A Cooperstown doctor placed at the USA Cycling National Championship Masters Road Race on July 1 in Fall River, Wisconsin
Brian White, the chief of interventional pain management (IPM) for the Bassett Healthcare System, placed fourth in the 55-mile race on an 11-mile course, which is about 90 minutes northwest of Milwaukee.
Race day conditions were hot and windy, making for a challenging race, White said in a media release.
“Those last eight miles were hard, really hard, this is the hardest fight I can ever remember for a fourth-place finish,” he said.
Patrick Heaney, the top rider in class nationally won the race with last year’s winner, Chris Carlson in second. White and Carlson were the only two riders earning spots on the 2026 Championship podium to repeat after podium appearances in 2025. White placed third last year.
Early in the race White and Heaney were in a four man break for about 15 miles, the breakaway built up nearly a one-minute lead on the field but was caught by the field by about the 30-mile mark.
About 10 miles later, a second, two-man breakaway featuring Heaney escaped the field and built a one-minute gap.
With about eight miles to go, White made a solo attack and fought to create a 30-second gap over the rest of field. He was able to fight his own battle with the heat, hills, and the pursuing field to hold on and finish fourth.
“I thought my day was done after early break that Patrick and I were in got caught by the field,” White said. “After that early break effort my legs seemed a bit cooked, I wasn’t convinced I had another deep effort left in me. As we rolled into the last lap, I thought I would give it a go as we started the climbs on the back side of the course. I was able to get a good gap over the field and then worked really hard to build on that lead.
“Given the level of effort today, I am really pleased with the result,” he continued. “The guys in front of me have demonstrated time and again that they are the top guys in the country, so to be competitive with them is great.”