Oliver bike race attracts fast crowd

Ben Thomas is the starter for the biek race.

Dispite sizzling heat, bikers of all ages lined up on North Carlisle Street Wednesday afternoon for the James P. Oliver Memorial Bicycle Races. The 5- to 7-year-old age group race began at 1:30 p.m. followed by older age groups. A variety of bike styles were on hand, including some with training wheels and a few big wheels.

Winners in the timed race for the 5- to 7-year-old girls were Kaitlyn Bower, first, Asley Noblit, second, and Courtney Norris, third. First place for the boys in this age group was Micah Miller, followed by Ethan Murr, second, and Taylor Noblit, third.

In the 8- to 9-year-old age group, Bailey Bingaman took first for the girls, followed by Brianna Roland and Kelsie Keekler, who tied for second. Casey Hoover won first place among the boys, with Conner Shank taking second and Kurtis Kline placing third.

Joanna Scott was first among girls in the 10- to 11-year-old group, followed by Dara Murray, second, and Kayleigh Smith, third. Among boys in this age group, Daren Bowser placed first, Jake Alexander was second, and Matt Potter was third.

Hailee Martin was first girl in the 12- to 13-year-old group, which had no second or third place finishing girls. Grant Murray was first for the boys, followed by Ryan Troskoski, second, and Will Massie, third.

Amy Foulton placed first among girls for the 14- to 15-yearold age group; Auston Everets was first for boys.

Among 16 to 20-year-olds, Jennifer Dahlman took first. Rick Brake placed first, Dennis Dahlman took second, and Tom Green, Jr. took third in the 21 and over group.

Fastest overall rider was Auston Everets, who reached a speed of 25.14 miles per hour, followed by Rick Brake, at 24.26 miles per hour and Dennis Dahlman and Grant Murray, both of whom reached a speed of 23.11 miles per hour. Jennifer Dahlman was the fastest female rider, with a speed of 22.28 miles per hour.

Riders said that even though the heat was intense, the race was fun. "When I was riding I felt a really cool breeze," said Harrison Scott, 9. Harrison and his friend Savannah Stahl said the hardest part of racing for them was having to race against each other.

Ryan Troskoski, 13, and Will Massie, 12, said that getting ready for the race was a little intense. Will said he had to fix loose handlebars and put air in his tires at Sheetz right before the race, but the effort was worth it. "It was awesome," he said. "It was fun," Ryan echoed.

Grownups like Dennis Dahlmann voiced a similar emotion, saying, "It was a thrill!"