couple of weeks of action for local
sports fans. But it was as much a time for locals to show off their
sporty minded little burg as anything else.
A stunning success by nearly any measure, the Specialized Morgan Hill Grand Prix capped a heady couple of weeks of action for local sports fans. But it was as much a time for locals to show off their sporty minded little burg as anything else. From the Far Western Championships swim meet to the Grand Prix, it may very well be that more people visited Morgan Hill for the first time in the past few weeks than at any other time in the town’s history.
Think locals are sitting on their, ahem, laurels and patting themselves on their collective backs in celebration?
Not a chance.
nThe Aquatics Center and Morgan Hill Swim Club (Makos) collaboration are already planning for next year’s Far Westerns, basking in a rave review from the region’s head official about how beautifully everything went. And, an impressed City Council has already approved a healthy upgrade for the Aquatics Center in anticipation of the Makos’ plans to host one major swim meet per year.
nThere were very few quibbles to be had with the Grand Prix, which brought big-time cycling to downtown Morgan Hill. Specialized has plans to continue holding the event on a regular basis after a bang-up debut. There’s even talk of expanding the event into a two-day extravaganza. The only thing that could waylay those grandiose plans would be organized neighborhood opposition. Specialized and its promoters would do themselves a world of public relations good by incorporating a few shrewd moves for next year’s event.
First, make sure you inconvenience as few people as possible, and that only those who are actually on the race course itself are barred, or even delayed, from exiting or entering their homes. Some folks who live along Third Street near, but not actually on, the race course were apparently blocked from getting in and out of their residences during the event. Sure, this was a big, successful happening that was great for the downtown and has the potential to be an even bigger draw in the future. But avoid ending up on the wrong side of the neighbors. Issues that start out as minor grumbling have a nasty habit of growing legs and walking en masse into City Council meetings.
Second, why not cater to local cyclists and include Category 5 men’s and women’s races? For the most part, all the locals who competed in the Grand Prix’s various races were Specialized employees, most of them experienced cyclists. Why not include a race for true novitiates to the sport of cycling, a race that would almost certainly draw heavy participation from locals? Rumor has it at least a few members of the Wolfpack – a group of amateur athletes who gather to train regularly and push the limits of their own endurance – have already expressed disappointment that such a race was not included in this year’s event. These are the kinds of people you want on your side.
nAs Grand Prix organizers know very well, the local event was a kind of precursor to a whole roster of cycling events extending through May. Last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, a massive hodge-podge of cycling competition ranging from road racing to off-road dirt biking and mountain biking, was the crown jewel, followed by the Cat’s Hill criterium in early May and the 24 Hours of Adrenaline endurance mountain bike racing event a week later.
Don’t be surprised if some day a two-day Specialized Grand Prix is marketed as an official or semi-official lead-in to a month-long series of cycling events.
