Friday, November 13, 2009

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.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

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.