Norris, Pic Win 5th Annual Cycling Race

By DAVID HAYS 
Special to the Index-Journal

Keith Norris raised both arms high in the air to celebrate victory as he crossed the finish line at the Uptown Greenwood Pro Cycling Challenge. The women's champion did not get that opportunity.

Tina Pic won Greenwood’s first women's pro cycling event in a literal photo finish, not knowing the outcome until some 20 minutes after Thursday's race. Racing for the Colavita Sutter Home Team, Pic edged Cheerwine teammates runner-up Kelly Benjamin and third-place finisher Laura Van Gilder by a fraction of a second.

"I really threw my bike on the (finish) line and I wasn’t really sure that I got her (Benjamin)," Pic said. "And then I saw Laura come from the far left. So I had no idea who had won. I thought I had gotten Kelly. But I wasn't sure. And then I saw Laura out of the corner of my eye."

The fifth annual Uptown Greenwood Pro Cycling Challenge is part of the eight-race USA Crits Southeast Cycling Series being held over nine days in South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Crits stands for criterium racing in the States.

The series included Athens and Roswell, Ga., and Beaufort and Walterboro before winding through Greenwood. The cyclists head to Spartanburg today and finish the series over the weekend in Anniston and Decatur, Ala.

Pic also won at Roswell and Walterboro and has seven victories this year, she said. Benjamin had won at Beaufort.

"You are most proud of the races that are hard-fought and this was a hard fight for us tonight," Pic said. "We have four riders and most (teams) have six. They really handed it to us tonight. They were attacking, attacking and really working us hard."

Pic bested approximately 50 women, posting a time of around 52 minutes over the 45 laps. That Pic won should not be a surprise. The Dahlonega, Ga., native who turns 41 next week is a four-time U.S. national criterium champion (2002-2005).

Norris of team AEG-Toshiba-JetNet wasn’t trying to win the men’s race. "I was actually setting up the race for a teammate of mine (Frank Travieso)," Norris, a 21-year-old from Miami, said. "I was going to try to take him as close as I could to the line so that he could win the race. Things just ended up toward my favor. I guess he saw that as well, so he just let me go and I got to win the race."

Norris's winning time over the 60 laps was one hour, 16 minutes and 33.7 seconds. After the race, he gave his victory bouquet to 13-year-old autograph seeker Brittni Crittendon of Greenwood.

Norris edged Martin Gilbert of the Kelly Benefit team by two-tenths of a second while Alejandro Borrajo of Argentina placed third for the Rite Aid Team. Travieso, of Cuba, placed fourth. Ivan Dominguez, who won the 2005 and 2006 Greenwood races, was competing elsewhere Thursday.

"I am not powerful. I am just kind of quick and use a light gear," said Norris, who took up cycling at age 12. "I feel great. It's a big win for us. There are a lot of the top riders in the country here. We have been in the top five a couple times in the (Southeast) series. It's great to finally get a win."

A criterium is a multi-lap race in a closed course typically less than one mile long. This racing discipline has bred a unique type of cyclist who must demonstrate top speed and bike handling skills.

The criterium has been referred to as America's contribution to bicycle racing because it provides an up-close and personal glimpse at the fast-paced sport. The riders are sometimes inches apart, maintaining a speed as high as 25-35 miles per hour on aerodynamic bicycles made of a variety of different metals that cost in the thousands of dollars.

On a mostly cloudy, warm evening that turned very windy toward the end, enthusiastic fans lined the start/finish line in front of the Greenwood County Courthouse and also filled the area around the fountain.

The clockwise course began in front of the courthouse on Monument Street, turned right on to Oak Street, to Main Street (adjacent to the fountain parking lot), to Court Avenue, back onto Main Street, to Marion Avenue and back to Monument Street. The men raced 60 laps and the women 45.

Derek Kidd of Greenwood, the only local competitor, raced 42 minutes and 30 seconds before dropping out.

"That hill on the back side killed me every lap," Kidd said, with a smile. "My right calf cramped about the last 10 minutes I was in there. I just couldn't overcome it. It was a very fast race. You've got some of the best riders in the world out here."

Merchandise and cash prizes were awarded to the winner of specially designated laps called primes (pronounced premes) during both the men's and women's races, creating extra excitement during the middle of each event.

The children also had races, entertaining the crowd with spirited efforts over the same course as the pros. Some even rode on tricycles. Children participated in a bicycle rodeo, a safety clinic and a free helmet giveaway.

"The crowd was fantastic," Kidd said. "It was really awesome."