Red Zinger Mini Classics

Infobox Cycling race
name = Red Zinger Mini Classics



RZMC Logo by Scott Campbell Reuman (Used with permission)

date = Annually; April-September
region = Colorado, United States
english = Red Zinger Mini Classics
localnames =
nickname = RZMC, Mini Classics, "Zinger"
discipline = Bicycle Road racing series for girls and boys
competition = Divided by age group/gender: 10-11; 12-13; 14-15.
type = Stage races 3-5 days each
organiser =
director =
first = 1981
number =
last = 1992
firstwinner =
mostwins =
mostrecent =

Red Zinger Mini Classics (RZMC) was a series of youth boys and girls road bicycle races held annually across the state of Colorado from 1981-1992. The RZMC races served as an opportunity for young cyclists to get involved in the sport, and attracted hundreds of young boys and girls age 10-15 to each racing event.

History

The name for the Red Zinger Mini Classics was derived from the original Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, a professional international-level bicycle race held in Colorado which later became the Coors Classic.

The RZMC youth races began as the 5-day "Mini Zinger" stage race in 1981. At that time the US Cycling Federation did not allow youth racing at ages below 15, therefore the RZMC series allowed kids younger than 15 to get involved in competitive road cycling.

The series grew to add several smaller 3-day stage races across the state of Colorado and also northern New Mexico. The races included the Horsetooth Stage Race (Fort Collins, CO), the Vail Stage Race (Vail/Avon, CO), Aspen Stage Race (Aspen, CO), Denver Stage Race (Denver, CO and suburbs), and the Albuquerque Stage Race (Albuquerque, NM). However, the pinnacle event each season remained the 5-day Mini Zinger stage race, which had events in several locations across the front-range of Colorado, mostly centered around the Boulder, CO area.

The Mini Zinger included races on some of Colorado's most famous cycling routes, such as the Morgul-Bismarck in Broomfield, CO. Some race courses were adapted as shorter versions of courses made famous by the Coors Classic.

The RZMC youth road cycling races continued until 1992, when several challenges led to the demise of the series, including competition with increasingly popular (and new at that time) mountain bike racing, reducing the number of participants in road events. For the last year of the series (1992) the RZMC series teamed up with the USCF-LAJORS program (US Cycling Federation - Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series) and had good participation, however rider commitments for a further year in 1993 were minimal and the racing series came to an end. No such youth cycling development program has since taken its place.

Legacy of RZMC

The Red Zinger Mini Classics (RZMC) youth cycling races are credited with the early development of several riders who went on to be accomplished professional cyclists including:

Colby Pierce¹ - Olympian and world track cycling champion
Bobby Julich² - Professional cyclist and Tour de France rider
Jonathan Vaughters - Tour de France rider, former US Postal Service Team member, director sportif of Team Garmin-Chipotle
Chris Wherry - 2005 US national road champion and professional cyclist
Ruthie Mathes - Professional mountain bike racer and 1991 World Mountain Bike Champion

The series also provided exposure to the world of cycling to hundreds of young athletes, developing a generation of young Colorado cyclists who went on to have a lifelong interest in the sport.

References

1. [http://www.fixedgearfever.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=310 Interview with World Champion cyclist Colby Pierce]

2. [http://www.bobbyjulich.com/?s=red+zinger Bobby Julich race results (1985 RZMC winner)]

External links

* [http://www.bobbyjulich.com/ Bobby Julich (Tour de France cyclist) Official Website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6tdG3kvc6k Home video of Red Zinger Mini Classics NCAR hillclimb race 1985 from rider Kyle Pounds]
* [http://www.conundrumdesigns.com/pink_bike_racer.htm Red Zinger Mini Classics official logo Artwork by Scott Campbell Reuman]
* [http://www.usacycling.org/lajors/ Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series (LAJORS) Website]