They call it the Yellowstone Highway but U.S. 20 was mainly a windy and demanding stretch of pavement Saturday morning for the Idaho State Time Trial Championships.
A record 52 cyclists challenged themselves against the clock on the out-and-back 40 kilometer (24.8-mile) course that began east of the Timmerman Hill blinking light.
The turnaround for the 20k (12.4 mile) cyclists was near Loving Creek, and the turnaround for the 40k riders was near Susie Q Ranch. Either way, cyclists endured a headwind on the return leg.
Wind, as always, was a factor. But Ketchum's indomitable 37-year-old two-wheeled ace Richard Feldman licked it.
Durance Cycleworks/Lehman Brothers cyclist Feldman captured his 15th consecutive Idaho State Time Trial championship with a new course and state record time of 49 minutes and 49 seconds for the 24.8-mile distance.
Feldman, who improved his finishing time by 2:03 over last June, averaged 30.03 miles per hour for his morning trek.
Placing 2-3 in the strong men's field were Bill Olson 54:49 and Kris Thoreson 56:11. The top woman, 31st overall of the 39 long distance cyclists, was Dayna Deuter in 1.05:57.
Utah junior cyclist Connor O'Leary topped the 20k finishers in 30:33, not far ahead of 66-year-old Masters star John Swyers (31:55). Swyers improved his time by 44 seconds.
And the top female rider at 20k was Durance Cycleworks rider Patty Puz, 67, in a personal-record time of 34:20, 41 seconds faster than last year.
Meanwhile, 80-year-old inspiration Charley French of Ketchum spent his morning in the saddle as well. Remarkably, French's finishing time of 36:40 for the 12.4-mile distance was only one second slower than last year's effort.
Race sponsors included Durance Cycleworks and Lehman Brothers.
2006 Idaho State Time Trial results
June 24, 2006, presented by Durance Cycleworks and Lehman Brothers of Ketchum. The U.S. 20 pavement out-and-back courses measured 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) and 20k (12.4 miles). A record 52 cyclists took part. Finishing times in minutes and seconds, and hours, minutes and seconds, preceded by name and age class finish in parentheses.
40 KILOMETER
1—Richard Feldman (1) 49:49
2—Bill Olson (1) 54:49
3—Kris Thoreson (1) 56:11
4—Russell Thorstrom (2) 56:32
5—John Straka (3) 56:42
6—Ben Memmott (2) 57:06
7—Erik Ruggeri (1) 57:38
7—Ted Burgess (3) 57:38
9—Tim Root (4) 57:47
10—Brandon Lynch (2) 57:57
11—Robert Mitchell (1) 58:00
12—Bryce Thatcher (2) 58:23
13—Ryan Lindsay (3) 58:27
14—Henry Harper (2) 58:41
15—Chip Keyes (3) 58:41
16—Mat Hall (4) 59:14
17—Bradley Turpen (1) 59:21
18—Michael Olenick (1) 59:23
19—Mitch White (4) 1.00:42
20—Jon Engen (5) 1.00:51
21—Tom Campion (1) 1.01:11
22—Steve Butler (6) 1.01:22
23—Mark Bockenstette (5) 1.01:23
24—Scott Hoover (2) 1.01:57
25—Jon Holmquist (3) 1.03:26
26—Andrew Blank (4) 1.03:46
26—Mike Wrobel (4) 1.03:46
28—David Coughlin (2) 1.04:38
29—Donald Sewell (6) 1.04:58
30—Mike Ingram (6) 1.05:23
31—Dayna Deuter (1) 1.05:57
32—Leigh Morse (1) 1.06:08
33—Mark Gammon (7) 1.06:09
34—Mike Hipsher (6) 1.08:27
35—Jeffrey Roth (1) 1.09:37
36—Karin Lindholm (1) 1.10:00
37—Elizabeth Williams (1) 1.10:54
38—Nicole Brown (2) 1.11:20
39—Mimi Amrit (1) 1.20:09
20 KILOMETER
1—Connor O'Leary (1) 30:33
2—John Swyers (1) 31:55
3—Colton Osterhout (2) 32:15
4—Taylor Benz (3) 32:55
5—Mitchell Gammon (1) 32:58
6—Micah Thatcher (1) 33:25
7—Patty Puz (1) 34:20
8—Willard Lindsay (1) 34:59
9—Charley French (1) 36:40
10—Jackson Long (2) 40:04
11—Colby Benz (1) 40:09
12—Lois Lindsay (1) 41:28
TIME IMPROVEMENTS OVER 2005
40 kilometer: Mitch White 6:17, Andrew Blank 6:02, John Straka 5:45, Mike Ingram 5:41, Kris Thoreson 4:53, Robert Mitchell 3:44, Richard Feldman 2:03, Russell Thorstrom 1:43, Tom Campion 1:05. 20 kilometer: Lois Lindsay 0:59, John Swyers 0:44, Patty Puz 0:41, Willard Lindsay 0:16. Pretty much a wash: Charley French just 0:01 slower than last year.
