Fain Pain=Rain

Every true cyclocross racer dreams of racing in the nastiest of conditions. I guess we here in the states are drawn to those conditions because of what we see over in Europe. It snows and we want snow, it rains and we want rain, it blows sideways and we want it to knock us down. I guess deep down in our souls we realize that in order to call yourself a true cross racer, you will be required to race in conditions that make the mere mortal cyclist stay inside on the trainer.

Montgomery continued the tough racing conditions that we have experienced pretty much all season long in Alabama. It was like racing on a peanut butter covered sponge. They actually re-routed the course before the Master Men's race because the water crossings were too deep. No matter how hard you pushed, you still went the same speed. Changes in air pressure seemed to work the best, but irregardless of wet tire or dry tire, it all came down to how you managed your power to get the tires to hook up.

Team CCR had 7 top 5 finishes on the day. Hardwick doubled up and won both the Master Men 45+ and the Men's B races. Lisa continued her dominance with a victory in the Women's 4 race. Stacey showed how quick she is regardless of the conditions with a victory in the Women's 1-2-3 race. Larry Stanely had a strong showing and finished 3rd in the Master Men 35+ race. Mike Herring finished just off the bottom step with a 4th place in the Master Men 45+ race. Zach went out strong and managed to secure a top 5 finish in the Men's 4/5 race. Garner struggled, it's just one of those years.

The team going into the last race at Cullman has the the potential for a podium finish in the overall team competition, and the potential to snag 5 spots in the overall competition. Another solid outing by the team.

Anniston After Dark

When the Bamacross series calendar comes out towards the end of summer, everyone looks for the (brackets) after the race venue. It means one of 2 things, either the state championships or a night race. Since the 2009 state championships have come and gone, it could mean only 1 thing going into this week. For some riders it really messes with their flow. They are used to a routine for the Sunday morning races. Eating, packing, travel, are a mastered science. Now their world is turned upside down for that one night race of the season. They spend the day discombobulated. For the rest of us, we greet the night race with the anticipation of school kids knowing that we have a day off. We are so excited that we show up 2 hours before the course even opens to get a good spot for the tent, put out the chairs and coolers, set up the bikes, and then we nervously wait. We seemed to be the giddy school kids that day. With no organized caravan to Anniston, Zach, Garner, and Powell managed to all run into each other at Chick-Fil-A, while Larry was there 30 minutes before we even got there. We still had over an hour before the first race!

We had an awesome night of racing. CCR put 3 riders on the podium. Lisa Trainor won the the Women's 4 race, while Hardwick Gregg and Mike Herring got 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the Master Men's 45+ race. Top 10's were earned by Zach, 5th, and Josh, 7th, in the Mens CX4 race. Larry fought his way to a 5th in the Master Men's 35+ race. Hardwick, doubling up, just missed the podium finishing 4th in the Mens CX 3/4 race. Garner raced hard, but never could catch back on after a first lap incident with several riders. The team put in a solid effort and is setting themselves up for a top 3 finish in the overall team standings with efforts like this. Check out some photos from the racing.

Sloss Cross

One of the coolest parts about racing in a grass roots racing series like BamaCross is that you get the opportunity to race your bike in some really cool venues. We had the unique opportunity to race at the national historically registered Sloss Furnace in Birmingham last weekend. With the city of Birmingham and crystal clear blue skies as the back drop, the course weaved it's way around what at one time in it's life was a bustle of industrial activity. The course was flat, dry, and fast, while the racing was as hot as the furnaces used to be.

The riders took note of the unique venue and came out in droves. The "C" race had over 60 riders that took the starting line. After a kind of sluggish start to the year, CCR has found their legs and the results are pouring in.

Stacey drilled the "A" women's race again, making this the third victory in a row.

Hardwick continued the march of CCR riders onto the podium with a 2nd in the Masters 45+ race, and a victory in the "B" race. Larry took his first steps onto the podium during a cross race with a 3rd in the Masters 35+ race. Herring finished just off the bottom step with a hard earned 4th place in the Masters 45+ race.

The large field in the "C" race made the riding fast and intense. Zach and Josh stood fast bringing home a 6th and 9th place finishes respectively, but most importantly they protected their positions in the overall series classification. Garner finally found his legs and his luck securing a 13th place finish. Justin Poland, taking a break from marathon training, even caught the Bamacross bug, hung up his sneakers for the clipless shoes, and came out and raced.

Our home on race days "Camp Cahaba" was packed with friends, family, and other racers. The team had an awesome day placing 7 riders in the top 15 in their respective races. With the sun ablaze, great temperatures, and a great vibe we all left the race with a lot of great images from the day.

Spooktacular in Tuscaloosa

It's the day after Halloween and we are racing cross bikes, and guess what? It rained. For the most part the course was dry, but the stuff that was wet really made you work. Larry fresh off the anniversary weekend took one more step closer to his goal of getting on the podium finishing 5th in the Masters 35+ race. Mike Herring not wanting to miss out on any of the fun also got a top 5 with a 4th place finish in the Masters 45+ race. Hardwick, who is making an instant impact, took the extra step on the podium this week to the top winning the 45+ race!

The "C" race field was again jam packed, but Josh and Zach charged to the front and fought hard to bring home top 5 finishes. Josh finished 5th while Zach took a step onto the podium in 3rd. Garners run of bad luck continued, but he still fought to get home in the top 25.

Stacey fresh of her State Championship victory, went back to back, winning her second race in a row.

In the "B" race Hardick took the 3 steps back up to the top of the podium winning his second race of the day! Larry scored a top 15 with an 11th place finish, and Mike Herring put in a solid effort for his second race of the day finishing 18th.

Check out some pictures of the weekend, we will see you at historic Sloss Furnace in Birmingham!

Dead Dog IX

Congratulations go out to both Larry and Hardwick for their podium efforts at this years edition of Dead Dog. Hardwick finished 2nd in the Singlespeed classification, and Larry finished second in the Sport Men's 40-49 classification. Way to go guys!

Revenge of the Beast from Cooters Pond

Finally some blue skies and dryer conditions to race in! What a welcome relief from the peanut butter thick mud that we raced in during the opening weekend. Prattville is one of the more picturesque courses that we will race in on the circuit. Lush green rolling hills painted against a backdrop that includes the Montgomery skyline and Cooters Pond itself. Thankfully, for the first time in a long time, no rain preceded the race and we had optimal conditions to race in. The icing on the cake was that this race was this years Alabama State Cyclocross Championship.

It turned out to be a great weekend for the team. We welcomed our newest teammate, Hardwick Gregg, Garner broke out a new bike, Stacey raced with us, and Larry took the weekend off to celebrate his anniversary. Things were already great before we took one pedal stroke on the course.

Hardwick and Mike Herring kicked things off in the Masters 45+ race with both earning top 10's. Hardwick ascended the steps of the podium notching a 2nd place finish in his first race with the team.

The "C" race field was big again with a starting field somewhere in the 50's. Zach and Josh charged out hard with both securing top 10 finishes. Garner and John both struggled, but put in a good solid fight.

Hardwick did the double also racing in the "B" race. He secured his second top 5 of the day with a 4th place finish.

Stacey not only moved up to the women's "A" category but she also defended her State Championship title from 08, and now has the distinction of being the women's state champion 2 years in a row. It was an awesome effort.

Enjoy some photo's of the race, and we will be back Halloween weekend in Tuscaloosa.

War at the Ward

The 2009 Bamacross season kicked off in fantastic fashion last Sunday at George Ward Park in Birmingham. The states wettest year in recent memory took what could have been a lightning quick course and turned it into a muddy mess where conditions deteriorated with each passing race. For a cross racer, this weather is stuff that we dream of. I think the only thing that would have made it better was snow. Through the days racing Larry, Zach and Josh fared better in the mud than the rest us with each posting top 10's finishes. Herring, Garner, and John Pugh fought the good fight and posted decent finishes, but the mud dampened their high hopes. In all it was a great day of racing, found some bugs that needed to be ironed out, got to see some old friends, and best of all kicked off the season in fantastic fashion. Please check out some of pictures from the race, and come on out to Prattville this Sunday Oct 18th to root the team on at this years State Championship race.

Bump N' Grind XV

Team CCR got back to it's fat tire roots by racing in the Bump N' Grind XV Mountain Bike race at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama. The trail at Oak Mountain is one of the premiere tracks in the Southeast. Since it was a "home" race it also allowed a majority of the team to come out and cheer on our racers. Larry and Mike Herring both suffered crashes during the race, but it hardly effected the final results. Larry finished 4th in his race, and Mike Herring finished 5th in his race. Justin Poland kept the streak of top 10's alive with his 6th place photo finish. Zach Davis, fresh off of graduation and a week of R&R, capped the day off with a 10th place finish. In all, 4 riders went into the race, and all 4 were in the top 10. It was a solid day of racing for the team, and we got to cap it off by watching the Pro Men's and Women's races later that day.

Enjoy our photos of the races.......

Row, Row, Row, your bike.......

The cycling Gods have not been nice to the Birmingham cycling scene this 2009, and the dreadful weekend weather continued for this years edition of the Sunny King Criterium. In what was described as being stung by the rain drops, 4 weary souls raced during the deluge that sat on Anniston, Alabama. Gardner Fish brought home another solid top 10 finish with a 6th place in the Juniors 13-14 race. Brad and Larry brought home top 15's in the Men's Cat 4/5 race finishing 14th and 15th. Doing the double Larry also backed up his first race with a 10th in the Cat 5 race. Big pats on the back went to Brad and Mike Herring who road to their limits to help bring Larry home in 10th. A HUGE thanks also goes to Laurel. She found solace in the liquid sunshine and rooted the guys on and snapped a few rain soaked pictures for us as well.

The Gods cranked up the weather tenacity for Sunday's Cheaha Challenge. This time along with the rain, came hail, wind, and tornado warnings. Luckily for us Laurel and Mike Herring road as if the storm was chasing them and were finished and in their cars by the time the bad weather struck. Kudos to them for their 88 mile effort, in the South's toughest century.

Team CCR had a busy weekend taking on the 1st edition of the Cyclisimo Criterium in downtown Birmingham and Attack on Swayback Mountain Bike race in Prattville, Al.

The weekend kicked off with the team getting to race on freshly paved streets in downtown Birmingham. The race was centered around a weekend celebration of heritage at the Birmingham International Center. Todd Pope, Todd Topeano, and Larry Stanley carried CCR's colors into battle while racing in the Cat 5 race. Larry had Lady Luck and momentum on his side, and cruised home with a hottly contested 8th place finish.

Sunday saw Larry and Justin heading down to Prattville to race in the Attack On Swayback mountain bike race. Swayback is a tight, technical trail that tests a riders endurance and bike control over the rocky and rooted 8.7 mile course. Justin was first out of the gates racing in the Men's 20+ sport class. Justin's hard off season effort paid off with an 8th place finish, and bettering his time from last year by 4 minutes. Larry did not miss a beat from Saturday and tamed the wild beast bringing home a victory in the Men's 40+ sport class.

Congratulations to Larry on his 1st victory of the season.

Ride to Live Road Race

The team had a unique opportunity to race on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Al.. The track is 2.38 miles of pristine black top with 16 turns adding to the excitement. Gardner Fish continued on his Top 5 roll, and brought home a hard earned 2nd in the Juniors. The team then focused their attention on the Cat 5 race and the Cat 4/5 30+ race. In the Cat 5 race they worked hard and delivered Larry home in 13th. Brian Tucker came home in 14th to secure 2 top 15's for the for team. Big pats on the back went to Brad and Justin for the hard work they put into getting Larry and Brian home.



In the Men's 4/5 30+ race the team pulled together again and brought Ashley home in 10th. Brad, Larry, and Mike H. put in maximum effort to put Ashley in position for his 10th place finish. In all the team came home with 4 top 15's and a solid day of racing on a beautiful track.

Hoover Criterium

Team CCR went into it's first home race at Spain Park High School with the team at full strength, and the results were evident early on. Gardner Fish notched his second victory of the young season with a thrilling victory in the Junior race. Larry Stanley backed that up with a solid top 5 in a stacked CAT 5 35+race. Mike Herring(11th Master 45+) and Brian Tucker(11th Cat 5 35+) brought home 2 additional top 15's for the team. Justin, Ashley, Todd P., and Todd T. all raced incredibly hard to help get us in a position for the finishes that we had. It was a very solid effort from the team.

Marching On

CCR's racing season went into full swing in March starting with the Winter Training Race Series at Camp Sumatanga. The team made a decision to move up from the "C" races to the "B" races for 2009. Racing in the "B" races is more organized, bearing a slight resemblance to what you would see on T.V.. This year we had also decided we were going to be more active and not just sit and ride. With the second race being canceled for snow, our training efforts were shortened into 2 quick weeks. The boys rode hard in both races, and like a prize fighter, they kept jabbing at the peleton, then would tactfully drop the hammer. The team showed lots of fight and by the end of the third race, everyone knew who we were.



After completing the training series we kicked things off with the first real test at the Tour de Tuscaloosa. The crit is tabbed as the toughest Crit in the South, and not even a course change would damage that reputation. Brad and Gardner brought home top 15's for the CCR gang with each finishing a very respectable 12th. By the time we got to the road race we had lost several to sickness and sent out a skeleton crew at best. Todd Pope and Mike Herring both raced with a lot of grit and determination representing CCR well in the road races.




CCR made it through March relatively unscathed. The only incident we had was Justin's crash during the training races, which resulted in some scratches and bruises. The season really fires up in April.

Enjoy some photos: Training Races and TDT

TT Team Fish

Chalk 1 up for Gardner Fish. Our newest and youngest addition to the CCR family went out and scored his first cycling victory at the Georgia Cup TT Series in Adairsville, Ga.. Racing in the Junior's under 14 class, you would have never know it was his first race, ever. Gardner carved up the rain slicked 9.5 mile course and cruised home with an average speed of over 20 mph.



Brad, racing in the Clydesdale Class, fought of cramps to come home with a 4th and an average speed over 23mph.

Congratulations to Gardner for his first win!!

CCR Welcomes Gardner Fish

It's with great excitement that we welcome Gardner Fish to CCR. Gardner is the son of Brad "The Piranha" Fish and will be racing in the Junior classification. Go get'um Gardner, you can do it!

Also, if you haven't registered for the Hoover Cycling Festival (Criterium/Century) starting at Spain Park High School on April 4, 2009, registration is now open. Please visit www.hoovercrit.blogspot.com and register, this year is going to be even bigger than last.

Toney Time Trial

Brad Fish launched CCR's racing season with a solo time trial effort at the Toney Time Trial in Toney, AL. After taking several months off to enjoy his off season and recover from nagging injuries, he chose this as an opportunity to test his fitness level and start his racing season.

The Toney course is a fairly flat 9 mile out and back. The weather was perfect but the wind added a degree of difficulty. His first race back from his layoff brought home a solid 5th place finish in the Master's Race.

Congrats to Brad on his 1st top 5 of the season.

New Year / New Team

Well, the names are in for our 2009 roster, see right. We will be racing and riding in every cyling discipline again this year. We will be updating the rider profiles here in the next couple of weeks.

We will be riding with pretty much the same active members as last year. So, we have a strong foundation to build on.

[ 2008 Summary ]

39 - Top 5 Finishes
66 - Top 10 Finishes
80 - Top 20 Finshes
38 - Podium Finishes

We are excited about what the future holds for CCR and we are thankful for the companies, thus far, that have stepped up to sponsors us in this economy for 2009: Cahaba Cycles, Stanley Steemer, American Safety Tread and Beljum Budder.

We will also be producing two of the finest events in the Southeast, the Hoover Crit and the CCR Spring Century.

2009 is looking bright!