Charles Weaving taking the cake at 24 Hours of Ga.Last weekend, October 8-9, Bike Raising brought cyclocross to Macon, Ga. Bike Raising is an organization, headed by avid cyclist Josh Stinger, that hosts bike races in an effort to raise money for various charities. On Saturday Austin Sholly, Gabe Denes, and Kevin Roberts made the short trek to Sandy Beach Park near Lake Tobosofkee to help Stinger set up the course. On Sunday the three Mercer Bears returned to compete in their first ever cyclocross race. As Sholly, Denes, and Roberts prepared for the race, they greeted a number of familiar friends from the local group rides. Former club president, Elizabeth Lee, also came down from Conyers, Ga for some cyclocross action. With all the hometown feeling of knowing the course and the competition, nervous jitters were still unavoidable in the Bears' first cyclocross race.
In the first lap Sholly and Roberts quickly took hold of the front of the pack while Denes and another rider broke away from the group. Denes, unable to keep up with the intense pace of the lead rider, fell back to the group halfway through lap 2. At this point Roberts was garnering second position at the front of the pack. Unfortunately Austin Sholly, who had been right behind Roberts for most of the race, flatted in the third lap and fell back several positions while he changed out bikes in the pit. Midway through the third lap Kevin Roberts found himself unable to fend off the fierce competition and was passed by teammate Denes and two others. This put Roberts in 5th place overall where he would remain through the end of the race. Denes would make a gutsy move near the end of the fourth and final lap to pass the two riders in his group. After wiping out in the sand soon thereafter, Denes was still able hang on and finish 2nd place overall.
While the majority of Mercer Cycling was kicking tail in their inaugural cross race, sophomore Charles Weaving was busy doing the same at 24 Hours of Ga at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Ga. The trails at the Horse Park are no walk-in-the-park, and Weaving rode them for 24 straight hours covering almost 200 miles in that time period. Nearing the end of the race, on the 14th lap, Weaving was in the lead with his competition only two minutes behind. The second place rider would crack on that very same lap allowing the Mercer sophomore to lap the field and soundly win the race.
