WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—Winter Haven, Florida is a small Central Florida town midway between Tampa and Orlando. As a rule, tourists come for lower-priced hotels in ready reach of Disney World and the famous Gulf Coast beaches.
One day a year though, bicycle stars descend on the town to do battle on its downtown streets, rushing past the library, the restaurants, and the coffee shops in tight packs at 40 mph—all in the name of charity.
The event that draws these cyclists is the Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic, a three-stage, two-day race on the roads of Polk County on Saturday and through the downtown streets on Sunday. All proceeds from the event are donated to the Polk County Humane Society, the region’s only no-kill shelter.
The riders aren’t thinking of adopting dogs and cats when the race is on, of course. Once the starter shouts “Go!” it’s all-out competition.
Several classes of riders compete: riders as young as ten or as old as—well as old as they want to be, can come out and race. And these racers are serious—they fight for position on every lap of every race, twisting through the narrow streets inches apart at amazing speeds, passing and being passed and fighting back to the front again.
Sunday featured several exemplary races: the Cat 3, Cat 4, and Women’s race all offered multiple lead changes and riders making amazing efforts, both individually and as teams, to come from the back or stay at the front.
Grant Potter Wins Pro 1-2
The fastest race of the day was the Pro 1-2 race, which is the day’s main attraction for the fans. Pro 1-2 are the top classes, the fastest of the fast. This race attracts not only the fans but some very serious riders.
After escapes caught, attacks succeeded, and a tremendous late-race pursuit, Sunday’s race was won by zMotion team captain Grant Potter, a beast of a rider who was able to outsprint the field after 90 flat-out minutes—even though he had just raced in the 750-mile Vuelta Independencia Nacional in the Dominican Republic the week before.
After several attacks were ridden down, Potter joined the winning three-rider break with Derek Bennett of Florida Velo and Eric Stubbs of GearLink Racing. For a few laps it seemed that the leading trio would cruise to victory; then a four-rider chase developed.
