Colavita Racing Florida: December 2009

Four hours of driving in the pouring rain: taxing. Freezing temperatures and chilling breezes: teeth-chattering. Two days of cyclocrossing in Tallahassee and two state championships: PRICELESS!
Riders on Saturday were challenged with a course that had steep climbs up slick mud, sharp turns on grass and drops down bumpy, slippery hills with hard turns at the bottom. The technical fiends were in hog heaven while the timid slid into fences and crashed. Chase Forman set the tone for the weekend, zooming to the win in the kid's race while James Mertens showed his Belgian heritage by winning the 10-14 junior championship just ahead of Zoe Mullins. Michelle Blake attacked the course and cruised to first in the Women B race. The 15-18 junior race saw furious racing with many mishaps including Taylor Warren who flatted and ran part of the course to the pits. Brandon Forman kept putting out the power and cranked out a fifth place. We were relieved to see Brent Harrell NOT repeat the head-first crash of last year and finish fourth in the Masters. JP Russo posted a solid 5th in the Pro 1,2's. Tracy Mullins, our closet Colavita rider, finished the Master's race with a big smile and proclamation that "this is fun!".
Dinner was carbo loading on a major scale at "Decent Pizza" with huge pies and LOTS of good cheer. I think you can eat more pizza if you laugh between bites...
Sunday morning began with a bone-chilling 33 degrees that forced everyone into their warm woolies, reminding us that cyclocross is a winter sport. The course was reversed and a bit more flowing but still had some ankle-biting challenges with more than one rider glad for the extra clothing as they slid down the hill or tripped over the barriers. The competition began with Chase getting second in the kid race while James won the 10-14 again, with Zoe in second. Brandon kept ahead in the points by winning the 15-18 class. State Championships were up for grabs in two categories on Sunday, Women B and Men C. Again, Michelle charged the course, fearlessly dropping down the slopes that claimed the other women, giving her a win by a large margin. The Men C race was just the opposite, with Taylor and Lucas Wardein (ORC) battling head-to-head for the entire race. Taylor got a small gap when Lucas has to change bikes because the mud had clogged his cleats and he could not clip in. However, the spare bike had flat pedals and he had to ditch his shoes in order to pedal it. In just socks, Lucas literally flew down the course, taking out the marking tape in an attempt to catch Taylor. With a hundred meters to go, Taylor was in the lead but a crafty Lucas came around him to win by inches. Dean Warren, our ace photographer, missed shooting the close finish because he was still on the course, having a good time racing in his first 'cross race.
With such a great course, exciting races and inspired riders, as well as two state championship titles, it was a fine way to end the 2009 racing season!

Photos: Dean Warren (Saturday and Sunday) and Michelle Blake (Sunday)

Monday, December 7, 2009

State Championships in Tallahassee

State Championships Cyclocross