On the Front: Papillion Twilight Criterium

On the Front is a regular series on GamJams Midwest. We'll highlight the people and organizations that make bike racing happen in Nebraska and Iowa.

By the time the first racer arrives at a venue, most of the dirty work is long since done. Sure, there are little race-day chores, but for the most part, the heavy lifting is done.

The organizers of the Papillion Twilight Criterium, part of July's Omaha Cycling Weekend, were forced to do their heavy lifting far earlier than expected when a letter from the Nebraska Department of Roads arrived at City Hall earlier this month.

"It was dated April 1, so I was really hoping it was an April Fool's joke," said Mark Stursma, Papillion's planning director. "It became quickly apparent that it wasn't."

Nebraska code prohibits state highways from being used for bike races. Washington Street, home of the course's high-speed descent and wide, ripping corner, is also known as Nebraska Highway 85. The letter stated that, while the state had allowed the race in the past, it would no longer do so.

Just like that, the Papillion Twilight Criterium, Stursma's baby from the start, was in jeopardy.

"Fortunately, we have tremendous political support in Papillion for this type of event," Stursma said. "It's part of the city really buying into the need to promote health and wellness — and provide opportunities for residents to participate, and to see the result of healthy lifestyles."

Stursma spoke with the mayor, David Black, who brought the situation to the attention of Nebraska governor Dave Heineman. This past Friday, a deal was worked out with NDOR to allow the race to continue for another year. The deal was struck after the Papillion city council adopted a resolution to take on any liability incurred by the state during the course of the event.

Getting the race rolling in Papillion was tricky from the start. Because the state controls Washington Street, the city had to get a "permit to occupy the right of way." Three lanes of the four-lane street are closed during the race, and traffic is rerouted a few blocks west.

"It's the same permit you'd use if the city was making repairs and had to put up barricades," Stursma said. "If we're going to do anything to block traffic, we have to get permission."

The city was able to get permission for the first three editions in part due to Heineman's push for more healthy, family-friendly activities. Meanwhile, other races asked for similar permission and were denied. The April 1 letter, Stursma said, was mostly about consistency.

"They're interpreting the state statues that govern the rules of operating a bicycle on the road — some of which are waived during a race," he said. "You could argue that it's written in a way that doesn't pertain to racing, but that's not how it's being interpreted."

With the 2010 race saved, the city will next focus on introducing legislation to allow bicycle racing on the state highway system.

"We'll start working on that right away," Stursma said. "We'll be looking at legislation that currently exists, then come up with a good proposal that we can get a buy-in from other jurisdictions. It needs to meet NDOR needs — which is limited liability and keeping up traffic flow — but still allows an event to occur."

Should that push fail, Stursma isn't sure what comes next. The course was chosen because of its ability to create exciting racing in a fan-friendly environment, and there aren't a lot of other options available.

"We have looked and looked and looked for better routes," he said. "But we really like the course. We haven't found a place that we feel would be both a compelling location and something we can hold safely."