Date: May 7, 2000
Event: Fairmount Classic AMBC 2000
Class: OPEN
Category: Pro
Length: 16+ mi
Time: 1:27:30
Conditions: Sunny & Hot - 90+ degrees
Bike: Razorback HT (hard tail)
Tires: Hutchinson Python Gold                    

Did you do anything special to prepare for this race?

I rested and hoped I could pull it together last week.
I'd say also visualization. In a tactical race such as this one it's good to get your pre-race tactics straight in your mind. It's good to think it out a little bit.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Teammate Eric Keim (1st Place Expert and 5th Overall) chimes in "yes he was!"

Jeremiah:
I felt fantastic early in the race. The first three laps were a breeze. I was shocked that it came together that smoothly... for the last two laps my lap times were a little slower - but it was a lot harder... so I would say I was pretty strong from start to finish but the last two laps were pretty tough.

When did you put the hammer down?

With 2 1/2 laps into the race Kirk Molday (Trek/VW) took off and that's when I rode up to Andy Bishop (Gary Fisher/Saab) and tapped him on his hip - I'm like - let's go (this was on one of the fire road sections). I'd always be willing to work with Andy, he's a real cool guy. But I guess he was having a rough day cause I looked back and he was gone. I didn't accelerate... I really didn't change pace at all.... just.... the race came to me. The best races usually do.

Did you have any unusual problems?

The last two weeks I've been really gassed. I guess just from an intensive early campaign - racing all over the place... training really hard.... and I got a little over trained I think. It really started to affect me last week (Xcelerate Twilght AMBC) and this weekend is a really pleasant surprise. I was shocked, and ecstatic to be at the front of the race without that much suffering. To pull through and race this well against a quality field is.....

What makes you think that Kirk Molday is that good?

Laughs.... maybe the National Champion stripes?

Or 4th in the world in the '97 World Championships in Switzerland? You were only a little over a minute back, right?

I thought I'd be able to take a little time out of him.... I started to feel a little bit better on the last lap.... it was a very unconventional course. Really different.

How do you rate the course?

The course is really neat. It's neat because it's atypical of what we usually do. I think more promoters need to take an experimental approach to racing. Not only what's good for racers, but what's also good for racing. To have an urban venue like this.... obviously draws a lot of sponsorship and draws a lot of beginners. It's a sport and that's what the sport is about... it's about people going out and having fun riding their bike. Yeah, I think the course is awesome, it's really fast.... it's not my type of course... not my favorite type of course. I'm into the more traditional back country races but the speed of the course makes for a tactically complicated race. I liked the underpasses and little bridges. It was a lot of fun.

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Yeah, I would say it was well organized. Registration went quick, it's a nice venue and expo area.... with the exception of awards. They always take a while here. They split up the age groups... I think they'll get it straight.

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

Absolutely. I would have went with Molday when he attacked. I think it was 2 1/2 laps in he passed Andy Bishop and myself , Eric Keim, and Matt Kelly. With the last two weekends racing I kind of wanted to race conservatively. I didn't want to lose a lot of excess time from blowing up. I felt good.... but I was worried.... these guys are some of the top Pros in the country. At some point I thought they were going to really turn it up and.... I didn't see it happen. It just seemed pretty consistent. So I wish I would have gone with him at this point cause I really could have used someone to draft off of.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I would like to thank New Sun and K2 for getting us out to all of these cool races. I think the heat was a major factor in today's race. It was a scorcher. It was as much a factor as say a major climb. If you couldn't deal with the heat.... you couldn't cope today and a lot of people couldn't.