SPOKEcycling.com

In an attempt to increase participation, the Idaho State RR was moved to June for 2009. The gruelling event had been held in late August for the better part of the last ten years, and it was hoped that shifting the event from the dog days of summer would infuse some fresh blood in the bragging rights only race.
The experiment failed to deepen the field though, as only 12 men lined up to compete for the championship. Of the 12, returning champion Brandon Akers (BODE Cycling) and last years bronze medalist Chris Stuart (Bobs-Bicycles.com) renewed their personal battle on the open roads of Emmett, Idaho and it's surrounding areas. Also in attendance was Southern California legend Kevin Metcalf. For those of you who don't know, Metcalf owns a drawer full of California, as well as U.S.A., championship jerseys.
About 100km into the 130km race, Metcalf and Team Bob's rider Brandon Lynch had forged a solid lead from the dwindling peloton, and it looked like the two would enter the finish loop with the top spots sewn up. However, a missed corner scuttled their chances and opened the door for Stuart and Akers. With last year's disappointment still fresh on the mind of Stuart, the Bob's rider put his full weight into an attack on the Hillsdale Circuit's toughest pitch, and crossed over the top with a 5 second lead. He put his head down for the 7km run-in to the finish line, and by the time Stu gave his victory salute the gap had grown to over half a minute.
Metcalf never gave up on the race, and managed to scrape himself back up to the wheel of Akers near the finish line. However, Akers showed the California ace the sprint that netted him last year's title and acquitted himself nicely with a second place finish. Bobs-Bicycles.com rider Erik Slack led home the rest of the field for a 4th place result.
The Master's RR used the identical course and had an equally disappointing turnout. Regardless, Bobs-Bicycles.com rider Tad Hamilton earned the state champion's title, and helped to erase the bitter taste of the 2008 result.
Thanks to Lost River Cycling for attempting to improve this great race. The new course was fantastic, the calendar change was welcomed by nearly all competitors, and it was wonderful to contest this race while the summer temperatures were still stuck in the low 80's. In theory, the new date should have increased the turnout significantly. Set perfectly between the Mt Hood Cycling Classic/Lyle Pearson Challenge weekend and the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race weekend, the timing was ideal to take advantage of hard earned spring fitness or put the finishing touches on Elkhorn preparation. Who knows, if word gets out about this year's fantastic event, perhaps next year the rest of the Idaho cycling community will support their state championship!