Above: Tour of the Catskills racers riding the grueling Devil's Kitchen climb in 2010.
Cyclists from around the world hit the roads in Greene County over the weekend for the Tour of the Catskills, three days of racing that feature some of the steepest mileage in the northeast.
Not all the contestants made it to the race, however. Herb Jiminez, a cyclist from Montclair, New Jersey, missed the Tour of the Catskills entirely when his car was stolen on Friday, the morning he was setting out for Tannersville.
But Jiminez got his endorphin fix anyway when he spotted the car thieves later that day while driving a newly-acquired rental car, according to Baristanet:
Jimenez reacted immediately, making a crazy U-Turn, then calling 911, all while following his stolen car.
“I stayed close to them for about 10 blocks, making turns into different streets in Montclair while giving the police directions as to where they were turning and heading,” says Jimenez[.]
“The crooks began to notice I was following them, but by that time the cops were close. As they spot the flashing lights coming from behind me, they hit the brakes. I go around on my rental and block them, but then they jump out of my car and make a run for it,” says Jimenez[.]
Jimenez missed the Tour of the Catskills but his story is better than anything than any action he would have seen at the race.
The cyclists that actually made it to the Catskills -- about 450 of them, according to the Daily Mail -- raced in three events: a time trial, a 20-mile circuit race, and a grueling 70-mile road race that ends in the famously tough slog up 1,200 feet of steep grades on the "Devil's Kitchen."
To see all the times and results from the race, click here.
