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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The first wave of cyclists to leave Cat Island Park on Saturday morning were the Category Pro 1/2 men cyclists.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Bicyclists make their way through the gorge between Valley Forge and Hampton during Saturday's Roan Groan.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Competitors in the Roan Groan prepare to turn onto Tiger Creek Road on the way to the top of the Roan.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Women in the Pro 1/2 category make their turn onto Tiger Creek Road.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Riders in the Men's Pro 1/2 category prepare to hang a right onto Tiger Creek Road in Saturday's Roan Groan.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Cyclists faced their first real challenge on the climb toward Roan Mountain as they traversed the hill coming up to Sunset Church.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Competitors in the Men's Masters 35+/45+ work their way toward Roan Mountain as they approach Sunset Church.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Cyclists dig down hard as they grind up the hill approaching Sunset Church in Roan Mountain.

Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A cyclist waves as she passes Sunset Church on her way to the top of the Roan.

BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Cyclists from several states converged on Elizabethton Saturday morning for the first leg of the 2021 Carter County Omnium in the Roan Groan, a race to the top of the Roan.

The race is one that many of the riders look forward to as it gives the competitors an opportunity to experience several different grades over the course of the race while taking the riders over several miles of scenic highway in the county.

There were six different waves of riders that were competing in the event.

In the Pro 1 category, 26-year-old Stephen Bassett from Knoxville riding for Team UCI PCT: Rally Cycling crossed the finish line first in a time of 3:34:07 to earn 30 points in the three-tiered Omnium competition just one second ahead of the second-place finisher and two seconds in front of third place.

Miles Hubbard, a 28-year-old from Morgan Hill, California was on the back tire of Bassett crossing in a time of 3:34:08 to claim second with 29-year-old Richard Arnopoi from Boulder, Colorado riding for Project Echelon Racing nipping at the tire of Hubbard for third with a time of 3:34:09.

Category 2 saw 29-year-old Matt Jabionski from Boulder, Colorado riding for Total Civil Construction p/b Battley H-D crossing the finish line first in a time of 3:34:10.

Second place in category 2 went to 18-year-old Brooks Wienke from Greeneville, South Carolina riding for ONTO p/b Hincapie Racing finishing second in a time of 3:36:55.

Third place was claimed by 24-year-old Fergus Arthur from Bloomington, Indiana who crossed the line with a time of 3:37:09.

In the Men’s Masters 35+/45+ – a shorter race to the top of the mountain, 38-year-old Ian Tapp from Lexington, Kentucky took first place in the Masters 35+ race crossing the finish line in a time of 2:50:05 to earn the 30 points toward the Omnium event.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina rider Keith Gerarden, 42-years-old, riding for Jigawatt Cycling crossed in second place in a time of 2:50:06. Third place in the Masters 35+ went to Michael Tabasko, a 44-year-old riding for Team Bike Doctor out of Asheville, North Carolina.

In Masters 45+, first place was claimed by 45-year-old Jo Carpisassi riding for team Project Echelon Racing from Winston Salem, North Carolina in a time of 2:50:17.

Anderson, South Carolina native Ryan Robinson, 49-years-old, finished in second place with a time of 2:50:56 while Carlos Zamarripa from Cary, North Carolina riding for Jigawatt Cycling finished third. The 47-year-old rider crossed the finish line in a time of 2:51:25.

Swapping over to the Women’s Pro 1/2 category, 25-year-old Florence Howden from Mooresville, North Carolina finished first in the category with a time of 3:05:20.

Sommers Creed, 28-years-old, from Athens, Georgia claimed second in the race with a time of 3:06:39.

Sarah Schuetter, riding for Robson Forensic p/b Milligan, claimed the third spot. The 33-year-old Evansville, Indiana rider crossed the line with a time of 3:08:16.

In the Men’s Category 3 event, Ryan Scott from Midlothian, Virginia finished the course in a time of 2:43:50. The 21-year-old was riding for Sweet Spot Cycling.

Tyler Miranda, 20-years-old, from Brevard, North Carolina finished in second place with a time of 2:44:05. Noah White, 21-years-old, from Greer, South Carolina claimed the third spot by pedaling his way to a time of 2:44:10.

Men’s Category 4 saw 25-year-old Christopher Gates from Columbus, Ohio finish first with a time of 1:40:56. Reilly Oberding, 16-years-old, from Mountain Brook, Alabama collected second place while Gray Barnett, 14-years-old, from Greeneville, South Carolina secured third place.

In the Novice Category, 22-year-old Samuel Wheeler from Signal Mountain finished first with a time of 1:42:18. Greeneville, South Carolina rider Emmett Barr, 26-years-old, captured second place while local rider Mitchell Bronsletter, 24-years-old, from Johnson City took third place in a time of 1:43:49.

Mitchell Hopkins, 48-years-old, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina took first place in the Masters 40+/50+/60+ category in a time of 1:51:18.

David Hixson, a 72-year-old rider from Knoxville riding for Bike Zoo, proved age shouldn’t hold anyone back as he finished with a time of 1:51:19 to lay claim to second place.

Dirk Pohlmann, 55-years-old, also riding for Bike Zoo from Knoxville took third place in a time of 1:51:31.

Finally, in Women 3/4/5, Fount Cycling Guide rider Lisa Houser, 37-years-old, from New Orleans, Louisiana finished in first in Category 3 with a time of 1:54:30.

Mallory MacRostie, 29-years-old from Washington, D.C., finished in second place in Category 3 in a time of 1:54:51. Melanie King riding for Sorella Cycling p/b Hincapie Sportswear took third place. The 51-year-old finished in a time of 1:57:14.

In Category 4/5, 33-year-old Bess Mathisen from Norton, Virginia took first place in a time of 1:54:50. Fiona Carlon, 36-years old riding for KPL Zen Evo from Knoxville, took second place covering the course in 1:57:57.

Third place in Category 4/5 was captured by Stephanie Smith, 42-years-old riding for team Southern Velo from Chattanooga. Smith finished at a time of 1:58:32.