The Lion of Fairfax Rides Again

This past Saturday saw the fifth edition of the Lion of Fairfax Cyclocross race held at White Hill Middle School. Every year, the race draws hundreds of racers and fans, is staffed by dozens of local volunteers, and has the relaxed and supportive feel typical of Fairfax. All proceeds benefit the school and go towards everything from overhead projectors to team uniforms to school dances.

The morning kicked off with kids races and went all through the afternoon with different categories of amateurs and professionals tackling the difficult and technical course. There was a barbeque, commemorative t-shirts, and a raffle with a new Ridley bike as the grand prize.

Cyclocross is a crazy mix of dirt, mud, and redline pain, with riders dismounting, jumping, and running in addition to riding. For a racer, it is agony; for a spectator, it is bliss.

While one may not think of a bike race as an ideal school fundraiser, the Lion of Fairfax is the perfect event for bringing together the community to watch, volunteer, and even race. Five years ago, Brian Buckner proposed the idea to the school and parents. Buckner has a son in the sixth-grade at White Hill and was acutely aware of how strapped for funds schools are these days. Being an avid cyclist and owner of Big Swingin' Cycles in San Francisco, he also knows how important cycling is in our community. He got to thinking and the Lion of Fairfax was born.

I caught up with Buckner after this weekend's race and got more insight into all the hard work and enthusiasm it really takes to put on a benefit bike race. And more importantly, how did he convince people it's a good idea?

"Cyclocross is a fringe element of competitive cycling. Accordingly, most of the other parents and school staff really couldn't conceptualize what it was we were proposing - but we went to great effort to explain the event, as well as communicate how popular cyclocross is in the bay area. Obviously, there were liability concerns, but we were able to appease these concerns by securing excellent liability and medical insurance and, equally important, by designing a thoughtful and safe course. Ross Valley School District's Head of Maintenance, Bret Joyner, was a huge help as well. He has been riding and racing motorcycles off-road for decades in West Marin and had no problem understanding what it was we were trying to do."

Bruckner lauded the local volunteers and USA Cycling officials, who have the difficult task of scoring a day of races with almost 400 entrants total.

"I've chaired the race every since it's debut," he said. "I'm fortunate to have many connections in the parent and cycling community that step up to help with time and money. It's hard work putting the race on. There is a great deal of administration that goes into it, and of course, every year we have to rebuild the course.  Imagine putting on a swim meet, or baseball game, but having to build the pool or baseball diamond prior to the event."

The only paid people at the race are the USA Cycling officials who do the scoring. Parents and community members, like Murphy Mack – owner of Gestalt Haus in Fairfax – put a massive amount of help in.

And what about that Lion?

"Ah, yes, our little race's branding - the Lion of Fairfax. It's a play on the Lion of Flanders flag," said Bruckner. "Flanders is a region of Belgium known for a particularly hard breed of cyclist. It's cold, rainy, the roads are terrible, with lots of cobblestones. Many great bicycle racers come from the Flanders region. Further, there is a sense of independence and sovereignty amongst all of the people of the region - the Lion of Flanders flag is flown as a symbol of the region's cycling dominance and fierce independence from the status quo – kind of like Fairfax!"