Local cyclists welcome spring with 10th annual Speedwagon Classic

“It’s so early in the season and there isn’t a whole lot of strategy,” Bronsdon said. “Most of the time in Montana, a ride in the Valley looks good when you are out there. It’s just kind of a day where you are having fun, racing hard, and you wanted to put it all out there and finish first.”

Bronsdon also said she “enjoyed the view.”

“There are a lot of long gravel rides in Polson and the Valley view is just spectacular,” Bronsdon said. “In the spring, there is a lot of opportunity for gravel riding. It’s a long race and you have to go into a race thinking you know you are going to be there for several hours. It’s a few more miles than we have done in the past in the Speedwagon and it’s a little intimidating but a lot of us really enjoy it. It’s a great event year after year.”

Bronsdon also said she enjoys being a part of the cycling community.

“The community came together to put on the event and it’s always a really great community event,” Bronsdon said. “Matt Seeley does a great job.”

Missoula-resident Orion Berryman won the men’s race with a time of 3 hours, 41.26 seconds.

Berryman anticipated the race was going to be grueling because of the extra length.

“Given the distance and the time of the year, I think most of us figured the race was going to be a race of attrition,” Berryman said. “It’s hard to predict how long your legs will hold up after a winter with minimal riding. I was fortunate to get a good amount of cross-country skiing this winter so I figured my aerobic capacity would be good and my legs would be the limiting factor. My strategy was to stay with the horsepower in the group for the first 60 miles and hope that my legs were there for the final climbs.”

Because of the additional length, Berryman had to be very strategic in order to defeat his competition.

“I rode aggressively on the descent and got away solo,” Berryman said. “Josh caught me a few miles later where we started working together. Unfortunately, at this point, I hit a rut and crashed with about eight miles to go. Josh and Brendan are real class acts and they both stopped to make sure I was OK. They even got my bike straightened out and let me sit while they traded pulls to the final climb. They could have dropped me easily leading into the climb while I was pulling myself together from the crash. We were all very exhausted on the final climb and I just managed to pull away from Brendan Halpin in the final meters of the climb.”

When Berryman pulled away from the pack, he said he was “relieved.”

“I felt relieved and humbled from winning the race, I felt relief from not having to pedal anymore and humbled by the sportsmanship of the two top-notch competitors,” Berryman said.

Matt Seeley, one of the organizers of the event which is named after his bicycle repair shop in Polson called The Speedwagon, said the event had a “good turnout” in its 10th anniversary.

“We’ve had a huge day and of course, it’s a huge thing for thinking about it in this event,” Seeley said. “(The race) is even more successful when the community gets behind it. We’ve had an amazing amount of volunteers putting in four, five, six and seven hours supporting and driving along, and helping rescue riders that needed help. The volunteers are a huge part of what makes that event successful.”