Sunday, September 13, 1998 -- Elm Grove

Katina Sayers heading up the first climb off of Rt. 40

Tour of Wheeling

[Results]

Unusually high temperatures greeted the near sixty racers who entered the Tour of Wheeling on Sunday. The Cat 5 group alone held 19 riders. Cat 1-4 riders and Masters competed in a 40 mile long course, while all others competed in an 18 mile course.

Just over a mile into the start of the Cat 1-4 race on Rt. 40, someone got a little squirelly in the middle of the peleton. Four riders kissed some pavement leaving one unfortunate participant to ride in the support vehicle the remainder of the race. Other than some dents and scrapes to some bicycles, everyone was O.K.

The second group 7 miles from the finish working to close the gap

The riders set what seemed to be a leisurely pace for the first half of the race, which covered mostly flat ground with some rolling hills on Rt. 40. Not until the group headed off of Rt. 40 into the countryside, did the pack start to spread out. A group of three riders set the pace out front around the 28th mile, followed closely by a chase group consisting of around 6-7 riders. A third main group kept close behind with some separation toward the back. Walter Tate ended up taking first place in the race with Rafael Ruban and Kevin Chapman finishing second and third.

With the Tour of Wheeling wrapped up, the MSRS is down to one more race for this year, the Heritage Classic in Kingwood. The Heritage Classic takes place during the famed and glorious Buckwheat Festival. So bring your bike and an appetite for some buckwheat cakes next weekend. Hope to see you there!

Crash!	Sal Penzid races to catch up with the pack	Sal, again	Climb, climb, climb
Mark Pinson manages a smile for the camera	A good day for a ride	The second group about a mile from the finish	Crossing the finish line