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2022 - The 9th Annual 3RVS September Touring Challenge is Now Underway
The September Touring Challenge is available to members only. 3RVS membership is available at www.3rvs.com.
View the Leaderboard at: www.americanclassicgroup.com/3rvs/3rvschallenge.htm
View the historical leaderboards at: www.americanclassicgroup.com/3rvs/3rvschallengehistory.htm
September 1, opening day, on top of the leaderboard in the Ladies Division is Valerie Litznerski with 67 kilometers. The Men's Division leader is Clinton Allen with 103 kilometers. Forty-four riders put in 2,254 kilometers on Day 1.
Day 2, Kevin Crews spins on top of the leaderboard, with Valerie Litznerski leading the Ladies' Division. Some big distance is expected over the next three days as 3RVS hosts the Annual Labor Day Weekend Triple Century. Can you ride 300 miles in three days?
Day 3, the first of three Labor Day Weekend Century rides. Weather was warm and dry on the flat course. Eleven riders completed Century Day One: Patrick Stelte, Mike Miller, Henry Swinty, Rick Bokern, Russ Stephens, Marty Smolinski, Sean Martin, Dave Anderson, Elana Merritt, Joe Bartels and Krista Stockman. On top of the leaderboard are Kevin Crews at 366 kilometers in the Men's Division and Elana Merritt at 223 kilometers in the Ladies Division.
Day 4, the second day of the Triple Century Weekend saw some rain at the end of the ride. Five riders completed the 100-mile course to Wabash and back; Valerie Litznerski, Patrick Stelte, Todd Anderson, Joe Bartels, and Cody Benham. Kevin Crews and Elana Merritt remain at the top of the men's and ladies leaderboards.
Day 5, the final day of the Labor Day Weekend Triple Century. Seven riders completed 100 miles today; they are: Clinton Allen, Patrick Stelte, Marty Smolinski, Todd Anderson, Elana Merritt, Henry Swinty, and Joe Bartels. Update - The only two club members to ride 100 miles in all three Labor Day Weekend Century rides were Patrick Stelte and Joe Bartels. Patrick rode a total of 316.3 miles and Joe rode 323.6 miles over the past three days. Congratulations Patrick and Joe!
Day 6, nine riders reach the 500-kilometer award level: Kevin Crews, Clinton Allen, Patrick Stelte, Mike Miller, Henry Swinty, Marty Smolinski, Elana Merritt, Rick Bokern and Todd Anderson.
Day 7, Kevin Crews and Clinton Allen are the first two riders to reach the 750-kilometer award level. Twelve other riders are at the 500-kilometer level as the first week of the challenge wraps up.
Day 8, Mike Miller and Patrick Stelte reach the 750-kilometer award level. Kevin Crews at 977 km, and Elana Merritt at 580 km maintain their respective leads in the men's and ladies' divisions.
Day 9, Kevin Crews tops the leaderboard and is the first rider to reach the 1,000-kilometer award level. Men's and Ladies Podium positions remain the same: Men's Division: 1. Kevin Crews, 2. Clinton Allen, 3. Mike Miller. Ladies' Division: 1. Elana Merritt, 2. Valerie Litznerski, 3. Kelly Barnes. Five riders at the 750-award level, with nine riders at the 500-award level.
Day 10, Some big numbers today. Several members rode centuries. Henry Swinty climbs to third place chasing Kevin Crews and Clinton Allen. In the Ladies Division Valerie Litznerski has a big day and overtakes Elana Merritt for the top spot. Clinton Allen joins Keven Crews as the first two riders to achieve the 1,000-kilometer award level. Nine riders are at the 750-kilometer award level. Hugh Smith joins five others at the 500-kilometer level. Podium leaders in the Men's Division: Kevin Crews 1,289 km; Clinton Allen 1,120 km; Henry Swinty 944 km. Ladies Division leaders: Valerie Litznerski 820 km; Elana Merritt 732 km; Kelly Barnes 498 km.
Day 11, An all-day rain cancelled the club ride, but that did not stop some riders. Joe Bartels, Mike Miller, and Elana Merritt, got in a century. Four riders now over the 1,000-kilometer award level, including: Kevin Crews, Clinton Allen, Henry Swinty, and Mike Miller. Only 32 kilometers separate Valerie and Elana from the top of the Ladies Leaderboard.
Day 12, Another rainy day. If you did not ride in the morning or early afternoon you likely got wet. The Ladies Podium spots remain the same, and Mike Miller moves up to third place on the Men's Podium. Kevin Crews and Valerie Litznerski remain on top of the Men's and Ladies' Podiums.
Day 13, Three, cool, wet days in a row. Kevin Crews is the first rider to reach the top level of the challenge, with 1,645 kilometers. The next six riders are at the 1,000-kilometers award level. Places 8 through 14 are at the 750-kilometer award level. Places 15 through 20 have reached the 500-kilometer award level. The Men's podium places remain the same with Kevin Crews on top; Second place, Clinton Allen; Third place, Mike Miller. In the Ladies Division, Valerie Litznerski holds on to first place; Second place is Elana Merritt; and Kelly Barnes, third place.
Day 14, Finally, a dry day. Patrick Stelte and Russ Stephens join six other riders at the 1,000-kilometer award level. Ramon Vasquez joins five others at the 750-kilometer level. Five riders have reached the 500-kilometer mark. Kevin Crews remains the top rider in the challenge and the only one at the 1,610-kilometer award level. Valerie Litznerski continues to lead the Ladies' Division with 1,076 kilometers.
Day 15, The challenge at its mid-way point finds Kevin Crews, Clinton Allen and Mike Miller on the Men's Podium. Ladies' Division podium positions are Valerie Litznerski, Elana Merritt and Kelly Barnes. Twenty-two riders have qualified for distance awards.
Day 16, Kevin Crews holds onto first place by riding a century today. Second place Clinton Allen rides from Fort Wayne to Grand Haven, Michigan cranking out 180 miles, and becomes the second rider to reach the 1,610-kilometer award level.
Day 17, Kevin Crews has another big day to extend his lead in the challenge by more than 500 kilometers over Clinton Allen. Valerie Litznerski holds down first place in the Ladies's Division by 225 kilometers over Elana Merritt.
Day 18, No changes in any podium positions. Henry Swinty becomes the third rider to reach the top level of 1,610 kilometers. John Rodino and Kelly Barnes reach the 750-kilometer award level. Rex Connelly, Bill Crowley, Krista Stockman and James White reach the 500-kilometer award level.
Day 19, Kevin Crews extends his lead to over 600 kilometers. Mike Miller regains third place in the Men's Podium race. Mike Miller and Steve Pequignot reach the 1,610-kilometer award level. Michael Toole and Susan Zuber reach the 500-kilometer award level. The Ladies' Podium positions remain the same. 1. Valerie Litznerski; 2. Elana Merritt; and 3. Kelly Barnes.
Day 20, Henry Swinty climbs back into third place in the Men's podium race behind Kevin Crews and Clinton Allen. Valerie Litznerski becomes the first woman to reach the top award level of 1,610 kilometers and remains atop of the Ladies Podium ahead of Elana Merritt and Kelly Barnes. Ramon Vasquez reached 1,000 kilometers. Scott McCauley reaches 750 kilometers, and Bruce Fisher, Carolyn Marie, Don Cahill, and Steve Edmiston reach 500 kilometers. Thirty-six riders have qualified for distance medals.
Day 21, No changes in either podium spots. Rain washed out late morning and early afternoon rides. Seven riders reach the 750-kilometer award level: Tom Loucks, Steve McDonald, Tood Andersen, Denise and Jim Snyder, Scott McCauley, and Jason Yager.
Day 22, Kevin Crews continues to cruise in first place. He holds an 800 km lead over the field heading into the final eight days. Can he be caught? Steve Pequignot breaks into a podium spot. Hugh Smith reaches the 1,000-kilometer award level, and Keith Pulfer reaches the 500-kilometer award level. The ladies podium places remain the same: 1, Valerie; 2, Elana; and 3, Kelly.
Day 23, Henry Swinty climbs into second position in the Men's Podium. John Rodino becomes the tenth rider to reach the 1,000-kilometer award level. Graham Wedeven reaches the 500-kilometer level. The ladies podium places remain the same, with Valerie's lead shrinking to 140 kilometers heading into the final week of the challenge. Can Elana catch her?
Day 24, Kevin Crews holds a 600-kilometer lead in the Men's Division; and Valerie Litznerski is 300 kilometers ahead of Elana in the Ladies Division. Patrick Stelte and Russ Stephens have reached the top award level in the challenge. Kelly Barnes reaches the 1,000-kilometer level. Adrienne Maurer and Michael Tools make it to the 750-kilometer level. Tim Johnston, Dave Shaw, Mark Witmer and Helen Best ride to the 500-kilometer level.
Day 25, it's Sunday, which means that all challenge riders must have this week's rides posted on Strava no later than today to ensure proper credit for the week. The Strava ride week begins on Monday and ends Sunday. Rick Bokern and Elana Merritt reach the top level in the challenge. Sean Martin and Chris Carter reach the 500-kilometer level. All podium positions remain the same. Forty-four riders have qualified for distance awards.
Day 26, Steve Pequignot moves into second place in the Men's Podium race. Kevin Crews remains in first place with a 483-kilometer lead. Denise Snyder moves within 60 kilometers of a podium position in the Ladies Division. Bill Meyer becomes the 11th rider to reach the top distance level. Scott McCauley, Denise and Jim Snyder reach the 1,000-kilometer level. Rex Connely rides to the 750-kilometer level.
Day 27, Kevin Crews rides 273 kilometers today to maintain a firm hold on first place heading into the final three days of the challenge. Graham Wedeven and Carolyn Marie have reached the 750-kilometer award level. Jude Serrani reaches the 500-kilometer level. There are no changes in any of the podium positions today.
Day 28, No changes in podium positions. Kevin Crews and Valerie Litznerski hold down the top spots in their respective divisions. Steve McDonald reaches 1,000 kilometers. Bruce Fisher and Don Cahill reach 750 kilometers. Michael Toole is just 77 kilometers short of leveling up to 1,000 kilometers. Susan Zuber is also 77 kilometers away from the 750 level. Bernie Lohmuller is only 3 kilometers from reaching the award level. Do you have the legs to level up in the last two days?
Day 29, Michael Toole reaches 1,000 kilometers. Susan Zuber reaches 750 kilometers. K. Lohm, Kylie EIcholtz and Dave Anderson reach 500 kilometers. Kevin Crews holds a 416-kilometer lead in the Men's Division; and Valerie Litznerski has a 593-kilometer edge over Elana Merritt for the top spot in the Ladies' Podium race with one day remaining in the challenge.
Day 30, Thank you to the 89 club members who participated in this year's September Touring Challenge. After 30 days of riding Kevin Crews is this year's Champion. Kevin rode 3,384 kilometers. Second place in the Men's Division and returning from an injury which kept him out of last year's challenge is Steve Pequignot, who rode 3,035 kilometers. Finishing Third is Henry Swinty with 2,628 kilometers. The first-place finisher in the Ladies Division is Valerie Litznerski, riding 2,205 kilometers. Coming in second place in the Ladies Division is Elana Merritt, a first-year club member who rode 1,612 kilometers, followed by third place Kelly Barnes, who is our Tuesday night Kreager Ride Leader. Kelly rode 1,232 kilometers. On the last day of the challenge Marty Smolinski reached the top level of 1,610 kilometers. Tom Loucks reached the 1,000-kilometer level. Sean Martin who just returned from the UCI World Time Trial Championship in Italy, reached the 750-kilometer award level, along with Steve Edmistin, 3RVS racer Cody Benham, and James White. Reaching the 500-kilometer mark on the last day were K. Lohm; our youngest rider in the challenge at age 13, Kylie Eicholtz. Dave Anderson and Jason Eicholtz also reached 500 kilometers. Jason almost caught up with his racing daughter, Kylie. In total, there were 12 riders who exceeded 1,610 kilometers for the month who will be placed on the 3RVS Road of Fame. Another 12 riders exceeded 1,000 kilometers during September. Twelve more riders exceeded 750 kilometers, and 13 riders reached 500 kilometers. In all 49 riders rode enough kilometers to earn awards. The 89 riders rode a total of 64,338 kilometers in 30 days, which is 10,578 fewer than the 99 riders in last year's challenge rode in a record-setting year. All September Touring Challenge Awards will be presented during the club's End of Season Party later this year. The 2022 final results are now available on the Leadboard at: www.americanclassicgroup.com/3rvs/3rvschallengehistory.htm
The Three Rivers Velo Sport Road of Fame
3RVS members who have competed in any of the eight September Touring Challenges and finished with 1,610 or more kilometers in any one challenge will be inducted into the Three Rivers Velo Sport Road of Fame. Below is a list of all 95 Road of Fame members from 2014 through 2022. Note: Some members are listed multiple times as they won the honor two or more years.
2022 Three rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
The Class of 2022 September Touring Challenge members inducted into the Road of Fame
1 Kevin Crews 3,384 kilometers
2 Steve Pequignot 3,035 kilometers
3 Henry Swinty 2,628 kilometers
4 Valerie Litznerski 2,205 kilometers
5 Clinton Allen 2,110 kilometers
6 Mike Miller 1,879 kilometers
7 Marty Smolinski 1,792 kilometers
8 Patrick Stelte 1,764 kilometers
9 Bill Meyer 1,726 kilometers
10 Rick Bokern 1,717 kilometers
11 Russ Stephens 1,705 kilometers
12 Elana Merritt 1,612 kilometers
2021 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
The Class of 2021 September Touring Challenge members inducted into the Road of Fame
1 Joe Bartels 5,027 kilometers
2 Mark Geiger 3,500 kilometers
3 Tom Loucks 2,831 kilometers
4 Marty Smolinski 2,418 kilometers
5 Denise Snyder 2,065 kilometers
6 Jim Snyder 2,065 kilometers
7 Mike Miller 2,024 kilometers
8 Valerie Litznerski 1,809 kilometers
9 Sean Martin 1,806 kilometers
10 Tim Johnston 1,750 kilometers
11 Henry Swinty 1,697 kilometers
12 Maureen Randall 1,684 kilometers
13 Hugh Smith 1,618 kilometers
2020 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Steve Pequignot 4,921 kilometers
2 Joe Bartels 4,034 kilometers
3 Maureen Randall 2,501 kilometers
4 Marty Smolinski 2,145 kilometers
5 Deborah Watts 2,096 kilometers
6 Rick Bokern 1,878 kilometers
7 Patrick Stelte 1,733 kilometers
8 Tim Landrum 1,657 kilometers
9 Diana Schowe 1,654 kilometers
10 Nathan Woods 1,651 kilometers
11 Sean Martin 1,629 kilometers
12 Shane Powell 1,629 kilometers
2019 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Steve Pequignot 3,336 kilometers
2 Lisa Mabbitt 2,279 kilometers
3 Marty Smolinski 2,010 kilometers
4 Emily Baltes 1,969 kilometers
5 Denise Snyder 1,827 kilometers
6 Jim Snyder 1,827 kilometers
7 Patrick Stelte 1,662 kilometers
8 Doug Wintin 1,626 kilometers
9 Rick Bokern 1,260 kilometers
2018 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Mark Linn 3,326 kilometers
2 Kymberly Byers 2,783 kilometers
3 Denise Snyder 2,295 kilometers
4 Jim Snyder 2,295 kilometers
5 Steve Pequignot 2,183 kilometers
6 Marty Smolinski 2,013 kilometers
7 David Park 1,953 kilometers
8 Jason Maier 1,921 kilometers
9 Mark Geiger 1,732 kilometers
10 Patrick Stelte 1,718 kilometers
11 Rick Bokern 1,647 kilometers
12 Russ Stephens 1,633 kilometers
2017 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Steve Pequignot 4,500 kilometers
2 Shane Powell 2,716 kilometers
3 Mark Linn 2,163 kilometers
4 Jon Rodino 2,023 kilometers
5 Mark Geiger 1,927 kilometers
6 Patrick Stelte 1,888 kilometers
7 David Park 1,794 kilometers
8 Susan Zuber 1,775 kilometers
9 Rex Connelly 1,741 kilometers
10 Rudy Schmidtke 1,691 kilometers
11 Russ Stephens 1,652 kilometers
12 Fergie Meek 1,620 kilometers
2016 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Steve Pequignot 4,516 kilometers
2 Jody Thomas 3,238 kilometers
3 Rick Pegg 2,911 kilometers
4 Deborah Watts 2,266 kilometers
5 David Park 2,000 kilometers
6 Matt Misner 1,945 kilometers
7 Amy Copeland 1,850 kilometers
8 Beth Ann Green 1,792 kilometers
9 Dennis Zech 1,737 kilometers
10 Rex Connelly 1,730 kilometers
11 Russ Stephens 1,630 kilometers
12 Mona Will 1,627 kilometers
13 Patrick Steltie 1,616 kilometers
14 Scott Thomsits 1,613 kilometers
2015 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Steve Pequignot 3,518 kilometers
2 Matt Misner 2,751 kilometers
3 Jody Thomas 2,578 kilometers
4 Rob Hentz 1,708 kilometers
5 Russ Stephens 1,672 kilometers
6 Patrick Stelte 1,629 kilometers
2014 Three Rivers Velo Sport September Touring Challenge Road of Fame Members
1 Rob Hentz 2,428 kilometers
2 Steve Pequignot 1,979 kilometers
3 Matt Misner 1,961 kilometers
4 Deborah Watts 1,744 kilometers
5 Rex Connelly 1,614 kilometers
View the Leaderboard at: www.americanclassicgroup.com/3rvs/3rvschallenge.htm
