It’s a Saturday morning; the sun has not yet peeked over the trees. A man awakes with ambition. He slips on his uniform and walks outside. With his laced sneakers and a bottle of water, he straps his cyclocross bicycle onto his car and heads off to an-other race.

FHN art teacher Michael Leistner has been involved with bicycle racing since July 4, 1988. Prior to this date he only casually rode his bike, but he has always loved it. At age 20, he frequently rode bikes with his friends, and he soon began to notice that he was always first to the top of the hill and first back to the car. It was this that made him decide to get his racing li¬cense and begin participating in races.

“I love riding my bike, and I still do ride it just for fun,” Leistner said, “But racing takes it up a notch. On a scale of one to 10, it goes up to an 11.”

Today, Leistner participates in races about once a week. The most com¬mon type of race he’s involved in are cyclo¬cross races.

“Cyclocross races are never canceled,” Leistner said. “No matter if it’s snowing, if there’s ice, if the temperature is below freez-ing, there is always a race,”

It is mid-morning; the sun is now right above the treetops. Leistner pulls into the parking lot of where the race is being held. He gets out of the car with his hel¬met, watch and water in hand. People are crowded around the sidelines of the track. The air outside feels like the breath of an icicle. The cyclists stand their bikes up and begin stretching and preparing themselves for the race. After about 10 minutes they’re on their bikes, ready for takeoff. The bell rings.

The cyclists take off all at once; dirt flies in the air and a fast moving cloud moves to¬ward the twists and turns of the track. Just as they seem to have reached an unbeliev¬able amount of speed, they keep going, never faltering.

“You don’t slow down. You don’t quit. You just suffer through the pain,” Leistner said. “It’s very short, and very intense. There is no time to recover. There is a lot of pain and suffering involved with cycling. I guess it’s kind of sick that way, because you’re doing it to yourself.”

Bicycle racing is not just every man for himself. Most cyclists are on a team. Teams are helpful because they are separate but they join as one. Only one person receives a trophy, but it is a victory for the entire team. The team helps one of its members win the race when they are in the lead, or almost in the lead.

“It’s good to have a team because you have that support, and it’s good to know you’re not just alone,” Leistner said. “If you are an independent cyclist, you probably won’t win.”

As the cyclists speed past, the crowd goes wild. Adults are bundled up from head to toe. They sit in their lawn chairs, drinking beer and wine. Almost every person, child or adult, has a cowbell in hand. Every time the cyclists go by, the bells are rung high in the air, and cheers are heard from miles away.

“It’s not like all the other professional sports,” fellow FHN art teacher Denise Ma¬ples said. “Most of them you have to pay to watch, and you don’t get very good seats, but if you show up to these things, just bring a lawn chair and whatever you need and en¬joy the day.”

A loud bell rings through the ears of each cyclist and fan. The bell indicates to the rac¬ers that this is the last lap. Back and forth their positions in the race fluctuate; the fans run on the sidelines and follow the bikes as quickly as they can. Back and forth, back and forth, until finally the finish line is behind them.

“It doesn’t matter to me if I win or lose,” Leistner said. “I’m happy regard¬less. If I lose a bike race, hey, at least I got up off the couch and showed up.”

By Elice Estrada