A test of stamina

A chill hit the morning air in Verdugo Park on Sunday as bicyclists mounted their mechanical steeds.

A little more than 150 bikers and spectators came out to the park for the third annual Turkey Trot Cyclocross.

There were athletes of varying ages and abilities on the grass, dirt and asphalt track. Races began at 9 a.m. with the junior races for those in between the ages of 10 and 14.

"It's like road racing in the dirt," said Miles Ludi, 13, of Oceanside. He came to the cyclocross race with his father and his 5-year-old sister, Mya. "You have to get off your bike and jump over hurdles and stuff."

The effort and stamina needed to compete in a cyclocross race, with hurdles and different kinds of terrain, are usually the same kind involved in road racing, said Victor Ludi, Miles' dad.

Even though cyclocross racing is a sport of its own, many road bicyclists compete in the cyclocross as a way to keep sharp in the off-season, he said.

Other athletes competing in the cyclocross ranged in age categories in excess of 55 years old. There were also professional bikers on the track, warming up in the early morning for the big race later in the day.

Some of the races included cash prizes in sums of more than $800 to be split between the top racers of the day in their categories.

"This park is really good for [cyclocross] because it's a really good mix of grass, dirt and pavement in a really tight area," said Matt Gunnell, race director of the turkey trot. "This course is also great for spectating."

The course consisted of yellow caution tape lanes winding around the park area, up and down hills and in between towering trees.

As morning turned into early afternoon, bikers could be seen hopping off their bikes and carrying them quickly over hurdles at the top of a small hill.

Bradley J. Galindo, 44, of Pasadena, raced on the local team Merril Lynch Cycling, which was made up of members from Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta and Pasadena. Galindo dedicated this year's races to his uncle Gene Galindo, who died in August.

"I fell in love with cycling just through chance," Galindo said. "Now if I have any free time, instead of going golfing I go ride a bike."

Galindo has been racing for seven years competitively and is a category 3 racer, making him a pro.

"It's just a release," he said. "It's something I enjoy and I've met some great people through it."

Fun, besides the thrill of competition, was also Miles' reason for biking. He just started last year on a casual bike ride with his father and some friends.

Now he's heading to the cyclocross national competition in Rhode Island in December.

"I like it," Miles said. "It's really fun. Just riding the bike is fun."

Besides experienced bikers like Galindo and young upstarts like Miles, there were much smaller athletes on the scene Sunday taking the track in the "Apache Joe" Kids Race at 12:40 p.m.

There were no age barriers on entry to that race and anyone big enough to sit up and stay on a two-, three- or four-wheeled bike was welcomed.

The next races in the series will be the state championships on Dec. 10 in Lake View Terrace followed by the national championships Dec. 15 and 17 in Providence, R.I.