Sunday, December 21, 2008

CCR's Army invades Cullman



The CCR Army invaded Sportsman Lake Park in Cullman Al. for the season finale of the 2008 Bamacross season. The grueling muddy conditions from the prior week had been traded in for much cooler temperatures, and yes, more mud. Sportsman Lake Park is a unique course that incorporated your standard issue man made barriers and steep run-up, but also took into account the parks unique attributes. We traversed part of the lake itself, crossed a creek and a bog, ran around a jungle gym area that was filled with pea gravel, crossed back and forth over the mini-train tracks, rode some sweet fast single track, and had a triple tree crossing. Sprinkle in Christmas decorations, cowbells, screaming fans and you have yourself a perfect cyclo-cross venue.



As has been the trend all cross season long, the team raced with guts, heart, and dogged determination. Some were racing for a podium spot, others racing for that elusive top ten finish, others for that top ten overall, and others to top their best finish this season.



The cooler temperatures brought out the hard core crossers. There were no field fillers and no one timers. Lining up at the start line, though the fields were smaller, were the hardest of the hard. You knew looking around that the faces staring back at you were familiar. They were the same faces that you had toiled with all season long. You knew in your heart that there was going to be no let up, and that you were going to have to work, probably the hardest all year to realize your dream.



At the end of the day covered in mud, extremities numbed, lungs scorched by the cold, and facing sheer exhaustion the team closed the curtain on the 2008 season. The racing had been everything we could have hoped for and more. Stacey’s momentum was not affected by her off week, and she cruised home to victory in the women’s CX 4 race. Larry had again doubled up coming home 4th in the Master 35+, and 11 in the men’s CX 3/4 races. Mike Herring also did the double and raced to an 8th in the Master 45+, and 13 in the men’s CX 3/4 race. Chris Leven went out and seized the moment getting himself a top 10 in the CX 3/4 race with an 8th place finish. Diesel ground out a 7th in the men’s CX 4/5 race, and Zach doing what he does best brought home a 2nd place finish in the juniors race.



Before we left to go home, 2 of our own took their spots on the podium to be recognized for their achievement for the season. Zach finished the season ranked second in the Junior’s class. Stacey got to go one step higher on the podium and finished 1st overall for the women’s CX 4 class. For the rest of us, we had a 2 week wait till we found out how we finished. In his second full season of cross, and racing half of the Master 35+ series, Larry finished the year 7th, and 10th in the CX 3/4 series. Chris Leven, with his gutsy finale finish, blasted into a 15th place finish for the CX 3/4 series. Mike Herring racing in his first full year, finished the year 13th in the Master 45+ series, and 23rd in the CX 3/4 series. Lastly the rookie, and destroyer of many a bike part, Mike “Diesel” Garner, held on by a mere 4 points for a 5th place finish in the men’s CX 4/5 series. As a team we finished in 6th place for the series, the highest finishing rookie team.



Please enjoy probably our best photo gallery of the season, and race reports should be forthcoming. See you next season.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Fain Park Mud Cross



The cyclocross Gods smiled on the Bamacross race #6 at Fain Park in Montgomery over Thanksgiving weekend. Whether any cross racer will admit it or not, we long for the brutal conditions that the sports riders in Europe face. We long for the rain, snow, wind, and cold. We want the conditions to be raw. It helps separate the racers from the wannabe’s.



Starting Thanksgiving night and continuing through Sunday’s Masters Race, 2+ inches of rain turned the fairly timid Fain Park course into a monster. The winds kicked up, and the temperatures dropped. The ditch crossings turned into tricky watery traverses or peanut butter thick mud. The 2 run-ups turned into mud slicked slip and slides, and the bog on the back of the course turned into a quad burner with a water crossing that could swallow a semi-truck.



The team relished there opportunity to get the seasons first taste of true cyclocross weather. 5 races in sunny temperate weather is for the roadies, we wanted, no feigned, for this weather, and we were not going to let our opportunity go to waste.



The tone for the days races was set on the very first lap of the very first race. It was going to be a slow, back breaking, quad burning slog around the course. Larry started things off and showed the way in the Master’s race coming home in 5th. Mike and Zach then took their turns with Zach coming home 2nd in the Junior’s, and Diesel coming home 6th in the CX4/5. Both Larry and Diesel decided to relish the epic conditions and doubled up to race with Chris and Mike in the CX 3/4 race. Chris lead the way in 12th, with Larry close behind in 13th, Mike finished in 17th, and coming home dead last, racing for the love of the sport, Diesel.



Lots of mud and lots of fun. We will probably never get all of the mud out of our clothes, or our bikes. The series season finale is in Cullman this Sunday, so come on out and cheer us on.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Stacey Davis, Womens CX4 Cyclocross State Champion

Alabama's state cyclocross championships took place at a new course under the lights in Anniston, AL. Our very own Stacey Davis, mashed the competition, and brought home the state championships in the women's CX4. The field was the most competitive to date. Stacey took control of the race early, never looking back. 3 was a charm for Stacey, pacing herself to her 3rd victory in as many weeks.



The guys on the other hand put up the good fight but could not match Stacey's victory. Larry, doubling up, finished in 4th in the Master Men's race, and put in a solid top 20 in the men's CX 3/4 race. Mike Herring also doubling up, finished 9th in the Master's race, and also put in a solid top 20 in the 3/4 race. Chris Leven rocked out with a 15th in the men's 3/4 race. Zach Davis finished 5th in the Juniors race. Lastly, the Diesel, had the dubious distinction of being the team's Lantern Rouge, pulling up the rear with a 20th place finish in the 4/5 race.

We apologize for the lack of race photo's. It is incredibly difficult, to ring a cowbell, hold your drink, hand out water, scream your head off, and take photo's. With 2 races to go, to team is in a dog fight for a top 5 finish in the team standings, and in bitter battles to stay in the top 10 in points in the Women's CX4, Juniors, Men's 4/5, and Men's 3/4. Check back for an update after the Montgomery Race at Fain Park.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Half way home.....



Nothing compares to racing at home. You get to sleep in. The walk back to the course was longer than the drive over. You get to have your family, friends, dogs, and other team members there to cheer you own. You get home earlier and it is just a more relaxed atmosphere.



The fall foliage made a beautiful back drop for a fast and intense race. This was the inaugural race at Heardmont Park, and by far the most technical that we have raced this year. It was a tight track with several tight switch backs, several dry creek bed crossings, a sand pit, and a Belgium inspired up hill spiced with barrier crossings. The difficulty of the course never allowed for big gaps in the races. You were always within sprinting distance of the racer in front of you, and there was always someone lurking behind you waiting to pounce and take your position.



The team had another very successful weekend of racing. Stacey Davis went back-to-back and won her second race in 2 weeks. Zach came home with a 4th place in the juniors race. Mike “Diesel” Garner came home in 10th, and Josh Powell coming out of his summer slumber came in 13th in the Men’s CX 4 race. Larry Stanley and Mike Herring put up the good fight in the Men’s CX 3 race coming in 15th and 21st respectively.



The team now gets a much deserved week off to rest, heal, and fix anything that they may have broken. The focus then changes to the State Championships under the lights in Anniston, November 22nd. The only thing that the team would love better than having all their fans out there cheering them onto victory would be the cyclocross weather that has been avoiding us all year.

Race Reports: Larry, Diesel,

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Spooktacular in Tuscaloosa

The team ventured down to Tuscaloosa this week for the aptly named Spooktacular Cyclo-Cross Race. With Halloween less than 48 hours departed, the course was still in it's costume, and handing out plenty of tricks, and one big treat for the team. We were treated to a tombstone barrier crossing, plenty of ghosts and goblins, spider webs, the occasional body part, our first steep run up of the year, a wall crossing, and tight twisty single track. The tricking started early on during the warm up laps when Zach flatted and Mike G. destroyed a chain guide. They exercised there demons by the time the racing started, and both of them finished without incident. Zach rode an awesome race and brought home a well deserved 3rd place finish in the Juniors race. Mike G. fought off a stomach bug and dehydration to finish 11th in the men's CX 3/4.
The next race tested the team as a whole. Larry and Chris both started fast with Larry leading into the first set of barriers. As the field began to string out, signs of the tricks the course was playing became evident. Flat tires, and lots of them. Larry was bit on the rear tire, Chris had a rear tire go down only to double flat on the next to last lap, and Mike Herring not wanting to be left out had a front tire flat. The flats ravaged the field. Mike G. and Zach manned the pits for what seemed to be a constant stream of CCR riders coming in. Both scavenged parts off of there own bikes to get the team back into the race. Larry's perseverance paid off with an 11th place finish. Mike Herring brought home a 14th place finish, and Chris rounded it off in 17th.
CCR's treat for the day came in the women's CX4 race. After being teased for riding her mountain bike instead of her cross bike, Stacey promptly went out and destroyed the women's CX4 field and won. Stacey navigated the course without a problem and made her victory look easy.
The team will be back in Birmingham this week racing at Herdmont Park. Come on out and cheer us on.

Reports: Larry, Diesel

Sunday, October 19, 2008

CCR Storms Prattville


We play with enthusiasm and recklessness. We aren't afraid to lose. If we win, great. But win or lose, it is the competition that gives us pleasure. -Joe Paterno

Team CCR saddled up this week and hit the road for the 70 mile ride south to Prattville, AL. For most of us, this was the first time we had ever been to Prattville. We had heard stories that the Prattville track was wicked fast, and she lived up to her reputation.

The Prattville course is built for speed. It is a perfect blend of long straight speed alley’s, tight technical turns, a technical decent through Kudzu and the climb out, and the sand pit. It is a course that made you trust your instincts, your ability, and your equipment in order to be successful.

As will be the case at every race this season, the C race kicked things off. Mike Garner and Zach Davis had the un-nerving task of setting the tone early for Team CCR. The key to the day’s success for both riders was staying out of trouble. Both missed the crash in the fourth turn, and spent the remainder of there race riding smart and protecting their position. Once again both captured lightning in a bottle with Zach finishing 4th in the Junior race, and the Diesel bringing it home in 6th in the Cat 4 race.

Team CCR then sent out their hammers. Larry Stanley, Chris Leven, Mike Herring, and Stacey Davis boarded the pain train for their 45 minute ride. For the men, they were racing against a stacked deck. There are several riders in the Cat 3 class that should be running higher up, but our boys never waivered. Stacey’s group was a 2 horse race. Stacey got behind early, never throwing in the towel and just destroyed 3rd on back. Exhausted and relieved, Larry brought home 10th, Chris brought home 15th, and Mike Herring followed it up with a solid top 20 effort. Stacey, smiling from ear to ear, finished in 2nd.

Another solid outing with 4 top 10's. Watch out T-Town. Here we come..........

Race Reports: Stacey, Diesel, Larry,

Enjoy some more pictures of our excursion southward.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Zach Davis cruises to victory at Dead Dog 8.



While most of us were laying around last weekend resting up from Avondale, our Junior rider Zach Davis, went and raced his mountain bike at Dead Dog 8. Zach riding on a newly updated course at the Trussville Sports Complex, annihilated his Junior class and cruised home to victory. Zach was so fast that even the camera man could not get his picture till he was on the podium. Congratulations to Zach for a well deserved and hard earned victory.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

CycloCross Season Kicks Off at Avondale



The 2008 Alabama Cyclocross Series got under way Sunday at Avondale Park in Birmingham. The Avondale course according to most, is one of the most difficult in the series. It races around what used to be the Birmingham Zoo, and an amphitheater that hosted groups like the Allman Brothers in the 60's. The grueling course contained some very technical sections consisting of rocky decents, off camber turns, tight switch backs, cobble paths, and the stairs. The stairs are crazy hard. They are inconsistent from step to step and really test your mettle.



Team CCR sent 3 rookies and 3 veterans into the first race of the season. The first race of the day for CCR was the "C" race. This race was a combination of CAT 4/5 and Junior Classes, and also had all 3 of our rookies. After 30 mintues the dust settled and our 3 rookies were now veterans. Zach Davis brought home 3rd place in the Junior Class, Mike Garner brought home a 9th place in the 4/5, and Mike Herring battling through a list of mechanicals brought home a hard fought 17th in the 4/5 race. Stellar results from the rookies.



We then unleashed our veterans, who proceeded to build on the foundation laid by the rookies. The "B" race was made up of all the womens categories 1-5, and the mens Cat 3/4 race. After 45 minutes of mind blowing, soul searching pain, Stacey Davis brought home the best result of the day for CCR coming home 2nd in the Womens Cat 4 race. Larry Stanley followed up with a 9th place in the 3/4 and Chris Leven battling the mechanical gremlin that was in Mike Herrings bike finished 19th.



Four top 10's to kick off the last racing series of the season was an incredible effort. It is nice to have a little momentum going into the Prattville race.

Race Reports: Larry, Stacey, Chris, Diesel

Monday, July 14, 2008

"The Piranha" Strikes

Our very own Brad Fish won the Sprott TT (Alabama State Championship) on Sunday. Details to come!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Bump N Grind 2008- Justin



Bump N Grind has passed and blessed us with some good results:

1st- Stacey Davis- Sport Women 40-99
2nd- Larry Stanley- Sport Men 40-44
4th - Zach Davis- Sport Junior 18 & under
7th- Mike Herring- Sport 45-49
10th- Justin Poland- Sport 25-29
14th- Josh Powell- Sport 25-29

This year's race, on one the finest courses in the southeast, was very successful with over 500 riders in uniform. Weather was a bit humid with a high of 88. There was only one report of a dislocated shoulder but other than that, just scrapes and bruises.



Many Pro teams showed for the event: Trek/VW, Gary Fisher 29'er crew, Kenda/Titus/Hayes, Luna Chix and Sobe-Cannondale. Shonny Vanlandingham took the top spot for the Pro Women and Ryan Woodall took the top spot for the Pro Men. Unbelieveably fast riders! Jason Sagar was rumored to be making an appearance but DNS.



All age group races seemed to be larger than last year, making the single track parts harder to pass. So many riders at once really loosens the turns and crashes provide the entertainment. Flat tires were the plague this year, much more than last.



Thanks to BUMP and all the volunteers for the privilege of riding on this amazing course because of the work that they put forth and we look forward to next year's event.



Check out the results, photos and race reports. Thanks for reading!



Reports: Justin and Larry
Results
Photos

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Cheaha Challenge- Mike Garner



Team CCR sent 10 riders for the teams first ever assault on the Cheaha Challenge, "The toughest ride in the South". The ride boasts cumulative climbing of over 7400 feet for the century riders, but still leaves plenty on the table for the riders who choose the shorter routes. The climb up Cheaha was rated in the top 100 climbs by Bicycling Magazine.



The bad weather that washed our race day out on Saturday, left us clear blue skies and cooler less humid temperatures. Our assault began at 7:30, along with several hundred other riders. The first 22 miles are a dream, pancake flat, with a few rollers. It is very easy to get caught up in the moment and hammer the first 22 miles, but you have to keep reminding yourself that there is a long way to go and a lot of climbing to get there. Read More>>

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Attack on Swayback- Justin



The 2008 Attack on Swayback is behind us now! Saturday Josh Powell and I went to pre-ride the course because neither one of us had ever set foot in Wetumpka, AL on the Swayback Bridge Trail.



After the pre-ride we came to the conclusion that it would be absolutely impossible to pass so hole shot was key from the start. The trail was the tightest singletrack I had ever ridden. It consisted of tight turn after tight turn, quick switchbacks into climbs, short steep leg burning hills and the turns were a combination of sand and gravel. The temps Sat were hanging around 73. Bring on the challenge!



Take off Sunday morning was 10:40. This was Josh's first singlespeed race and man there was some serious competition, mad props to him for following through the challenge. I took off with the 19-29 Sport, Larry shot out with the 40-49 Sport and Stacey followed with the Sport Women.



As you can tell from the pics the race was a success (podium spots) for Stacey and Larry. Stacey placed 3rd overall woman and 1st in her age group. Larry placed 3rd in the 40-49 Sport, Josh placed 6th in singlespeed and I placed 7th in 19-29 Sport. It was a tough race but CCR persevered. This was a good start to our mountain bike season. Next stop Sunny King Crit and the Cheaha Challenge all in one weekend.

Photos: CCR, Others1, Others2
Reports: Justin, Larry
Results

Old Howard 100- Brad Fish

Jamie, Don and myself went down to Marion, AL for the Old Howard 100 on an awesome day to be riding a bike. The ride was perfect in all respects. It was very well organized and had great sag stops. The route was slightly hilly with hardly any cars. We rode the 100 mile route and I decided to "be like Mike" and do the pulling. We did the 100 in 5 hours and 22 minutes.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Tour de Tuscaloosa- Justin



TDT 2008 is behind us now and sadly the beginning of a huge lull in road and crit racing for the state of Alabama until the Sunny King Crit in Anniston, AL. The TDT crit on Saturday proved to be "the hardest crit in Alabama" all because of "the climb". The 90 degree right turn into a 10% grade is just not right. You go from gasing it on a flat to hitting the brakes and shifting down all in one motion.



Herring, Garner and Fish were the CCR reps for this year's crit. Herring finished 24th in the 35 masters, Garner finished 27th and Fish brought a strong 10th although the results show him at 17th because of a confusion with a lapped rider. Garner gets the man points for this week, racing both the crit and road race with a pretty bad sinus infection.



Sunday was the TDT road race. This was my first time to enter the road race and the sources that I relied on stated that this course is very similar to the training race course from the start of the season. Needless to say those sources are no longer going to be used. This course was a climbers course vs. the sprinters training course, not even in the same category.



Herring raced 35+ Cat 4 not finishing because of a flat on the 3rd lap. Renfroe's rear derailleur exploded about a mile from the start in the Cat 4 race. Fish, Garner and I raced Men's 5's taking 25th, 41st and 31st. Stacey and Alli raced with a strong womens Cat 4 field finishing 5th and 10th.



Altogether it was a great event, no one crashed and the rain held off.

Crit Report(s): Mike
Road Report(s): Mike, Justin
Photos Crit: CCR, Velo City
Photos Road: Velo City

Friday, March 28, 2008

Kits Are In!- Justin


Chris Storie, Ashley Renfroe, Josh Powell, Mike Garner, Todd Tropeano and Brad Fish

Our new kits came in on Wednesday and are looking some kinda sweet! The guys pictured above couldn't wait to give them a test run so they kicked off our Thursday night training ride at Oak Mountain State Park in"buddery" style and fashion.

We'd like to thank American Safety Tread, Stanley Steamer, Cahaba Cycles, Alabama Neurological Institute and Beljum Budder for making all this possible, you guys are a blessing. Please show our sponsors on the right some L-O-V-E.

Also, Monday started our conditioning for mountain bike season. The Spit-N-Grit Time Trials have been introduced to Oak Mountain via Team CCR. We will log everyone's time and watch to see how much we improve our times throughout the season.

Tour de Tuscaloosa is this coming Sat and Sun. We are sending a few guys and gals to see what we can do with the new kits. I sware it's going to make us faster, I just know it. Stay tuned for some serious TDT race reports!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Ride to Live 2008- by Justin


Pic Courtesy of Ride to Live Race.com

This weekend was the second annual Ride to Live at the Barber Motorsports Park. Most fields were filled with riders from all across the southeast, as well as a couple of guys from Europe. For those that salivate when the word "Criterium" is mentioned, you better grab a napkin.


Pic Courtesy of Ride to Live Race.com

The track was a 2.38 mile road race track, 45' wide, with 16 flowing turns and 80' of elevation change. This tracks primary use is world renowned superbike and sports car racing. So, when a crit rider hangs a turn, traction is optimal.


Pic Courtesy of Ride to Live Race.com of Tria Market- Daryl Seelhorst and Brent Marshal
Team CCR had four participants: Larry, Brad, Stacey and Robyn. Larry and Brad toed Cat 5 and Stacey and Robyn toed Cat 4. The Cat 5 men's race was packed with 50+ riders as always and things were definitely interesting. Towards the end of the race the middle had some squirliness and resulted in a pile of carbon bikes and one broken collarbone. Fortunately, Larry was in front of the pile and Brad was behind far enough to avoid the pile. Larry continued on to chase the front runners and Brad backed off because of the flash backs from last week. Larry finished 30th after a hard push on the last climb and Brad finished soon after.


Pic Courtesy of Ride to Live Race.com

The women's Cat 4 race went out hard. Two ladies from the Medplan set the initial pace along with Team BooKoo. Team BooKoo tried to make a break but it didn't stick. One of the ladies broke out but the ladies blowed it off thinking she was a decoy. Well, she won the race. Stacey finished 6th and Robyn experienced her first road race.

All the proceeds from the Ride to Live race benefit UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and
the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Reports: Stacey, Robyn, Larry