Coop Cyclist Wins Masters Men Time Trial
By DARLA M. YOUNGS
MIDDLEFIELD
The New York State Bicycle Racing Association held its 2023 New York State Time Trial Championship races on Saturday, August 19 on a new course along State Route 166. More than 100 riders from all across New York State gathered at the Cooperstown-Westville Airport starting point, hosted by Central New York Cycling. Riders competed in multiple categories and distances.
Local rider Brian White of Cooperstown placed first in the Masters Men 55-59 division with a time of 00:56:55. Charles Hollister of Oneonta, representing the Laborers Local 785 team, placed fourth in the Cat 4, Cat 5 and Citizen Men race, and Nick Suozzo of Sherburne placed fifth in the Masters Men 65-69 division.
“I was very pleased with my win in the Masters category,” White said in an e-mail. “The Masters field is subdivided into five-year age brackets starting at 35 years old. So, 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+ and 55+. All of these groups compete in the 40K event. There are 60+ groups that ride a 20K course.
“In the 40K Masters groups, I actually had the fastest time of all riders. I had not ridden a time trial since 2001, but given that the race was so local I decided to ride and support the event. I spent the past month getting myself—and my 25-year-old time trial bike—prepared for the event. I hadn’t ridden a single mile on that bike since I rode three 40K time trials in October 2001. Given this, winning against a strong group of Masters riders was a welcome surprise.”
“Thanks to NYSBRA for their support, and our volunteers and USA Cycling officials who made the day a huge success. We were flying!” said Race Director Peter Martin of CNYC.
“It was great to be able to have a state-level event run locally. Many thanks to Peter for taking on the task of bringing bike racing to Otsego County,” said White. “It would be great to see more events and hopefully to get more members of our community out there on bikes, getting exercise and enjoying our beautiful surroundings.”
Martin said feedback from the exhausted riders was very positive.
“The course was a bit slow, given the somewhat hilly profile, with more than 800 feet of total climbing,” White recalled of his ride. “The road surface was mildly rough, it was very windy, and this course was about one kilometer longer than the typical 40K course. That said, two of the younger guys gave truly outstanding performances, with the fastest rider having a high 50-minute time and the second place with a 52-minute time. Under the conditions on Saturday, these are really phenomenal performances and my hat is off to both of them for stellar performances and examples of really elite-level cycling.”
There were three distances raced on Saturday, according to White—a 10K event for kids, a 20K event for those over 60, and a 40K event for pretty much everyone else.
“I think our youngest rider was 9 and the oldest 75,” Martin added. “It’s a really cool event. Possibly we will host again in 2025.”
Upcoming CNYC events include the Butternut Gravel Grinder on October 7 in New Lisbon. For more information, visit the CNYC Facebook page.