The second of three Paris Mountain time trials was contested under near perfect blue skies. Fifty-eight riders took to the start line vying for a personal best or to be crowned the champion of this 2.2 mile climb.

One of those looking to be the fastest up Paris Mountain was 35 year old Bruce Humphries. He missed the first Paris Mountain time trail in March but he kept an eye on the fast time set by the previous Paris Mountain time trial winner Thad Dulin.

“I’ve been looking at his time and egging him on all week long, telling him I was coming,” said Humphries.

With a time of 9:21 at an average speed of 14.11 miles an hour Humphries was the fastest on the day beating Dulin by 16 seconds. Humphries knew that morning that he was going to be fast.

“I went up earlier in the day to take some bottles to the top and I knew I was going to have a good day.”

“I started off at a good pace- roll the carpet out – and in areas where I could big-ring it, I did. I was watching my average speed and I knew if I could keep it around 14 miles per hour I would go well. With 500 meters to go I was at 14.2 [average speed per hour] and I just kept on going,” continued Humphries.

However it’s not always the fastest rider that has the most compelling story. Lined up wearing cargo shorts which covered his cycling bibs and a loose fitting cycling jersey as well as pedaling a steel Raleigh road bike with steel rims (which included a busted rear spoke causing the wheel to rub against the brake pads) was 18 year old Dan Joyal. While Joyal might have looked like a fish out of water competing against riders on bikes retailing in the thousands of dollars, his time of 12:06 was not.

When asked how he posted such a good time, Joval bashfully said, “I don’t know man. I just went out there and rode real hard and didn’t give up until I got to the top.”

At just 16 years old this Ohio native started competing in endurance mountain bike races. He raced one more time that year and didn’t race again until the following season, this time in cross country.

“I did a hundred-mile mountain bike race, which was good because it got me out riding every day.”

This past January Joyal moved from Ohio to Greenville and without a car for transportation his Raleigh road bike is his sole means of getting around. If any team out there is looking for a diamond in the rough, Dan Joval is the rider you’ve been waiting for.

RESULTS

Men

1. Bruce Humphries 9:21
2. Thaddeus Dulin 9:37
3. Noah Metzler 9:55

Women

1. Kristen Phillips 12:04
2. Kristen Weinacker 12:05
3. Lara Shaw 12:38