Sports
Shrewsbury Man Wins 2022 George Street Bike Challenge
More than 60 cyclists Sunday competed in the ride up George Street, the steepest incline in Worcester.
WORCESTER, MA — A short but brutal Worcester bike race attracted dozens of men, women and teens on Sunday, with riders competing for the fastest time up the steepest street in the city.
The annual George Street Bike Challenge for Major Taylor challenges riders to race 500 feet up an 18 percent grade. Taylor, an early 20th Century world biking champion, used the two-block hill to train while living in Worcester in the 1890s.
The all-time record for the race was set in 2012, when Scott Smith, 18, of Agawam, tackled the hill in just 22.12 seconds.
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In the 2022 race — the first held since 2019 due to the pandemic — Shrewsbury resident David Flynn won the challenge in a time of 23.13 seconds. Margo Pawlak, 55, of Westford was the top woman with a time of 39.62 seconds.
More than 60 people age 13 to 78 showed up in record heat for Sunday's race. Here are results from the Major Taylor Association:
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Top 20 men
- 23.13 — David Flynn, 37, Shrewsbury
- 23.78 — Caleb Kelly, 40, New Haven, CT
- 23.88 — Aiden Jasmin 22 Alstead, NH
- 24.50 — Taylor Smith, 31, Princeton
- 23.12 — Phil Cass, 20, Sudbury
- 26.03 — Jim Shepardson, 50, Charlton
- 26.35 — Paul Noone, 38, Millbury
- 28 — William Rhatigan, 24, Newton
- 29.59 — Alan Stevenson Jr., 38, Marlboro
- 29.75 — Eric Stratton, 38, Worcester
- 30.31 — Timmy Alzamora, 24, Clinton
- 30.35 — Brad Cortright, 32, Worcester
- 30.47 — William Skirkey, 60, Pepperell
- 30.63 — John de Rivera, 27, Worcester
- 30.69 — Christopher MacLean, 28, Fitchburg
- 31.65 — Benjamin Hall, 30, Worcester (tie)
- 31.65 — Tom Walsh Jr., 37, Charlotte, NC (tie)
- 31.65 — Michael Lorion, 48, Millbury (tie)
- 32.03 — Greg Lewin, 54, Worcester
- 32.35 — Cyrus Ndolo, 29, Boston
Top women
- 39.62 — Margo Pawlak, 55, Westford
- 39.96 — Paula Brunetto, 56, West Cornwall, CT
- 43.16 — Judith Fenner, 67, Brewster
- 97.16 — Donna Severson, 59, Spencer
- 205.50 — Eileen Braye, 61, Greensboro, NC
15 and under
- 33.74 — Ayre Stephenson-Sweeney, 13, Worcester, MA
- 42.75 — Nathaniel Burke, 14, Altamont, NY
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