Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 30, 1994 TAG: 9405300080
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Despite suffering lingering effects of an early-week case of bronchitis, the Canadian proceeded to turn Mill Mountain into an ant hill in Sunday's ROC Hillclimb bicycle time trial.
Walton, a seven-time Canadian national champion and a member of the 1988 Canadian Olympic team, burned up the 3.3 kilometer course in 8 minutes, 26.66 seconds to obliterate last year's record time of 8:42 set by California rider Fuaga Eteban.
"It's a real lung-burner up the mountain to this star," said Walton, who contracted bronchitis May 22 in Pittsburgh and subsequently pulled out of a West Virginia race to come to Roanoke early.
"My lungs are still pretty bad from the bronchitis. I came in here early and have been staying in the house of Fred McElmurry [race official]. Fred fed me real good and I got a lot of rest and relaxation. I figured the least I could do was go out and win this race for him."
Piece of cake. Walton, who won $126, whipped his nearest competitor in the Pro-Elite-Expert division by 12-plus seconds.
"He's awesome," Saturn teammate Jonas Carney said of Walton. "He's so good at climbing that he could have won this race with one lung."
Walton couldn't have been too sick. He rode the old road up the Results in Scoreboard. B8 mountain - a climb of 847 feet - "three or four times" in the morning before going on the clock late Sunday afternoon.
"I found out what spots I could kick and couldn't kick it," Walton said. "I went 100 percent the whole way. It hurts - it hurts for everyone - but you've got to keep going."
Walton will shoot for a "double" in today's Saturn Festival Cup. Today's race will be an entirely different game, as riders will run a six-tenths-mile course through downtown Roanoke. The 45-lap, 30-mile race starts at 12:30 p.m.
"I told Fred, `Nothing less than a double,' " Walton said. "So I've got some more work to do."
Besides Walton, it also was a good day for 17-year-old Matt DeCanio of Rapadian. Once up the mountain wasn't enough for the hotshot climber from Orange County. DeCanio won the Juniors Division in 8:53.59, then took the Senior Sport III in 8:56.08. Both times were faster than all the pros but Walton and runner-up Dean Myer.
"I love beating those guys," DeCanio said, smiling. "I want to go pro one day. This wasn't anything serious today. Yeah, it's a difficult hill. You've just got to be tough.
"Besides, I need the money. I don't want to have to work for a living. Let's see. I won $80 yesterday [at Woodberry Forest] and $80 more today. That's $160. Not bad for an hour's work."
DeCanio said his amazing climbing ability is the direct result of his vascular system. In a recent test in Baltimore, DeCanio said his "VO2 Max" was 82.5.
"The number is the percentage of air that comes in your lungs that's used," he said. "The guy said Lance Armstrong [America's top cyclist] checked in at 72-something. So with hard work, I can go a lot harder than everyone else. It's just something I was born with."
DeCanio's double victories made up for last year's trip here.
"I got lost in Roanoke trying to find this place and missed my starting time," he said. "It was a bummer not being able to race. I won twice today. So I'd say this year's experience was much better."
by CNB