Date: March 25, 2000
Event: Fuller VOLVO Eastern Shore Mtn Bike Championship             AMBC
Class: OPEN
Category: Pro
Length: 24 mi.
Time: 1:40:26
Conditions: Sunny / Overcast last lap - 60s
Bike: Razorback HT
Tires: Hutchinson Python Gold

Did you do anything special to prepare for this race?

Not particularly, just a good ride yesterday for about an hour with about 45 minutes of it fast just to try to get the legs revved up and ready to go. You don't start your car and drive it hard without warming it up first. Same idea.

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

Probably 18.

Were you strong from start to finish?

Yes - I had a good start but I started cramping before I came thru for the last lap. It was pretty mysterious. I didn't know what was going on but I had to deal with it. I made sure to drink a lot on the last lap and tryed to tactically just stay in front of him (McCormack) and keep the pace steady - just keep it mellow. The last lap could easily been two minutes faster. (Editor's note: they ended up 2 1/2 minutes faster than 3rd Pace)
We slowed down a lot in the last lap - I would look over my shoulder just waiting for him to jump around me and take off - or try to make a move. He led for quite a majority of the earlier part of the race. The last lap I decided I have to make a move - because if I don't it's going to come down to a sprint. I fancy myself as an OK sprinter, but not against one of the best road racers in the country. Those guys obviously do a lot of training for that. I know how to race a race and I raced a good race. I did the best with what I had today unfortunately, it wasn't quite what I wanted as far as the legs.

Was it still fun for you?  Some people turn it into a business and take the fun out of it....

Oh, no - it's great , it was so funny we were just joking on the last lap.
I was going up a steep little uphill and we were passing some lapped traffic. I clipped out and I pedaled, and messed up - then he messes up behind me. I was just laughing - and we just kept going....It was pretty cool to have fun in the last lap like that....

We were really staring each other down, but.....I was really doing damage control in the last lap. I was cramping so bad that I couldn't turn the pedals a few times. On a few occasions my legs just locked up - and I was hoping he didn't see it or knew what was going on - cause he would have just went right there. I figured maybe it would go away and I would get a shot late in the race. I got a little gap and actually I wasn't trying to get away from him there. He was just a little sloppy on some of the tight turns and I tried to capitalize on that but the legs just weren't there to hold it. It doesn't matter how good you can handle your bike if you can't pedal it.

When did you put the hammer down?

I tried to get away middle of the last lap. Last lap: I went into the single-track first. I wanted to see if I could get a little gap on him. If I had been riding decent and could get 15 second on him - I would have beat him on that final stretch. He could have closed in on me good, but 15 seconds is a pretty good lead. If you could get a lead like that which is very realistic in the single-track and come into the last stretch ahead of him - that's what I needed to do to win. I played a good game.

How do you rate the course?

It's awesome, it was a lot of fun. I would prefer something a little tighter, a little bit more technical- something with more technical like Michaux Ironmasters near Carlise, PA. Racing here is very tactical and it puts the ball in his court (Mc Cormack's) because road racing is very tactically oriented and very much a thinking man's game.

Did you have any unusual problems?

The race went very smoothly. One time I fell over on a steep uphill but other than that......no.

Were you happy with the way the race was run?

Yes, I think it was run well. There was a good turn out - saw a lot of people here today - a huge turn out. I think there were close to or over 40 people in the pro race.

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

Not really, I raced well.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Excellent ride by 4th place rider Ryan DeWalt - Trek from Reading, PA. It's probably his best finish yet I would think. He's definitely talented and I've never seen him really put it together. I've seen him fast, but I've never seen him finish as fast as he was going during the race. He'll have sections where he'll just take off. He's an excellent bike handler - looks like he's getting it together. I'm excited- he's a good kid.
      My team mate Eric Keim rode really well. Won the Expert race. Second year in a row for him. (Editor's note: he won the Expert Open by almost 6 minutes!!!)