Below is Team CCR rider Mike Garner's Bamacross #1 race report:
Now that was awesome!!! Everyone said you know in the first race if cross is for you or not. When I lined up my hands were shaking. The race referee asked if we wanted to go early and the next thing I knew we were off. I rode conservatively through the first section not wanting to crash out, but once we got to the flat speedy section I dropped into my hooks and wound up like it was the last lap. I gapped a ton of people and felt really good. We got to the steps and got bottlenecked and I managed to pick my way through pretty cleanly, got up the steps and into the cobbbles to the next set of steps, up-up and away. We came over the knoll and down a really rough descent, did some tight technical turns, another fast decent, and then back up a hill and more steps. The descent after the last set of steps is tricky because you have no momentum to get back on your bike and once I did I was having trouble getting clipped in. I rounded the last turn and there she was, Laurel with my water, I had not had an ounce of spit in my mouth since the first turn. Without her I would have never finished the race. Took a quick shot, and completed my first lap. It is amazing to me looking back how slow the race seemed to unfold. I must have been behind at least 5 crashes and they all happened in slow motion, and I was running wide open. The next few laps seemed to thin out the herd and I patiently picked my spots and passed several riders. I was so focused on the race I completely missed the 2 laps to go sign and was stunned when I came around and saw the 1 lap to go sign. I was sitting in a nice position with one to go. I had a guy from ICS-Chain Reaction in front of me and I did everything I could not to lose his wheel. I am not a runner so I lost some time on the steps, but I was catching him fast once we were back on the bike. We came up on a junior rider and the ICS guy tried to cut a corner and lost the front end and went down. I learned on my practice laps that you couldn't cut that corner and pretty much had to square the turn off because of the loose gravel. I caught the junior rider and let him know I was not racing him for position so that he did not freak out and wreck the two of us. I got up the hill to the last dismount, and basically fell over to get off the bike. Got up the steps the best I could, caught a quick glimpse and saw no pressure from behind. I
tip-toed down the hill and around the last turn. Crossing the finish line sucked, because it was over. I had pushed my body harder and farther than any race this year. I grabbed a beer, which Jake promptly kicked over, and looked back on the day. Cyclocross make's you push yourself mentally and physically to the line, and then asks you to pay the price and go over that line. It just keeps hammering you to see what you got. It is an awesome rush when you are sitting there knowing you just took a ride on the pain train and beat it. When I saw my result I was so stoked that I could not say it for fear that I would jinx it. My race season has been a lesson in humility, but for the first time this year I cracked the top ten and finished 9th. For me it was a victory, and it still makes me grin. I know the pain train is waiting for me at Prattville. It's on like Donkey Kong......
Now that was awesome!!! Everyone said you know in the first race if cross is for you or not. When I lined up my hands were shaking. The race referee asked if we wanted to go early and the next thing I knew we were off. I rode conservatively through the first section not wanting to crash out, but once we got to the flat speedy section I dropped into my hooks and wound up like it was the last lap. I gapped a ton of people and felt really good. We got to the steps and got bottlenecked and I managed to pick my way through pretty cleanly, got up the steps and into the cobbbles to the next set of steps, up-up and away. We came over the knoll and down a really rough descent, did some tight technical turns, another fast decent, and then back up a hill and more steps. The descent after the last set of steps is tricky because you have no momentum to get back on your bike and once I did I was having trouble getting clipped in. I rounded the last turn and there she was, Laurel with my water, I had not had an ounce of spit in my mouth since the first turn. Without her I would have never finished the race. Took a quick shot, and completed my first lap. It is amazing to me looking back how slow the race seemed to unfold. I must have been behind at least 5 crashes and they all happened in slow motion, and I was running wide open. The next few laps seemed to thin out the herd and I patiently picked my spots and passed several riders. I was so focused on the race I completely missed the 2 laps to go sign and was stunned when I came around and saw the 1 lap to go sign. I was sitting in a nice position with one to go. I had a guy from ICS-Chain Reaction in front of me and I did everything I could not to lose his wheel. I am not a runner so I lost some time on the steps, but I was catching him fast once we were back on the bike. We came up on a junior rider and the ICS guy tried to cut a corner and lost the front end and went down. I learned on my practice laps that you couldn't cut that corner and pretty much had to square the turn off because of the loose gravel. I caught the junior rider and let him know I was not racing him for position so that he did not freak out and wreck the two of us. I got up the hill to the last dismount, and basically fell over to get off the bike. Got up the steps the best I could, caught a quick glimpse and saw no pressure from behind. I
tip-toed down the hill and around the last turn. Crossing the finish line sucked, because it was over. I had pushed my body harder and farther than any race this year. I grabbed a beer, which Jake promptly kicked over, and looked back on the day. Cyclocross make's you push yourself mentally and physically to the line, and then asks you to pay the price and go over that line. It just keeps hammering you to see what you got. It is an awesome rush when you are sitting there knowing you just took a ride on the pain train and beat it. When I saw my result I was so stoked that I could not say it for fear that I would jinx it. My race season has been a lesson in humility, but for the first time this year I cracked the top ten and finished 9th. For me it was a victory, and it still makes me grin. I know the pain train is waiting for me at Prattville. It's on like Donkey Kong......
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