Mount Vernon News

Duncan wins MV Classic

MOUNT VERNON — On an unusually cool and overcast summer evening in downtown Mount Vernon, three bike races — comprising the Mount Vernon Classic sponsored by Ariel and powered by GOBA — heated up the crowd and the riders as they cruised through a course packed with spectators.

The first stage of the Tour of Ohio, sponsored by CreditToRide.com, was the main event of the evening, with time bonuses in the remaining stages up for grabs for the top spots. Justin Lindine led the pack by a wide margin for most of the middle section of the 60-lap race, but more experienced riders eventually caught the up-and-coming biker with 15 laps to go.

David Duncan — along with Matt Winstead of Inferno Racing and Luke Servitio of Krystal Racing — caught Lindine, but Duncan pulled away in the final lap to take the win by less than a bike-length.

Duncan said his team arrived just as the race was beginning, started in the rear and had to work to reach the front of the race, adding he was unaware that Lindine held such a significant lead for a substantial amount of time.

“We figured somebody was going to roll early, and we were just going to miss it,” the Winston-Salem, N.C., native said. “Once in awhile, we would just attack and hope something would roll our way. Finally, it did.”

The win was Duncan’s first of the season and will give him the yellow jersey for the Tour of Ohio’s second stage, which will take place today in Coshocton. He said an obvious motivation propelled him to victory in the final half-mile, even while competing against Winstead, whose teammate, Hayden Godfrey, was a first-place finisher at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and was closing his gap with the top four as the race came to a close.

“I just really wanted to get the win,” said Duncan, a member of the CycleSafe.org team.“I’ve had a little bit of a rough season. I’m finally starting to get some legs. I just had to hope that something would go my way in that last lap to position me right.”

The top 10 places resulted in a payoff for the riders. Winstead, who had to change bikes early in the competition because of mechanical problems, and Servitio came in second and third, respectively. The race began on High Street by National City Bank, circled the square, went down South Main Street, turned right on East Vine Street and finally took riders down Mechanic Street back to High — totaling .45 mile per lap and 27 miles for the entire race.

An open race for citizens, which ran for 18 laps and 8.1 miles, followed the Tour of Ohio race. Russell Fogle of Akron lapped each of his competitors and cruised to an easy victory. Although initial results indicated otherwise, Ron Moody of the Raisin’s Rack Cycling Team was deemed the second-place finisher after the confusion, which was caused by Fogle’s lapping of the entire field, followed by John Price of Delaware in the third spot.

A kids’ race was held before the Tour of Ohio competition, a sprint from Sandusky Street to the finish line. Participation was limited, but Emerson Ricard of Mount Vernon crossed the finish line first in the 10-12 age division. Mitchell Gadd, also of Mount Vernon, came in second. No other results were available.