By Grant Clark
Nearly three decades ago, Jeff Gaeckle, who was 16 years old at the time, suffered a significant injury. The incident occurred while he was skiing and he immediately knew it was bad.
As it turned out, the injury was so severe that knee surgery would be required, forcing the active teen to the sidelines for a considerable amount of time.
Thankfully, the operation went smooth and by all accounts was successful. However, at the time that did little to console Gaeckle as he knew it would be quite a while before he could return to the slopes.
Yes, he would be absent from the wintery sport he loved, but it didn’t take long for the silver lining to surface.
“I needed to strengthen my leg. So, my doctor suggested I pick up cycling,” said Gaeckle about the conversation he had during the early stages of his rehabilitation.
The physician’s advice was immediately taken.
Gaeckle hasn’t stopped pedaling since.
Gaeckle is a member of Olympia Orthopaedic Associates/CBC Racing team – a regional race team based in Thurston County that supports road, mountain, track and cyclocross racing year round with its primary goal of growing its rider development program.
The team, open to men and women of all ages, aims to promote the training and participation in the sport of cycling through a model of health, discipline and cooperation.
“We won’t turn anyone away if they have the desire to be out there,” Gaeckle said. “We want people to enjoy it. We want people to come out and see if this is something for them.”
It’s already been a busy 2015 for Gaeckle and the OOA/CBC Racing team. Gaeckle has competed in approximately two dozen USA Cycling events and plans to close out the year by competing in several more.
He finished third in the Master 45-49 Category 1/2/3 division at the 2015 USA Cycling Masters Road Nationals on September 11 in Ogden, Utah, finishing the race in 2:26.59. Fellow OOA member David Chipchase was 39th overall (2:33.32). Dave Gordon, another OOA member was fifth overall in the Masters 55-60 Category.
It marked the fourth time since 2011 that Gaeckle has placed in the top 10 at the USA Cycling Masters Road Nationals. He finished 10th in 2011, ninth in 2012, and eighth in 2013 nationally in the Masters 40-44 division.
In addition, Gaeckle finished fifth in the road racing men’s senior Category 1/2 division at the Washington State Road Race Championships at Northshore in June with OOA teammate and team president Gordon finishing 11th.
Currently, Gaeckle, and several of his teammates, have focused their training on the Deschutes River Cyclocross/Washington State Bike Association Cyclocross Championships on November 7 at Tumwater’s Pioneer Park.
Cyclocross, if you are not familiar with the unique sport, is a mixture of mountain biking and road racing. Riders navigate through a course filled with obstacles, several of which require them to dismount and carry their bikes for a portion of the race before remounting and continuing on the course.
The shortened course, which is usually between 1.5 and 2 miles, can feature a wide variety of surfaces integrated into the course, including grass, sand, pavement, gravel, mud and dirt, and is one of the more spectator-friendly cycling races you can find due to the fact that most races will consist of many laps with fans close to the action.
“The set-up really makes it exciting for the fans to watch,” Gaeckle said.
Gaeckle did not participate at last year’s Deschutes Cyclocross. Seattle’s Ron Huebner of the Bikesport Racing Team won the Men Master 45+ Cat 1/2 division.
A total of 24 categories will be contested at the WSBA CX Championships, beginning with the Category 4/5 Men, Category 4/5 Men Master 40+ and Category 4/5 Men Master 50+ at 9:00 a.m. and concluding with the Open All Categories at 2:40 p.m.
The event, which is sponsored by 53eleven, is expected to draw riders from Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Northern California and is free to spectators.
A USA Cycling license is required to participate in the race, which can be purchased at usacycling.org. Online registration is $30 for standard categories and $15 for junior categories. Junior categories include a Tikes and Trikes Kid Race at noon, junior boys/girls 10-12, junior boys/girls 12-14 and junior boys/girls 15-16.
More information can be found at the Deschutes River CX/WSBA CX Championships website.
