Race thoughts for today... The big push right now is preparation for the 32nd Annual Testarossa Vineyards Cat’s Hill Classic Crit, happening this Saturday the 7th, in Los Gatos. Our small bicycle club puts this race on every year, entirely with volunteers from the club. As usual, there is a core of hard-working folks who are there every year to help out. The planning meeting start months ahead, and we swing into action on Friday afternoon and evening: hanging banners, sweeping the course, putting up signs, marking the booth areas, unloading the barricades, cones, fencing and bales of hay. Oh yeah - making sure there are porta-potties, unlocked and with tons of TP!

All members of the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club are required to volunteer for one of our two yearly races, the Cat’s Hill or the Timpani Crit in August. But we really need everybody at the Cats! It’s a huge race, with over 400 registered racers already this year, and possibly a hundred or so walk-in registrants on race day..

The registration process is a huge job, as are the results, finish cameras, awards, podium ceremonies, the announcer’s scripts, the music, the officiating, the photography, and the lunches and water for volunteers. The race has to have motos, radios and emergency medical teams . In addition, there is the website maintenance, the Cat’s Hill Blog, posting the results, the advertisements, posters, flyers, publicity, and the unique Cat’s Hill Tee Shirts (the design process is lengthy and time-consuming).

Another real biggie is getting enough course marshals for all the posts - it’s a long, long day of racing. The course marshals are the vital key to keeping the race safe for both participants and spectators. In addition, we are required to post a race notice at every house, business or apartment to let them know about road closing, etc. We are required to do this twice before race day! Of course, we have to have permits from everybody under the sun, as well as covering a substantial fee for police services.

Quite an accomplishment to be proud of for our club, which numbers less than 150 people. The LGBRC has an active Juniors program - some really hard-working parents are so incredibly supportive and work so hard on Junior Development - so you will see a lot of great Junior guys and gals racing. The Cat's Hill is a real community event, with lawn parties in front yards along the course, and kids selling cokes and cookies out of their wagons or card tables. Both the bottom and top of the Cat’s Hill are prime viewing areas and are filled with noisy, cheering crowds. This is great racing, a brutal crit course and an all-around family affair. Come on out and see the suffer-fest on Cat’s Hill!! Directions and information at the Cat’s Hill site on the link below.