By Katie Burford/Herald Staff Writer
The annual Cruiser Criterium – a madcap parade on wheels – went vintage on Sunday with the trophy going to the rider of a bike that dates back to Durango’s founding.
John Percassi, of Hesperus, tottered around the streets of downtown on a “high wheeler” – so called for its enormous front wheel, which is around shoulder height of a man standing next to it. The bikes were all the rage in 1880s, making it a fitting nod to the origins of the sport that has so captivated our town of about the same age.
Organizers of the Cruiser Crit, as it is known, were clearly impressed by Percassi’s chutzpah to take on the steep grade east of Main Avenue on such a towering bike.
Percassi, upon accepting an unwieldy trophy, acknowledged being a little nervous about the pitch.
“The hill is sketchy on a bike like this,” he said.
Afterward, he said, “I didn’t think I would make it around once.”
Percassi said he purchased the bike about a year ago in Santa Fe and has been riding it along La Plata Canyon to get the hang of it.
The thrill and spectacle of cruising around on such a striking relic commonly causes him to be afflicted with a permanent or “perma” grin, he said.
Spectacle is what the Cruiser Crit is all about.
A large group of zany dames dubbed “Betty-licious” donned outrageous outfits in pink, black and silver.
One from the group, Suzan Lane, joked, “There’s six of us, so we’re going to be riding 12 abreast.”
Trophy or no trophy, the Bettys were having a ball.
“We’d rather look good than be good,” Lane said.
Bike shop Durango Cyclery organizes the event, now in its fifth year. Proceeds this year went to benefit Bicycle Lemonade, an organization that provides rehabbed bikes to people at low cost.
Its mission is “protecting our planet by keeping bicycles out of landfills and getting more people to ride them.”
Another Cruiser Crit crowd favorite didn’t cruise at all.
When the pack took off, Andrew Martin remained fixed, pedaling his heart out on a stationary bike. Onlookers handed him water bottles, which he slugged and dumped over his head in true racer style.
He clenched the race by dragging the bike across the finish line just ahead of the pack, then held it over his head triumphantly.
Unfortunately, organizers explained, the gag had been pulled before.
