In its inaugural year as a John Marino Competition event, The Balltown Classic was marked as much by who "wasn't there" as who was. This double century was held 11 May 2002 and looped from DeWitt, IA to Balltown, IA and back. The UMCA included the ride as a JMC event based on the approximately 10,000' of altitude gain over the 200-mile course. At the end of the day, the climbing would be the least of the problems that riders would experience.

In the Midwest, our weather demands that we begin our season as soon in the spring as possible in order to hit our mid-season stride with riders whose climates are more rider-friendly. By the time the Balltown Classic was held, we had already scheduled two doubles, and two brevets (200 and 300K) and the conditions were horrible for every one of these. However, the conditions of these rides would not compare with what 11 May 2002 would bring.

The forecast on the Weather Channel called for temps in the low 60s, 10-15 mph wind and sporadic rain with possible thunderstorms. This probably hurt attendance. Several talented riders who had indicated interest failed to report. Nine riders, however, did show up for the 5:00 a.m. start. Of these, two were RAAM finishers, eight had finished PBP, one holds two or three UMCA records and five have finished BMB. The depth of experience was very impressive. These nine riders would be supported at three designated stops along the route.

With lights fore and aft, the ride began with a helpful tailwind of about 8-10 mph, a temperature of 53 degrees and dry conditions. Tom Buckley, Wayne Hanno and Kevin Zelenka quickly broke off the front. Their lights were soon out of sight of the field. The field stayed together making good time at about 20 mph with the help of a tail wind and the initial flat 30 miles of the course. All were enjoying the opportunity for conversation. This lasted for about an hour, and then the first sprinkles were noticed. And then the falling temperatures were noticed.

After 30 miles, the field arrived at the beginning of the continuous hills. By this time the sprinkles had turned into a deluge, and the wind increased to 20-25mph and occasional gusts exceeding 30mph. Even with the following wind, the chill factor combined with wet skin was debilitating. In the valleys, we were seeing temperatures of 42 degrees on our computer thermometers

The field arrived at the first support stop at mile 50. The support stop consisted of a pick up truck near a farmhouse and not under shelter. No one spent any more time than necessary. To stop working led to immediate shivering and shuddering. We moved on. We were told that the lead group had left about 15-20 minutes earlier - they were smoking!

About an hour later, the first lightning occurred. This is always a concern, but especially when one is riding at elevation on the many ridges in this area. The time between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder indicated the electrical storm was two to three miles in the distance. We continued on. The rain continued on. The wind continued on. We would later learn that the record rainfall for this day would be set at 2.6 inches!

Finally, at mile 78, after only five minutes of downtime, the field stopped at a convenience store for anything that would raise the core temperature. During this 20-minute stop, we decided that the prudent decision was to finish the first leg of the ride (100 miles in Balltown) and then abort. Phone calls were made, and then we continued on. The rain continued on. The wind . . . well you know!!

Arriving at the restaurant in Balltown, we saw Buckley, Hanno and Zelenka. They had taken advantage of the hot soup and were preparing to ride the last 100 miles. We were in awe of their decision. They were assured that there would be two vehicles on the course looking after them.

Although the rain continued to fall, it did abate somewhat for them. Of concern were the headwind they would encounter and the resultant wind chill. We couldn't see how they would stay warm enough with wet clothing and a 20 mph headwind. And in fact, Kevin would have to be rescued at mile 160 for that very reason. Tom and Wayne, however, would work together and finish after 13 hours and 36 minutes. Those of us at this event will remember this legendary effort by these two riders.

And so, The Balltown Classic 2002 answered the question for us: "Is this ride tough enough to be considered as a John Marino Competition event?" What do you think?

The Balltown Classic is the fourth event in the John Marino Competition to determine the ultra riders of the year

Results

Rider	Time
Tom Buckley	13 hours 36 mins
Wayne Hanno	13 hours 36 mins
Kevin Zelenka	DNF
John Thier	DNF
Tom McCarthy	DNF
Joe Jamison	DNF
Merry Vander Linden	DNF
Doug Truesdale	DNF
Joe Camp	DNF