Life, and the bike...: EPIC weekend!!!!!!

WOW! What a weekend! This weekend was certainly one to remember. Lots of riding, lots of time in the car, more riding, more time in the car, and some other foolishness in between ;) Fun was had by all, bikes were raced hard and hung up dirty and dry, Athens Twilight DID NOT DISSAPOINT, and did I mention that fun was had by all?!?!? =)

So, the weekend was destined to be a success when my friend Paula let me know that she was definitely "in" for the epic weekend. She was signed up to race the Big Frog 65 mountain bike race at the White Water Center at the Ocoee River in Tennessee on Saturday, and said she was game to make the trip to Athens, GA to watch Twilight (biggest crit, and possibly best attended one-day bike race in the US) that same night, then race the SERC mountain bike race the following day at Fort Yargo in Georgia. She is actually crazy enough to consider flogging herself for 65 miles, sitting in a car for 3+ hours, partying/watching an EPIC race under the lights of downtown Athens, then getting up and racing a 30+ mile XC mtb race the next morning...can you say BAD ASS??? Well, Paula got the weekend off to a great start by ensuring that at least ONE winner would be riding in the Minivan this weekend, hahah! She DOMINATED the Big Frog and picked up another win there. She is a beast, and an amazing person. Super psyched to call her a friend and riding partner...as long as she promises not to drop me...

While Paula was killing it at Big Frog, my buddy Fenton and I put in about 30 miles of WWC single track bliss while the race was going on. We even met a guy named Lamar from Knoxville who was racing in the Cohutta 100 (100 mile version of the Big Frog 65) who won the DEDICATION award for the day. The dude got so many flats in the fist 20 miles of the race that he got in his car...DROVE to an outdoor store, bought more inner tubes, DROVE BACK to the race, and was back on the trail doing his best to finish the 100 miler....WOW! Very cool dude, and I felt privaleged to meet him out on the trails.

Fenton and I rode an easy pace and chatted to folks throughout the day, and it was super to be back out in the woods with another good friend.

Meanwhile, a host of other Chattanoogans were also kicking some serious @ss at the Big Frog 65. Mike Reardon and Greg Brannon ripped it up in the SS class with Reardon taking the WIN, and Greg bringing home another podium finish in 3rd.

By buddy PVK was so fresh after dominating the guys in his age group of the Big Frog that he was able to rip their arms off on the podium after ripping their legs off during the race, hahaha! PVK is a BEAST! How many wins does that guy have over the years?!?!?!

Fellow teacher Paul Ruhling was killing it at Big Frog, too, but I am not sure exactly where he finished, it was top 10 overall, but not sure how the breakdown of the categories went...

Brad Cobb won the BADASS award for the day after crossing the line covered in blood, and with a beaten up bike. The guy NEVER makes excuses, and never lets on that he might be seriously hurt. The guy is a machine, and a class act for sure. Hope he is OK and that he heals up quickly! Brad is THE MAN!

Ginger Jones Sillery and Dreama Campbell were out there representing the Velo Vixens, both killing it as usual (although I dont have either of their results, sorry girls)

The other Cysco Boys that made the race were Jeremy Smith, and Aaron Smith, and they were lookin stylish in their kits as well!!! =)

Unfortunately, Big Frog took its toll on a number of my friends =( Justin Mace LOST...yes, LOST, his chain and had to WALK 10+ miles back to the start/finish, Richie Moore broke a dropout (from what I hear) and was forced to abandon the race as well. Star Afolter had serious rear hub issues as well as a flat, but she finished like a champ and will live to fight another day =)

So....Big Frog down...3+ hour drive to go...

Paula and I make it to Athens after 3+ hours on the road, get cleaned up, and head for the AWESOMENESS that is Athens Twilight!!!

We arrived just in time to catch the last 4 laps of the Amateur final with Nick Nichols hanging tough and racing with his heart on his sleeve like usual. That guy knows how to race a bike, and he is damn strong...that is a lethal combination, and I love watching him dish out some pain!

The women's pro race did not dissapoint either. Amy Phillips represented Team Mystique in the final, and she rode like a seasoned veteran and just missed a top 10 finish in the biggest crit in the USA!!!! She has the potential to take bike racing to the next level, and I am PSYCHED to have a front row seat for her rise through the ranks! Helluva job AMY!!! You are killing it and it is inspiring to watch you develop into a real bike racer!! YEE HAWW!

OH, by the way...the women's winner, Erica Allar...might be my girlfriend now. She kept riding in cricles around me all night. I think she was trying to get me to look at her @ss...she kept getting out of the saddle every time she rode past us...clearly, she is in love with me. Erica...call me...you are a babe of the highest order... (if anyone happens to have Erica's contact information, please contact me, I think I am in love, hahah)...

The pro men lined up next, and it was a SH!t show fo-sho...but we had to jet before the finish. Time to hit the hay and get ready for another long day Sunday!

All I could think about Sunday morning was how sore and tired I was...and then I remembered that my traveling companion for the weekend had RACED twice as far at Big Frog than I had RIDDEN...I don't even know how Paula dragged herself out of bed on Sunday morning?!??! She is a freak...and would later prove so during the womens Pro/expert race at Ft Yargo...a quick Hampton Inn breakfast, and we're in the car for another 30+ min to the race...

I entered the Singlespeed category of the MTB race, and Paula was in the Pro/Expert womens race, meaning she started in the field that took the line immediately before us. My first goal of the day was to catch her before we had ridden 2 laps (when my race ended, but she would still have another to go). I figured if I could make up the 2-3 minute stagger on her, that I would have to be pleased with my ride for the day =)

Our race started, and after missing my left clip-in, I started to pick riders off as we covered the first couple hundred yards or so. By the time we had gone 1/4 of a mile, my gearing selection proved to be more than the other singlespeeders could handle, and I took the front of the bunch....and kept the hammer down...

39x20 on my new Cysco Cycles Ti 29er proved to be the magic number, and I was able to ride hard enough to pick up the win. (and I caught Paula just before the end of lap #1, so my day was complete ;)

The cool thing about racing 2 laps, when the rest of the higher categories are racing 3 laps, is that you are at the finish and rehydrated by the time the fast cats are finishing. So I had a front row seat while my friends from the US Stove-Trek presented by Vantaggio cycling team cleaned house!!!! Kym Flynn Fasczewski took another win, while teammate Catherine Peacock strolled in for 2nd. THEN, to my surprise, Paula came around the corner shortly after to claim an AMAZING 4th place on the day, less than 2 minutes behind the winners. So, the girls took 3 of the top 4 spots!!! awesome!

Justin Mace even showed up at the SERC race after LOSING his chain the day before, hahaha!! he killed it and seemed pretty psyched to have race really strong today, even though XC racing is not his preferred mtb discipline...super psyched to see him get back on the horse and put the hammer down today!

Also great to see Tony and Kristi Angevine out at the SERC today as well! Kristy was water bottle-passerouter extraordinare/photog, and Tony killed it on his ridiculously sick Scott Scale! super to see those two soon-to-be parents out there doing what they love!

So, awards were dished out, and Comeback 2.0 has officially begun. Paula and I loaded up in the WINNING van...not minivan...WINNINGvan! hahah, and we cruised 3+ hours back to Chattanooga.

Below are a couple pictures from Big Frog and the SERC. Enjoy!