Froze Toes great start for young cyclists

COLUMBIA — The Columbia Bicycle Club’s annual Froze Toes Bicycle Race may be a fun event to some, but to Jan Bradford-Watts and Nolan Froese it is the start to a year of bicycle races.

The announcement that the race is occurring again this year in Columbia is good news to 18-year-old Bradford-Watts.

“This race is good because we get to see everyone for the first time of the year,” Bradford-Watts said.

Bradford-Watts has raced for five years and has participated the Froze Toes four times.

“The Froze Toes was the first race I ever did,” Bradford-Watts said. “Its nice because it’s a local race, you don’t have to travel to St. Louis or Kansas City.”

Nolan Froese, 19, is also relatively new to bicycle racing. He has competed in the sport for four years, and this is Froese’s third time in the Froze Toes.