Beat the Freak

Riley Spahn, long time friend of the team, and our newest team member will be splitting his season between his collegiate team, The Auburn Flyers and Team CCR.

Riley's first race with the team was a dandy. He traveled up to Fayetteville, TN to race in the Beat the Freak Cyclocross series. Riley doubled up and the first race was the P/1/2 race. After a morning full of rain, Riley set out and bested the field bunny hopping the final set of barriers and winning the uphill sprint to take the P/1/2 race.

After a brief rest to clean the mud off his bike Riley went out and won the Singlespeed race. Riley had the race in hand, but had to deal with a late race crash before winning it by a wheel.

Congrats on the wins, and welcome to the team.

The Young Gun get his first victory.....

Team CCR's Junior rider Payne Griffin headed down to race in the Columbus Road Race and netted his first victory of the year. The Junior class that Payne was registered to race in ended up being combined with the Men's 4/5 field making it quite deep. The lessons that Payne has learned through the course of his first season racing with Team CCR paid off in full as he rode in the top 10 of the mixed field the entire race. In the abnormally sweltering 96 degree September heat Payne bested his closest Junior competitor by over 15 minutes winning the Junior's race. As an added bonus Payne also netted a top 15 in the combined field. Congrats on the first win and to a great effort!!!

Bump and Grind's Sweet 16.......

On an unseasonably hot and humid day, six CC Racers participated in the sixteenth annual Bump n Grind mountain bike race at Oak Mountain State Park. Bump n Grind is presented by the active local club, Birmingham Urban Mountain Bike Pedalers and is the 4th Southeast qualifier for the Kenda Cup. The world-class quality of the trails and popularity of the race bring several hundred racers to the venue from all over the United States. Thus, the fields for Bump n Grind are very competitive. We had six team members participate in this year's Bump n Grind, and all of them netted top ten finishes.

Larry Stanley achieved one of his long-standing dreams to place first in his category, Men's Sport 45-49, at his hometown race.

Josh Powell placed 2nd in Men's Sport 25-29 - a very strong finish.

Hardwick Gregg grabbed a podium spot in third place in the Men's Expert 50+ race.

Mike Herring also took the honor of a 3rd place podium in the Men's Sport 50-59 race.

Mitch Moses took 6th in the Men's Sport 45-49 category and Justin Poland placed 8th in the Men's Sport 25-29 class.

Congratulations to all of our guys in green at the Bump n Grind 2010! Strong work on the dirt!

Turn-N-Burn 360

On June 5th Beth won the inaugural Turn-N-Burn 360 race that is now part of the Bump N'Grind race weekend. The short course race covered about a mile, featuring 1 steep little climb, and was 30 minutes long. Beth said that it was kind of a like a cyclocross race. Nice job brining home the win Beth!

LAMBRA-Natchez, MS

Alan was in Natchez, MS the weekend of June 5-6 racing in the Mississippi Road Race Championships. On Saturday Alan battled sweltering heat and humidity to bring home a 9th place finish in the Masters 35+ race. On Sunday he raced the Cat 4 race and brought home a hard fought top 15 with a 14th place finish. Solid effort!

12 Hours of Tsali

Beth and Stacey raced the 12 Hours of Tsali this last weekend and flat MASHED their competition. The kicker is that they were a 2 woman team racing against 4 woman teams. They did twice the work and still won!!! This was the first time they raced together, and if I was a betting man, I would stake the farm that you would see them together again. Awesome job!

Attack on Swayback

We sent 6 riders down to the Attack on Swayback, and came home with 5 medals. It should have been 6 except for an ill-timed flat for Mike Herring who was destroying the competition in his race. The team swept the Sport Men 20-29 podium with Josh in 1st, Justin 2nd, and Zach 3rd. Hardwick placed 2nd in the Expert Men 40+ race. Larry rounded it out with a 2nd in the Sport Men 40-49 race. They needed a trailer to haul all of their swag home. Crazy good effort!

Tour de Health

Alan was in Mobile, Al this past weekend racing in the The Infirmary Tour De Health. Alan raced in 2 races finishing 6th in the Master's 35+ and 5th in the Cat 4 races. Great effort considering he got hit by a car on his training ride Thursday!

Just Another Manic May

Apparently someone shot this team out of a cannon to start the month off, and there has been no let up since.

George kicked the month off on foot at Toad Suck Daze in Arkansas. George won his age class in the run, then turned around and did a 66 mile ride as part of the event.

Hardwack was also in Arkansas to kick the month off and raced in the Ozark's competing in Syllamo's Revenge. Hardwick finished 2nd in his age class, and 28th overall.

Alan ventured over to Charlotte, N.C. to race in a criterium in his old hometown.

Mitch teamed up with another mountain biker and headed out to Winder, GA to race in the Dirty Spokes 12 hour race. The team that Mitch was on finished 2nd.

Payne raced in a criterium training race down at the Shelby Co. Airport and finished 5th in the breakaway group.

Lastly, Zach headed up to Fayetteville, TN for the Dirt, Sweat, and Gears 12 Hour Race. The team that Zach was on finished 7th out of 22.

Those are just the races that the team was in. Several members of the team went out and rode in the Tannehill Ironworks Century to benefit trail construction at Tannehill, and a majority of the team was present last Wednesday for the Ride of Silence commemorating riders struck by cars while on there bikes. Laural also rode her first century of the year last weekend while riding in the Tour de Cure that benefitted diabetes research.

Stay tuned......

Gang Green Invades Anniston

The team hit the road the weekend of April 17th and 18th and took the 2 hour trip over to Anniston to compete in the Sunny King Criterium, Cheaha Challenge, and Foothills Road Race. The Sunny King Criterium kicked the weekend off for the team. Alan, Larry, Mike G., Mike H., and Mitch flew the team colors proudly in probably some of the most intense racing that the team has seen this year. All of us came back "Shinny Side Up, Rubber Side Down", which after seeing some of the crashes at this years race, was quite impressive. Though the results may not have been exactly what we wanted, we rode hard, and hung tough. We lived to fight another day.

Sunday greeted us with cool temperatures and sunny skies. Alan, Mitch, Hardwick, and Stacey flew the team flag in the Foothills Road Race. Hardwick scored a top 15, and Stacey earned her first road race podium finishing 3rd.

The rest of us went out and led an assault on Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. Ashley, Beth, George, Liz, Larry, Mike G., Mike H., and Mick set out early in the morning to concur the route. George and Mick went the full 102 mile distance, Liz opted for the 66 mile route, and the rest off us, we did the 88 mile route.

After a full weekend of racing and riding I think we were all glad to finish our events. Now, for most of the team, the focus will switch from the road to the dirt with several mountain bike events coming up.

Ride to Live Circuit Race

The team got the opportunity to race at the Barber Motorsports Park over Easter weekend in the Ride to Live Cancer Classic Road Circuit Race. The road course covers 2.38 miles, has 17 turns, 80 feet of elevation change, and a 45 foot wide racing surface.

Stacey kicked things off early in the morning and actually had decent weather contrary to what the weatherman said should be happening. Stacey raced hard and earned her first road racing podium finishing 3rd.

Mick and Payne had the unfortunate duty of racing the CAT 5 race in the rain. Both of them avoided the accidents on the slick pavement. Mick raced hard, and Payne notced himself a top 15 finishing 11th.

Payne must have drawn the short straw for the day. Not only did he double-up racing the Cat 5's and Juniors, but he also had to race in the rain and cold in both of his races. Shivering and tired, Payne wound up on the podium with a 2nd place finish.

Larry, Mike G., Ashley, and Alan raced in the Masters 4/5 30+ race. The sun came out, the track dried, but the wind remained. We were a man down with Herring suffering from a respiratory infection, but he was at the pit wall cheering us on. Larry finished the highest at 15th, Alan and Ashley finished right next to each other, and Garner suffered a "racing deal". All finished up-right and in one piece.

Both Larry and Alan felt strong enough to pull the double and also did the CAT 4 race. Alan led out early and both riders raced really hard. Larry pulled his second top 20 of the day finishing 16th.

It was a great day for Team CCR. We had 2 podiums, and thankfully we avoided all the accidents. We all came out of it healthy and with our bikes in one piece. Here are some pictures from the races. Enjoy!

Tour de Tuscaloosa

The team kicked off the season with a short road trip down to Tuscaloosa to participate in the Tour de Tuscaloosa. The Saturday race, The City of Tuscaloosa Criterium, brought out the strongest attendance from the team. We were greeted with bright blue skies, warm temperatures, and great racing. The difficult 1.2 mile course was a figure eight with 8 corners to navigate. The roads had seen better days, and the wind added another degree of excitement as we navigated around the course.

Mick raced hard in his very first Cat 5 criterium ever.

Mike G. came back to racing on the road after a year off and earned a top 25.

Larry doubled up and did both the Master's 35/45+ race and then did his first race as a Cat 4.

Mike H. battled hard in the Masters 35/45+ race.

Alan also raced in the 4's and put in a solid effort.

On Sunday, Alan and Josh headed out to participate in day 2 of racing at Lurleen State Park. As the field rolled out mother nature unleashed her fury on the riders. Several riders, including Josh, opted for the safe route and withdrew because of the racing conditions. Alan's race started after the rain, but the roads were still rain slicked. He put in some solid efforts, and raced really hard. Earned a top 30 against a very stacked field.

Overall the team was pleased with their first weekend racing. We all came out of it in one piece and healthy.

Next stop the Ride to Live Road Race at Barber Motor sports Park.

Check out pictures from Mike G.'s album.

Ouachita Challenge

Hardwick debuted the new colors last weekend while competing in the Ouachita Challenge in Arkansas. The Ouachita Challenge is a mountain bike race that traverses the Womble Trail, Ouachita Trail, and forestry roads. Unlike most races where you have different age classifications and skill levels, this was old school. They broke the field into Men's, Women's, and Single Speed. Hardwick battled hard but had an issue with his chain that had him off the pace for 10-15 minutes. He finished strong in the top half of the field. Good effort for the first race of the year!

Powerman Alabama Multisport Weekend

Team CCR's first cycling podium of the year came last weekend when Beth Santoro competed in the Xterra Off-road Duathlon at Oak Mountain State Park. Finally, we had some nice weather, so the event was contested under pristine conditions. The event involved a trail run, a mountain bike leg, and another trail run. By the time Beth crossed the finish line she was totally spent. Her efforts in the race did secure her a podium finish in 3rd place. Way to go Beth!

(Pictures)

The dawning of a new season

This weekend is the equivalent to opening day in baseball for Team CCR. We have riders headed down the road to Tuscaloosa to race in the Tour de Tuscaloosa, and we have riders headed out to race in the Power Man Alabama Mutisport Weekend that Team Magic is putting on out at Oak Mountain State Park. For those members of the team that will not be racing they will be leading 2 rides out of the Cahaba Cycles location in Pelham. Getting to this day though, has been quite the experience.

On the bike, we have dealt with a little of this.......

and some of this......

We have had more snow this year than in the 6 years I have been here. When it is not snowing it has been raining. When it has not been doing either it has been cold and gloomy, so when we have had sunshine it has been cause for celebration. Through the snow, the rain, and the gloomy weather it has not kept us off the bikes. The team was able to participate in the training races held in Sumatanga.

One of our off season additions and resident Marine, Alan Laytham, notched 2 top 10's in the training races held at Sumatanga. Not to shabby for a guy who took a 17 year break and hopped back on the bike less than a year ago.

Larry and Mike both worked on racing form and opted to race with the big dogs in the "A" races. It was a great learning experience for both of them and after a few rides with them after the races, I would say they both came out a lot stronger.

The weather has played havoc on the roads around town and forced the cancellation of the "Spring Forward Metric Century" that we were planning on doing to celebrate the new season. It has been tentatively re-scheduled to August. We are going to have to come up with something catchy for that one.

We have also grown quite considerably since 2009. Not only did we add Alan, we also added Mick Gould from Britain, junior rider and climber Payne Griffin, cross junkie Chris Leven is back on the team after a year sabbatical, George Shamburger and his wife Elizabeth not only co-sponsor the team but but can ride a bike with the best of them and have the paint jobs to prove it, mountain biker and slowly becoming a roadie Mitch Moses, and jack-of-all racing disciplines Beth Santoro. When you add that roster to the returning roster it is a pretty stout bunch.

It was also a time for Team CCR to dawn it's new look along with it's new sponsor. Team CCR was pleased to announce it's association with Digital Era Banking Serivces. No longer will we be sporting the red, yellow, and black. We have traded those colors in for green and white and chose a classic look to show it off.

The time is finally here for us to open up this season. Cheers!

Red Nose Run

In the off season most cyclists recover from the long hard racing season. Hardwick on the other hand, laces up the running shoes, and heads back outside. Recently, Jan. 9th, Hardwick competed in the Red Nose Run finishing 1st Grand Master (50+). To add a degree of difficulty to the run, the temperatures were abnormally cold, 18, with a wind chill hovering around, ZERO! Nice way to start the season off Hardwick!

Turn out the lights when you leave.......

The team arrived in Cullman with high hopes and the possibility of taking home some heavy hardware for 2009 Bama Cross season. The theme for the season was unchanged. Though it would not rain today, it had rained enough all year to guarantee mud and lots of it. The temperature the week leading up to the race took a nose dive so that by the time race day arrived it was below freezing. In some of the shady spots, some that probably have not seen sun in the 50 years the trees have been there, a light dusting of snow clung on for dear life. I am beginning to think that this team thrives on the muddiest, nastiest conditions, because today they were spectacular.

Hardwick Gregg joined the team early in the season and did not disappointment. Honestly, he should have to re-tread his shoes with as many times as he was up and down the podium. Hardwick battled a cold all week, so he skipped the 45+ race to focus his efforts on the Men's "B" race. Hardwick won the "B"race, and then won the overall in the 45+ and the "B's".

Lisa Trainor also joined the team midway through the season. Accompanied by her trusty side kick Sophie(seen in the picture) she went on to win races, and lead points. Lisa, a Maine native, was dreading the weeks race because of the amount of water to cross and the freezing temperatures. Her inner polar bear shone through for the race as she went on to not only win her race, but also sealing the deal to win the Women's 4 overall.

Stacey Davis moved up this year to the Women's 1-2-3 category and never missed a beat. Riding focused, Stacey won the finale of the Women's 1-2-3 race, and finished second overall.

Larry came into the season with lofty goals, and nailed pretty much everyone of them. Larry finished 2nd in the 35+ race, and 3rd in the series overall. Keep in mind that he was also doubling up racing the Men's 3/4 races as well. Awesome effort.

Zach moved up this year from Junior's and let it be known that he will be a force in the 4/5's, and probably the 3/4's in the near future. Zach finished 4th in the 4/5 race and 4th overall in the series.

Mike Herring just missed the bottom step of the 45+ podium finishing 4th in the series, and 5th on the day. Mike also doubled up throughout the season racing in the Men's 3/4 category.

Josh, after taking a year long break from cross came out and raced like he never was off the bike. Josh finished 7th in the race and 5th overall. We at CCR are glad that the endurance running he did in place of cross did not work out.

Chris Leven made his come back appearance with the team. As you can tell, it did not end like he wanted. I am glad to have a good friend back with the CCR family.

What can I say. I raced hard, had a lot of fun, and have a ton of stories. A series worth of mechanicals had me just wanting to finish. As director sportif for Team CCR, I filled the void of my sub par season by watching the team just crush it. It really was an awesome sight.

As a team, 3rd overall in the men's and 2nd in the women's!

Pictures