The Chattanooga Bicycle Club, in partnership with presenting sponsor Owen Cyclery, announces the induction of Bill Parsons and Spencer Whittier into the 2025 Chattanooga Cycling Hall of Fame. The induction dinner and ceremony will take place this Saturday at the Ultra Club at Finley Stadium.
Officials said, "Since its inception in 2022, the Chattanooga Cycling Hall of Fame has honored individuals who have significantly contributed to the local cycling community, promoting the sport and enhancing Chattanooga's reputation as a cycling-friendly city.
Bill Parsons and Spencer Whittier join an elite group of eleven prior inductees recognized for their outstanding achievements and lasting impact on cycling in the region.
"Bill Parsons began his cycling journey over 30 years ago as an amateur racer under the U.S. Cycling Federation (now USA Cycling). He has played a pivotal role in Tennessee and Chattanooga-area bicycle racing. By the mid-1990s, Bill shifted his focus to race management, serving as the race director for the Raccoon Mountain Road Race from 1996 to 2006 and the River Gorge Omnium in 2012 and 2013. These races attracted top amateur cyclists nationwide. Bill's contributions extend to his 17-year tenure on the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association board of directors, where he managed the state's points competition and maintained its website, a comprehensive archive of Tennessee racing history dating back to 1996.
"Spencer Whittier, a lifelong athlete and national-level competitive cyclist, has excelled in multiple cycling disciplines, including cyclocross, gravel and mountain biking. His many notable achievements include winning the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship in the 30-34 age group in 2016 and securing 12th overall and first in his age group at the 2024 Park City Point-to-Point 75-mile MTB race."
The Hall of Fame's past inductees include Amy Phillips, Durward Higgins and Krystal Burnham, all national-level racers; Brad Cobb, a leading amateur racer and founder of the nationally-recognized Motor-Mile Racing mountain bike team; Brad Devaney, a pioneer in titanium bicycle fabrication; and the late Tom Owen (posthumously inducted in 2024), an early advocate for cycling in Chattanooga and founder of the CBC in 1967 and Owen Cyclery in 1973.
For more information about the Chattanooga Cycling Hall of Fame and all of the inductees, visit https://chattanoogabicycleclub.com/chattanooga-cycling-hall-of-fame.