TAHLEQUAH — “Very fast and really enjoyable,” that is how Dr. Teresa Loftin described the racing in downtown Tahlequah on Wednesday as SpeedWheel took to the streets in a very fast paced set of races.

Loftin, who participated in the first race of the evening said she was happy with the turnout, and she was even happier about how well the kids race went.

“The crowd response was great,” said Loftin, whose Loftin Family Practice sponsored the kid’s race. “It was a good thing. We had a lot of people out, and I think that it was an extra bonus that the kids got to race.”

Loftin did not place in the top of the standings in the first race. However, she did get a few laps in before being lapped and dropped from the race. The first race, which doubled as the women’s race and the junior’s race, saw winners fly around the track at about one minute a lap, but that was just the start of the evening.

Winners for the junior’s race were Alex Battles, Adam Harmon and James Mitchell. Winners for the women’s race were Karen Hardwood, Barb Landuth and Cheryl Thypen.

As the second race of the night formed up it looked much like a herd of cattle. The field of 41 racers in the Masters 4/5 division crowded the starting line to race for the 20 minute timed event. The pack stayed together for the most part, but lost a few stragglers to lap traffic. The large group of racers drew loud cheers from the 1000+ lining Muskogee Street as they made their way past the finish line at almost 30 miles per hour.

With six laps remaining in the race was still close with a few riders pulling out in front, but it was on the last lap many of the crowd jumped to their feet.

As the lead group, what was now close to 20 riders, rounded the final turn at Muskogee and Goingsnake, it happened. One rider lost control and took seven others tumbling across the pavement into hay bales set up to keep the racers from going into the nearby creek. The wreck, the first and only one of the night, resulted in mangled bikes, cuts, bruises and a few stitches but did not cause any serious injuries.

Wade Codwell finished the race ahead of all the rest, while Charles Sparmain followed a close second. Enrique Guiterrez rounded out the top three.

In race three of the night, another large field gathered for the Masters 35+ race. In the race of the “old folks” of bike racing, the field was well matched, staying together most of the way. That was until Steve Schiegel pulled ahead of the pack with 10 of the 25 minutes remaining and left the others to fight for second. Schiegel won by a wide margin over Randy Schwers and Cil Simmy.

The Masters 3/4 race proved to be the closest event of the night. Though the field was not as large as the previous two races, the group was well matched and hung together throughout the race. With about six laps to go a group of four riders got together and broke out. The group of four broke loose, but was swallowed back up by the pack, and a group of six became the lead pack. As the race wound down Schiegel, who seemed undaunted by his previous ride, again was challenging for the lead. The group took turn after turn until their 30 minute race wound down. Schiegel got left behind by Peter Erdoes, and Jacob Lasley rounded out the top three.

Fans crowded the edge of the street at the end of that race jockeying for position to see the kids race. Fifteen kids lined up at the far end of Muskogee street to drag race to the finish. The race remained close the entire way, but all of the kid’s were winners. Each of the participants got a medal at the other end of the street.

The final race of the night may have lost some spectators as the 9 p.m. hour approached, but fans who remained were treated to performance by Alex Welch, who is touted as one of the best riders ever in the state of Oklahoma. Welch along with Scott Gibson and Chad Cagle broke out early from the pack of 10-plus riders for their 40 minute ride, but about halfway through the race Welch took off. He sped past the field lapping everyone except the other two initial breakaway riders. Welch eventually caught the chase pack on the back side and fell in line to draft his way to an easy win. Cagle and Gibson fought each other, riding by themselves the entire way, until the final laps when Cagle made a big charge almost catching the chase pack.

The evening ended as FreeWheel riders made their way back to camp and locals drove to their homes. The announcer thanked the sponsors and riders packed up their bikes after some good competition.