EDWARDSVILLE - Kurt Wilson, a rider from North Kansas City, was the winner of the 45-54 Masters race at Saturday's Edwardsville Rotary Criterium festival, presented by Busey Bank, held for the 13th time in downtown Edwardsville.
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Wilson, a veteran rider, felt he rode well and was also complimentary of the field in the race, which provided top-notch competition for all involved.
"I did pretty well, actually," Wilson said during a post-race interview. "Tough race, very nice course. So I got first in the 45-plus, third or fourth overall. Tough race. It's a good group of guys."
Wilson is a long-time rider who raced for approximately 13 or 14 years ("It's been a little bit," he said) and regularly competes in races across the region. His experience has been a huge asset to him, traveling to races along with his wife, Lynn, who won her age category in the women's Masters race.
"Oh, yeah," Wilson said. "We do a little bit of traveling. Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and some Texas races. So yeah, we like to get out and meet new people and new races."
There's also one big difference when comparing other races Wilson's competed in compared to the Edwardsville Criterium.
"Just a tough Masters field," Wilson said. "There are some very strong riders over here around the St. Louis area and it was tough. It was a tough race," he said with a laugh and pleasant smile. "It wasn't easy."
As this is coming down to the end of his racing season, Wilson plans to start taking things easy and participate in gravel-style races to conclude the year.
"So, it's kind of getting towards the end of the season," Wilson said. "and everything kind of starting to wind down for me, anyway. Maybe just kind of fall back and do some graveled races here and there. And kind of just have some fun, now. Just relax a little bit."
Wilson hasn't started to think about the 2024 season as of yet, but is looking ahead to the planning of his events.
"Well, I haven't thought about next year yet," Wilson said. "But I'm sure this winter, the wheels will start turning on what we want to do."
But Wilson also enjoyed his experience at Edwardsville very much and praised everyone involved with the event.
"It was fun, I enjoyed it," Wilson said. "I thank the town of Edwardsville and I thank the volunteers. They did awesome."
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