Date: September 17, 2000
Event: Fair Hill Classic XC 2000
Class: Senior
Category: Expert / Pro
Length: 23
Time: 1:53
Conditions: Sunny - 70 degrees
Bike: KONA SINGLE-SPEED!!!!!!
Tires: The "old school" Richey Speedmax

Did you do anything special (apart from the whole training lifestyle) to prepare for this race?

I was thinking about the beer I had in my cooler. (laughs) That's the only thing I did. I went to a Fish concert on Friday... I didn't think much about the race. Today was just a good day. Just having fun enjoying the day.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Yeah, from the moment I warmed up I felt energetic... eager to race... I was really excited to get out there cause this is my favorite place to ride. I felt great.... at the start I was up there in the front.. I kind of worked my way through the pack and within like 4 or 5 miles I was in second and I was there the rest of the race.

When did you put the hammer down?

Actually the first three or four miles were kind of tough for a single-speed.... so I paced myself through there just because I didn't want to blow my legs out. Once I got through the tough section I just kind of picked up the pace to my normal speed.

Did you have any unusual problems?

No... not at all... really... other than I hit a root and crashed once but that's about it. No broken bones... so I'm a happy guy.

How would you rate the course?

Just excellent. Todd Forrest put together a really, really nice course. When he made the course he was on a single speed. He set it up so there were climbs and some recovery, climbs and recovery.... so it evened out really well for the whole course. The last part was kind of fast... I needed more gears but all and all it was a great course. Super smooth and conditions were just really fast.

Could you believe that you were second place right behind David DuVall?

It was a surprise... when I was in second and as well as I felt... I felt great... so I said to myself... I'm going to see if I can catch him. So I just focused on going as fast as I could go throughout the rest of the race. If I caught him I caught him... and if I didn't... oh well. I had to try. On a single-speed you are limited. You can only go so fast. I tried as hard as I could to make up time on him or to keep him from getting farther away. It was a hard thing to do really.

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Yes. I didn't have one problem. They do a great job.

If you could do the race again, would you do anything differently... maybe bring a bike with gears?

Oh no, no, no.... I think I would have run a little bit bigger sprocket in the front. It would have helped my speed out a lot. I would have been a little bit faster which could have brought me in a little bit closer to David if not ahead of him.

Anything you'd like to add?

Not really.....just having a good day.

Thanks for the interview Johnny Guentner!