A little – OK, a lot of heat didn't keep a solid group of die-hard cyclists from showcasing their skills Saturday. Riders from around Georgia and beyond converged on the square to race through the streets of Covington in the criterium races of the Georgia Cycling Gran Prix.
Racers navigated the .67-mile course through the center of town in timed races. Eight classes took to the course with the youngest group, the juniors ages 10-14, racing the course for 25 minutes. The Pro 1/2 class raced last for 90 minutes.
James Todd won the juniors 10-14 race, finishing 12 laps in the 25-minute time. Alexander Dijkem finished second followed by Toby Wakelin in third.
In the juniors 15-16 session, it was Broderick Hartley finishing 17 laps in 31 minutes, 17.42 seconds to capture the win. Jonathan Cucaz and Benjamin Rothschild finished second and third respectively.
In the women's race, Cheryl Fuller-Mull topped Zoe Frazier and Katie Reynolds for the top spot on the podium. The women completed 22 laps in 38:59.65.
Michael Russell took the win in Category 4 , completing 24 laps in 38:57.92. Marvin Rivera came home second while Lafayette Brazil finished third.
Steven Carrell was the top Masters racer, completing 25 laps in 38:40.562. He was followed closely by Terry O'Toole and Steven Carpenter who also finished 25 laps in under 39 minutes.
In the Category 3 race, Eddie Murray made up 12 seconds in two laps to take the top spot. His time of 48:57.986 narrowly edged out Dalford England and Mateo Zuluaya. The three riders finished wheel-to-wheel. Each made 31 circuits around the course.
The main feature race pitted 57 riders in the Pro class and it came down to the last 20 feet to determine a winner. Joey Rosskopk edged his teammate Alexi Schmidt at the start/finish line to win the race in a time of 89:50.24. The lead pack turned in 71 laps in just under 90 minutes.
The Georgia Cycling Gran Prix included six races of varying discipline and distances over several types of course. Four of the six races were run in Newton County. The overall winners were awarded prize money, trophies and the coveted champions jerseys.
