Cyclers pg 9 9-1-11
- Details
- Category: Past Issues
captions, clockwise from top left:
Deary Racers
Dennis Kelly of Woodstock and Maureen Nicholson of Pomfret take a rest after the Deary Race. Photo courtesy of Laurie Edwards from Kelly Tire.
Mountain 'Toppers'
After racing 7.5 miles up Mt. Washington Dan and Liz Bove of Woodstock hold their bikes aloft. Photo courtesy of Charleen Larkin – Charleen ‘s Portrait Studio in Killingly.
All Together Now
Members of the Woodstock Cycling group take part in the Deary Race. Photo courtesy of Laurie Edwards of Kelly Tire.
Pedal, Pedal
Tim Ahearn of Woodstock finished third overall in the Mt. Washington Ride. He also finished third last year. Photo courtesy of Charleen Larkin of Charleen ‘s Portrait Studio in Killingly.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
They might be from all "walks" of life, but the Woodstock Cycling club has been biking its way to health --- and race wins.
According to Woodstock Cycling organizer Doug Porter of Woodstock Building Associates in Woodstock, the team was organized by Porter and by Dennis Kelly from Kelly Tire to take part in the Deary Ride. Porter said for three years Woodstock Cycling has been the top fund-raiser for the Deary Ride.
This year was no exception as the cyclers raised more than $900 through the sale of bike jerseys. "We had 13 riders in the race. We finished third in the time trial behind the teams; Bicycle Concepts and Danielson Adventure Sports. We clearly had the highest average age and no one had shaved their legs for the race," Porter said.
In a team time trial, a team’s time is determined based on the time of the fifth rider across the finish line. The strategy is to keep your team together as long as possible. Strong Woodstock Cycling riders at this year's Deary Race included: Martin Fey, Dennis Kelly, Bill Lecuyer, Mark Cotnoir, Dan Bove, Chuck Couture, Cary Bentley and Carl Asikainen.
Porter said that Chas Anderson "makes everything happen from arranging sponsorships to setting up the route, coordinating the volunteers and awarding the prizes. He is the Deary Ride."
Anderson said this is the third year the team has taken part in the Cycling for Cancer Care/Cathy's Ride. In those three years the cycling portion of the race has been more than $10,000 for the Deary Memorial Cancer Fund. Anderson added that 31 local businesses sponsored Cycling for Cancer Care. He said five teams competed in the Team Time Trial and a women's category is planned for next year. Also taking part were seven departments, six fire companies and the constables of Pomfret secured the intersections for the cyclists: Attawaugan, Williamsville, Bungay, W. Thompson, Thompson Hill, E. Putnam and the Pomfret constables
The new Quinebaug Valley Velo club was well represented, Anderson said.
In addition to the Deary race, cyclists have also taken part in the Mount Washington Hill Climb. More than 20 riders from northeastern Connecticut, including 12 from Woodstock participated in the Mount Washington Hill Climb. That grueling race is 7.5 miles straight up the mountain. Porter said Tim Ahearn from Woodstock finished third with a time of just under 1 hour.
Porter said Woodstock Cycling is a " group of riders trying to keep in shape as we get older while dealing with demands of work." The riders typically ride at 5:30 a.m. three times a week until the snow flies. It includes a variety of ages and professions; several local business owners and managers. Kelly from Kelly Tire, Porter from WBA, Bentley from Colt’s Plastic, Martin Fey of Fey Construction, Syd Blodgett of Providence Water Company, Chuck Couture of UConn, Bill Lecuyer, Forrest Pharmc., Bob Fournier of , Gilman and Valade Funeral homes. Others join this core group as their schedule permits.
Porter added QV Velo is a local organization of very active riders of all levels. Danielson Adventure Sports and Westview Healthcare were instrumental in getting the club going. On Wednesday afternoons, the club runs a 32-mile ride leaving from the Fitness Factory going through Killingly, Putnam and Thompson. The "jaunt" typically has 20 to 30 riders.
The club also has a Sunday morning ride leaving from Stop & Shop which usually runs from 50 to 75 miles and again includes 20 to 30 riders. Chris Gazzola, a teacher in the Killingly school system, leads these rides.