Date:February 12, 2000
Event: Jamaica Nationals - Jamaica MTB Assoc.
RUSTY'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURES
Class: SPORT
Category: ALL
Length: 10.5 miles
Time: around 1:00
Conditions: very hot - dry hard-packed course - coral rocks (abrasive) Dangerous Thorns (must use Slime in tubes (like fix a flat))
Bike: Bianci SINGLE-SPEED (36 - 18 gr. ratio)
Tires: Front: Specialized Shockmaster
           Rear: Kona Gravy

Did you do anything special to prepare for this race?

Drank a lot of Red-Stripe and partook in the Jamaican way.

In the last two months how many hours a week have you trained?

Very inconsistently. Hadn't ridden much, only once in 2 weeks prior to leaving for Jamaica. Was training
6 - 8 hours before that.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Yes. I think I'm pretty good at pacing myself. With the heat I knew I didn't have a choice but had to race my race and keep things under control. Just before the end of each 3.5 mi lap was a short but steep double climb.

When did you put the hammer down?

As I started going up the last climb at the end of the last lap I realized that the Jamaican that I had been following wasn't getting any further away, in fact I was starting to reel him in. The race came up a ravine into an open field where they looped you through the field for about 200 yards. The field had a couple of little obstacles (a whoop de do / and a log climb) which was where all of the spectators were. That's when I gave it all that I could and caught him right at the finish line by half of a wheel.
(Editor's note: Keep in mind Alan is in his 30s and the field included ALL AGES!)

Did you have any unusual problems with the race?

About 100 yards into the race there was a pile up where the course went into a tighter section. It was a Le Mans start, so we were all bunched up and a Jamaican tried to pass me on the inside and there wasn't room. He took about eight of us out. Right after that I was in third place. I was able to get up out of that pile up and maintain a good position.

How do you rate the course?

Fun! Fairly non-technical, pretty fast for the most part - but the HEAT was just tough. My heart-rate was just screaming coming up that double-climb each time. When you go from 30 degrees to 85, and you've been off of your bike for two weeks....I wasn't in top form.

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Absolutely. Rusty Jones is a real interesting guy. He puts this race on more for the Jamaicans than for the out of country folks who attend. After the main races, he has two races for the kids. One is for the kids who have their own bikes. The other one is where all of us racers in the Sport and Expert class loan our bikes to the local kids. It was just lap races around the field where the start/finish was. Lo and behold, the kid on my single-speed won the second race. It must be the bike.

What was your prize for First Place?

It was the table thing, where you go up and take whatever you want. I donated my prize to one of the kids. Editor's note: Alan and Fuzzy left a bunch of goodies to donate to the Jamaican kids.

If you could do the race again, would you do anything differently?

No. It would probably be nice to be down there a little longer in order to acclimate to the heat.

Is there anything you would like to add?

On my third lap there was an unusual thing that happened. I was yelling "track" but these competitors didn't understand what that meant. That's because they were long-horned steers who's horns are about chest high when you are on a bike. There was no easy way around them - so I had to trot by and jump back on the bike. Racing in Jamaica is a bizarre experience.

Also, look for an article in mountain bike mag. A writer (J.T.) and a photographer were covering the event and snapping pictures of the kid's race.