by Tess Wolfe

Reporter

Munroe Falls -- Bicycle racing enthusiasts will gather at the Munroe Falls Metro Park Lake for an annual rite of spring starting April 19.

For 22 years, racers who vary in ability from novice to professional and in age from teenagers to senior citizens have utilized the 1.2-mile path that circuits the perimeter of Munroe Falls Lake to kick off the cycling season.

The Races at the Lake Series will take place this year on four Saturdays from April 19 through May 10 at the park, at 521 S. River Road in Munroe Falls.

Hosted each year by the Summit Freewheelers, a Summit County-based bicycle-racing club, RATL is one of the oldest, longest-running bicycle racing events in the region, said club president Denis Osowski.

"The great thing about this race everybody seems to like is that it's very spectator-friendly," he said. "If you're in the parking lot, you can see about two-thirds of the course as it occurs. We get a lot more non-racing spectators at this event than we normally do [at other events]."

Summit Freewheelers founder George Liolios said he and his wife, Joanne, have lived in Munroe Falls for nearly 30 years.

"There's a real huge diversity among racers," he said.

RATL requires participants to hold a United States Cycling Federation license, available at the event for $10 on a one-day basis, and sign a release form prior to the race.

The USCF governs the regulations of road bicycle racing, said Osowski, "from people who are just starting to pros from the Northeast Ohio area who will ride their bikes from home, do the race, and ride back home. They do it for training purposes."

Liolios said he began Summit Freewheelers to give racers at all stages of experience an outlet for competition.

"The idea was to start a team where we provided a way for people to start out and give them some basics in training," he said. "We get people to a level where it's time for them to move on to the next level of competition."

The length for each race is determined by the category and skill level of the participant, from 10 laps for Category Five, which is open to new participants, to 21 laps, or 25.2 miles, for faster Category One, Two and Three participants.

Prizes can total as much as $150, depending on the race category.

The entry fees for the event also vary according to the racing category of participants, ranging from $15 to $20.

Liolios originated RATL as a way to prepare riders for the season, build camaraderie among racers and provide a venue for competition.

"The first few years, it was a single-day event," he said. "Then we expanded it to every Saturday for an entire month. My thoughts were to have some early spring races in a controlled situation for Northeast Ohio riders to get your racing legs under you. Then, we opened it up to everybody, and it's grown from there."

Summit Freewheelers does not have geographic restrictions as a membership requirement. Age restrictions for the race would be imposed at the discretion of RATL officials, said Osowski.

"Some of the local clubs and teams have the mission to establish riders of experience and allow them to race," he said. "Our mission is to find those who haven't raced and also those who are further along in their racing."

The club currently has 70 members who range in ages from 14 to 80, according to the club Web site.

Liolios recommended the following safety tips when bicycle racing: wear a helmet that meets USCF standards, which usually is indicated on the helmet's packaging; do not buy a previously-owned helmet, which may have been involved in an accident but shows no signs of potentially compromised effectiveness; and when bicycling in traffic, obey all motor vehicle laws, which also apply to cyclists.

The park remains accessible to the public on a limited basis during the RATL, said Dave Kamps, park manager for Munroe Falls Metro Park.

"We close off the back end of the park for them to use," he said. "People can still walk and use the trail, but we put barricades up during the race so they can't drive on it."

Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. each day of RATL. Although fees to participate can be paid the day of each race, preregistration is requested.

For more information or to register, go to www.summitfreewheelers.org/RATL.

E-mail: twolfe@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3916