Postponed from its original January 30th date due to poor weather conditions, today’s Paris Mountain time trial couldn’t have been held in better weather. The sun was shining and the temperature was hovering in the low 60’s with just a slight breeze.

The course is a 2.2 mile climb starting at the base of the hill on Altamount and finishing on the summit of Paris Mountain for a total elevation gain of 748 feet. The gradient is steady with a couple of steep pitches, a short steep section near the start of the hill and then in the last 150 meters the road kicks again hitting its maximum gradient of 18%.

With a time of 9:30 Thad Dulin of Global Bikes smoked the course passing several riders on his way to the top.

A pleased Dulin told Carolina Cycling News, “ I want it and love it and no one will take this away from me.”

Also racing today was 42-year old Amputee in Action racer Bryant Young. Young was testing a new prosthetic that allowed him, for the first time, to get out of the saddle and pedal. The Amputee in Action rider is trying to qualify for the Paralympic squad and getting off the saddle to apply that extra power is critical in order to make the team. Young just missed team selection last year by 10 seconds, so he’s hoping that the new prosthetic will help him close that time gap.