ELKHART, Texas — The sunshine was beaming as it lit every turn for cyclists competing in the Dogwood Omnium in Palestine.
The Dogwood Trails Celebration came to an end Sunday with the Dogwood Omnium, a competitive race tied to the USA Cycling organization.
"We’ve got a lot of talent in this race," Chaun Harper, a spectator, said. "It’s NASCAR on a bike."
This year's Dogwood Omnium was a race that attracted cyclists from all over the country.
"It was tough out there, pretty hard course for like climbing, and it was pretty hot," Donoven Francis, a race competitor, said. "But I think I gained a lot from it."
Racers compete in official USA Cycling races like this one to earn points and recognition to get further along their potential Olympic journey.
Donoven’s father, Chaun Harper, came from Dallas to cheer on his son as he learns about how competitive cycling can be.
"We're hoping for a top 10 finish," Harper said, "He's only 19 so he's racing some guys that are really, really, really good. This sport really operates around teams, which people don't really see. I'm a former football guy, so it's a different sport. It's grueling, it's tough, it's fast."
The Dogwood Omnium is a two-part event.
The first takes place in downtown Palestine, and the second extended down to Elkhart.
"It's just a really pretty area and it's not far from Palestine," Alexander Montoya, race director, said. "It was only a short drive for a lot of the riders, participants to come down here, and really great roads. It's very cool just to have this historic community here to actually do the race in and out of."
The race proved to be super successful and brought attention to a small town that doesn’t get a lot of action.
So if you’re thinking about picking up cycling, Donoven has a few tips for beginners.
"Just get a bike and find the love for it," Francis said. "I think that's the most important thing is to have fun, go explore. I mean, then once you like get used to it and get into it more, than I definitely would recommend getting a coach. That really helped me, but I think anyone can get into it. It's great to stay in shape."