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!!