Attorney puts practice to test

Vindicator staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Alan Wenger has been coming downtown every work day for 32 years, but finally got to participate in his first meaningful bicycle race near his office.

“It was amazing and delightful to see a bicycle race downtown,” said Wenger, an attorney at Harrington, Hoppe and Mitchell in the Huntington Bank Bldg.

“I’ve been waiting for this a long time,” the 57-year-old said of the opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

Wenger of North Lima entered the Cat 5 race.

“It was the Tour of the Valley’s only 5, so I jumped in and had a wonderful time. It was a blast.”

It culminated his passion of riding that began years ago when he helped publicize the Mahoning Valley Cycling Club, which had riders Jim Yankush and Sal Ponzio.

“Now we’re becoming more older guys like myself, but they were active.”

Wenger said he keeps a bike in his car and tries to ride during his lunch hour.

“I’ll change at the YMCA and go out through the park, so I ride these streets for fitness and to do it in a race setting is a highlight of it all.”

He commented on the Tour’s uniqueness downtown.

“It’s the only one that I know of, other than the YMCA-based triathlons that we’ve had. But this is different, it’s criterium racing.

“There are Cat 1-2 riders here from all over the country,” he said of the sanctioned, national-level competition.

Wenger’s son, David, finished third in the Men Pro 1-2 several hours after Alan participated.

Wenger noted that MVC member Phillip Hines won Sunday’s Masters 40+ race.

Hines, originally from Niles but living in Brecksville, is 40 years old. He knew teammates would ride to the front during the 1.1-mile course to block for him.

“I went as fast as I could for one lap,” Hines said of having fresh legs, thanks to his MVC mates. “I figured once they caught [Rich Gould of Hudson], everybody else would be tired and I’d go.”

The Masters 40+ yellow jersey champ was 49-year-old Ray Russell of of Beaver, Pa.

Russell’s team is Settenove.

“It means 79 in Italian. That’s because all our guys live near I-79.”

Russell gained his points by winning Saturday’s road race. Entering Sunday’s event, he was only one point behind Gould (Rainbow Inks Summit Free Wheelers of Akron).