Bassett crosses finish line for second Roan Groan title, Milligan’s Bemis leads ladies across to capture win
Published 8:06 am Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The first wave of riders leave the Jim Ensor Field parking lot on their way to Roan Mountain.
Participants in the Roan Groan cycle past the monument.
Riders of all ages from different geographical locations were present in downtown Elizabethton for the 35th annual Roan Groan.
A rider takes time to flash a smile as his group leaves for the Roan.
Breaking the seriousness of the race, a rider has a little fun with the camera.
A group of cyclists head for 19-E as they prepare to race for the Roan Groan title.
There is no turning back as the final wave of cyclists prepare to turn right toward Roan Mountain.
Star Photo/Charles Warden Madeline Bemis, riding for Milligan College, took the Women’s Pro division title in the Roan Groan Saturday. The race is part of the Johnson City Omnium race.
Star Photo/Charles Warden Stephen Bassett crosses the finish line to win the Men’s Pro division of the 35th annual Roan Groan on Saturday.
It was a beautiful morning Saturday in downtown Elizabethton as wave after wave of cyclists left the parking area at Jim Ensor Field, cycled past the monument and headed toward Roan Mountain as part of the 35th annual Roan Groan — a part of the Johnson City Omnium racing event.
In the Men’s Pro race, Knoxville’s Stephen Bassett pedaled his bike across the line in a time of 3:38:34.300 to win the title for his second win in the event.
Bassett’s time was 21 seconds better than second place finisher Miles Hubbard of Wilkesboro, NC who finished at 3:38:55.00.
Daniel Lausin (Willowick, OH), Andrew Evans (Rogers, AR), and Justin Bird (Louisville, KY) rounded out the top five finishers in the race that covered 80 miles.
Locally, Benjamin Renkema out of Greeneville was the highest finisher coming in at the ninth spot with a time of 3:43;14.300. Samuel Blackmon (Johnson City) finished in 10th place with Johnny Mitchell (Johnson City) claiming 35th.
In the Masters 35+/45+ category, Mark Jellous — a 50-year-old cyclist from High Point, NC — was the winner with a time of 2:47:06.400 as the older group races a shorter race than the others.
Keith Geraden from Chapel Hill, NC finished in the second spot while Jay Dore of Arden, NC wrapped out the top three.
Johnson City’s Brad Yewer, who finished in sixth place, was the only local racer in the category.
Bemis took the women’s title by finishing the road course in a time of 3:12:46.400 in winning the title and helping the Milligan College team finish ahead of the strong cyclist from Team Columbia.
Manuela Escobar finished in 10th place followed by Krystal Burnham (11th), Gracie Pendleton (13th), and Larissa Castellari (14th) to give the Lady Buff cyclist a strong finish in the race.
In the Cat 3 race, Brooks Wienke from Greenville, SC won in a time of 2:48:43.900. Daniel Vargas (Charlottesville, VA) and McAben Prince (Greenville, SC) finished second and third respectively.
Other notable finishers locally were Julianna Simpson (Johnson City) and Brent Baker (Kingsport) finishing 19th and 20th in the Cat 4 race.
David Pearce (Johnson City) finished in 19th place in the Cat 5 portion of the race.
In the Masters 40+/50+/60+ local finishers included Michael Walters (Johnson City-20th) and Joseph Morton (Blountville-31st).
