EDWARDSVILLE - Indiana native Kyle Perry of the Reign Storm Racing Team used a breakaway strategy with teammate Tim Smith to pull away early, and win the Category 1,2,3 main event race at the 14th BuseyBank Edwardsville Rotary Criterium bike festival races in the evening of Aug. 17, 2024, in downtown Edwardsville.
Perry and Smith pulled away early in the race, and broke off from 51-rider field, the largest in the event's history, to go on and with the race, with Smith in second, and teammate Aaron Beebe, who was in third most of the way, finishing fifth, an outstanding performance by the entire team.
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"Strategy for us, since we didn't have the biggest team, we just kind of sat back and see what the other teams do at the beginning of the race, try to race forward," Perry said in a post-race interview. "But once the race, we saw, start to string out, then we knew it was go time, and try to start attacking and send guys off the front, until we could make something stick."
That strategy paid off handsomely, as Perry took the lead in the breakaway from the main pack, and led from that point forward, extending the lead by as much as 45 seconds, as Perry and Smith coasted home to the one-two finish.
"I would say it worked in our favor today," Perry said with a smile. "I don't think it could get any better today. One, two, and five, we'll take it."
The First Internet Bank team put a racer into the early lead, and once the racer started to fall back, Perry took charge and went ahead to stay.
"First Internet put a guy off early," Perry said, "and once we kind of caught them back, then we started racing."
Perry's competed before in the main event race, and he's always enjoyed the atmosphere and fan support of the event.
"Oh, I love it," Perry said. "Tonight was actually no different than any other nights that I've done racing here. The crowd on the front stretch, even in groups on the back stretch, it was loud the whole way through. You can feel it, you can hear it, you can hear everyone cheering for you. A lot of people think we can't hear them when we're rolling by, but yeah, you can definitely feel it and hear it. And that's enjoyable. It keeps you going."
Saturday's race may have been Perry's final criterium race of the season as well, but is still set to compete in other races, including one next week.
"So, this might be my last (criterium) of the season," Perry said. "The Gateway Cup (in St. Louis) Is coming up; I'm not sure if I'll make the roster for that. But next week, there's the Midwest Challenge, which is a track race in Indianapolis, so that's what I'm gearing for, in seven days."
He's also looking forward to the chance to defend his title and become the main events first-ever repeat winner in 2025. His attraction to the sport came about on a trip to a Goodwill store many years ago.
"I love the competition," Perry said. "I got into it kind of late, compared to other riders, got it after college. But sports have always been in my DNA; I was a swimmer in high school, and then, kind of got away from sports during college. And then, just went to Goodwill, and found a $10 Schwinn varsity (bike), and then, that was it after that."
He's enjoyed racing ever since, and also thanked the organizers and his teammates for his success on the evening.
"I just want to thank my two teammates, Aaron Beebe and Tim Smith tonight. This definitely wouldn't have happened without the three of us working together as a group."
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