Karl Faruzel Race Interview - Spring Mtn Challenge '01

My local club basically shuts down in September, so it was hard to find people that wanted to train hard. I did a lot of hills on the road with a road team mate that is a great climber. We really tried to hurt each other on the climbs. I also ran my tire pressure a little higher to avoid another flat.

Did you have any problems getting into the singletrack?

No. I made the mistake of watching the Beginners start and thought that was how we were going. But no problems with the other start.

How did you like the climbs?

It was all middle ring. I ran the one steep section due to traffic.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Yes. I cramped when I fell with the crash with the spectator. But they worked out and I was able to keep going strong.

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Yes, I have been all season. Registration was a snap. Everything went smoothly.

When did you put the hammer down?

It was tempo up the hill. I really went hard right after the first steep rocky section. Inside I was still angry about the flat at Neshaminy and wanted to make up for that.

Did you have any unusual problems?

I crashed going around a spectator in the single track after I asked them to move. The high tire pressure made for some bouncing around in the rocks when I really needed traction. But I knew that was the trade off.

Did you have any interesting experiences during your race (exchanges with competitors/spectators)?

The above mentioned spectator acknowledged my call but wouldn't move. So I went off the trail and hit something and went over the bars. Also another spectator kept calling me Bubba every lap up the climb from the lower parking lot.

Did you feel any extra excitement since this is the final Super Series race?

More relief than excitement, now that it is over. I was having a hard time staying mentally focused on the Series with the gaps between races at the end.

If you had just ONE thing that you could change to make next year's series better....... what would that be?

Tighten up the time frame of the Series. Now it's right into the cyclocross series.

Anything you would like to add?

Thanks to all the people that gave their time to make this a successful series. A huge amount of work went into every event. Thanks again to Don Morrison for all his help. Kudos to Bill Deputy. The website was a great way to share all that happened all year long. I really enjoyed myself at all the races. The promoters, spectators and participants were all class acts in my book. I'm looking forward to racing in the Expert class next year. Maybe John, Bob, and Andy will come up too!