Professional cyclists in team jerseys stood next to amateur bike riders as young as 15 years old at the starting line to participate in the Cyclewerx Crankfest bicycle race Sunday at Klaus Park in Jackson.

Hosted by Cyclewerx, the race is part of the United Federation of Dirt series that hosts 18 races across Missouri and Kansas each year.

The federation is a collective group of promoters, trail builders and racers who work together to promote cycling in the region.

John Dodd, event organizer and owner of Cyclewerx, said the race, now in its sixth year, was moved to Klaus Park in 2008 after the Cyclewerx racing team pushed for a new biking trail to be built there.

"This trail is a big thing," Dodd said. "The Cyclewerx team designed it, and we worked with the county parks to get this trail built three years ago. It's the only one of its kind in the county, and the trail definitely helps the race because this park is awesome for this kind of event. It's also helped the park, too. The park gets a lot more use now and has helped to get it cleaned up."

The event draws more than 150 cyclists and has seven races for various ages and skill levels.

Dodd said the number of racers has remained steady over the years while spectator attendance has increased.

This is the fourth time Cape Girardeau resident Jeff Smith has participated in the race. He said he attends three or four races throughout the year.

"I got into cycling because I was trying to find something I could do with my 14-year-old son, Garrett," Smith said. "But after I got into it with him, it became more of a fitness thing. I don't work out at the gym or do anything like that. This is all I do."

Smith said he goes riding three to five times per week and prefers cycling to spending time in a gym.

"Cycling is more of a total-body workout all in one," Smith said. "People don't think about it, but you get an upper body workout, you work your core, your legs and then you get an aerobic workout, too. Cycling is great because it's low-impact, as opposed to running, and you can cycle as hard or as easy as you want."

Mike Bobelak, who traveled from his home in St. Louis to ride in the race, said he participates in 30 events each year.

"I did this race last year," Bobelak said. "It's one of those courses that can be easy or hard, depending on how fast you ride it. If you're going slow, a lot of the riders here today would say it's an easy course, but when you ride it at speed, it can be very demanding. So that makes it a fun course to ride."

Bobelak said the community of riders makes cycling more than just a physical activity.

"It's as much of a social thing as it is a sport," Bobelak said. "There are groups of friends that meet and go out riding and you meet up with riders from different cities. There's a community-type atmosphere, and you see a lot of the same people at the different races."

Although Bobelak said cyclists who travel to participate in races is a niche community, the sport itself has recently gained popularity among the public.

Dodd said he's seen an increase in business in his bike shop during the past few years, numbers that could be helped by $250,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to add more than 30 miles of bike lanes along 11 of Cape Girardeau's streets.

The three-year grant is the culmination of four years of planning by the Cape Girardeau Bicycle Advisory Council and includes striping, bicycle racks and safety education to promote the health benefits of cycling among city residents.

The plan received opposition from residents who did not want to lose street parking to the new lanes. City planners are taking resident feedback into consideration while reworking the project and hope to start construction as early as this fall.

Bobelak said he and his family regularly use St. Louis' 57 miles of on-road bike lanes in addition to competing in races together.

"It's something to keep you healthy, and it's fun," Bobelak said. "We bike anywhere from three to four times a week. My daughter does bike races with me and she competes at the junior level, and my son will be old enough next year to enter races with me. It's evolved into a family thing."

ssemmler@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address:

Klaus Park, Jackson, MO

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