DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY|dewayne@mcnews.online
ODEN – The 2022 Ouachita Challenge Gravel Grinder race saw the first cyclists cross the finish line in just over three hours Saturday. The quick pace was set by a cluster of riders led by Austin Morris (3:02.49), Brad Cobb (3:02.50) and Kevin Solomon (3:02.51).
The race was divided into four categories with men’s and women’s divisions in the Gravel Grinder and OC Double Categories. The Gravel Grinders were just signed up for Saturday’s race while the OC Double riders will compete in the Gravel Grinder Saturday and the Challenge Sunday.
In an effort to spread the prize money around as much as possible the OC Double Course riders were presented with swag today and the fastest Gravel Grinder riders were given checks for the top finishers in Saturday’s race.
The first seven cyclists to cross the finish line Saturday were double course riders. The winner of the Gravel Grinder Division was Reese Stanley with a time of 3:09.36. Brian Lea finished second (3:09.38) and Neil Simmons finished in third place (3:12.36).
Tara Hileman won the Women’s Gravel Grinder with the best overall time among all female cyclists with a time of 3:30.49. Amy Borkowski finished second place in the Gravel Grinder division (3:45.54) and Stephanie Wittington finished third (3:46.45). Sara Sheets had the second best overall time while competing in the OC Double Division with a time of (3:39.53).
The Gravel Grinder was held on gravel paved roads near the Ouachita and Womble Trails. However, the race course did not use the single track trails as part of the course. The weather was near perfect for this year’s race with temperatures near 40 degrees at the start of the race and in the upper 60s by the finish. The skies were clear and the wind pleasant for the race.
See next week’s issue of the Montgomery County News for more times and highlights from the Ouachita Challenge Gravel Grinder and Challenge races.
