
DATE: Thursday, June 26, 1997               TAG: 9706250187

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY MICHAEL KESTNER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: FRANKLIN                          LENGTH:   73 lines

SPEEDY WHEELS

THE FINELY TUNED whirrrrr of chains zinging through derailleurs, the mechanized sounds of man and machine, and the occasional shout of the fans echoed faintly off the corridors of downtown buildings Sunday afternoon as a relentless sun pounded the Franklin criterium course mercilessly.

Yet the packs of brightly-clad cyclists kept hammering their way up the killer hill in front of Franklin City Hall time, after time, after time making the circuit running between Second Avenue, High Street, Fourth Avenue and Main Street. The covered it more than 40 times as they chased the glory of winning a bicycle race and a part of the $2,000 prize money.

Even though the mercury rolled around the 95-degree mark all weekend, the lure of criteriums, road races and time trials drew more than 100 competitive bicyclists from all the nooks and cranies of Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C., for the Franklin/Southampton County Masters Omnium.

Gallons of sweat seeped into the dust along Southampton County's backroads Saturday as the bicyclists raced around an 8 1/2-mile loop in the road race phase of the three-part competition.

The women raced 34 miles, the older men raced 42 miles and the younger masters racers competed over 51 miles.

Sunday morning, beginning at 9 a.m., individual riders left the starting line at one-minute intervals to race an eight-mile course against the clock. The winner is the person who competes the eight-mile distance in the least amount of time.

If the riders weren't tired after the eight-mile time trial Sunday morning, the monster phase - known as the criterium - remained as the final test of the lion-hearted.

It is the criterium which draws the most spectators, some of the best competition, and it all occurred in the relatively small space of a half-mile course with four right-hand corners in downtown Franklin.

Hannah Gwyn of Durham, N.C., won the overall Omnium competition with 127 points followed by Pam Zimmerman of Norfolk with 114 points. Sharon Smith of Charlottesville finished in third place with 106 points.

In the 30-39 master men's category, Roger Friend of Charlottesville took first place by a narrow two point margin over Grant Soma of Manassas, 135-133. Bob Collins of Virginia Beach was third with 109 points.

Wes Wilmer of Roanoke won first place in the Omnium with 153 points in the 40-49 bracket. Mark Plourde of Richmond finished with 125 points in second and Roland Parsons of Petersburg was third with 110.

In the 50-plus competition, Bob Kenner of McLean won a narrow five-point first place victory over Ron Whitenack of Newport News at 150-145. George Downer of Yorktown finished in third place with 108 points. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos including color cover by MICHAEL KESTNER

A tight group of master cyslists in the 30-39-year-old age bracket

enter a turn in the criterium held Sunday in downtown Franklin.

Cyclists and Franklin residents share space and pass the time on the

wall at the corner of Second Avenue and High Street Sunday afternoon

during the criterium through downtown streets.

Mary Beth Greer, Virginia state champion, is alone as she cycles

through the final laps of the Franklin/Southampton County Masters

Omnium.

A group of speeding cyclists cuts around the corner at High Street

and Fourth Avenue during the criterium.

Men racing in the 30-39-year-old bracket grimace as they pedal up

the Second Avenue hill in downtown Franklin.