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Lifelong Franklin resident dominates Mountain Bike Racing series |
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Thursday, 07 May 2009 |
Charlie Ledford, 25, has lived in Franklin all of his life and has always enjoyed the outdoors. No one was really surprised when Ledford became an avid biker and fell in love with cycling.
Dave Forshee at Smoky Mountain Bicycles approached Ledford about the possibility of racing mountain bikes for the 2009 South Eastern Regional Championship Series (SERC) which consists of 10 races throughout the southeast, including Gainesville, Fla.; Columbia, Tenn.; and Anniston, Ala. Ledford didn’t even have to think about it, he immediately knew that he wanted to try racing mountain bikes.
Smoky Mountain Bicycles offered to sponsor him for his first year of racing, and he immediately began training for the first race of the season with the help of John Hood. Hood has been an elite cyclist for years including former national team cyclist, multi-time state champion and national championship medalist. Ledford started training 3 to 5 days a week, including 3-hour rides, interval and sprint training.
The first race of the season was March 8 in Gainesville, Fla. and he wanted to be ready. Under the rules for licensing, you must start out racing as a beginner or sport class. Once you have won or finished in the top five for five races or first in three races, you can file a request to upgrade the license status to expert level.
At the Tsali race near Bryson City, Charlie Ledford took first place, finishing six minutes ahead of his fastest challenger. To keep up with the races, visit www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com. After arriving in Gainesville on Saturday, Ledford went to test ride the course. Unfortunately, his bike was having mechanical issues and with the race the following day, Ledford had no choice but to race on Forshee’s mountain bike, Fisher X-Caliber with 29” wheels ... a bike he had never ridden before.
Ledford got off to a good start and was in the lead of the race by the first mile. The sport class riders had to do three laps on the 5.5 mile course for a total of 16.5 miles. He never lost the lead and won first place by 4.5 minutes. There were 10 competitors in his class and, since this was just the first race of the season, he knew it would be tougher at the next race in Columbia, Tenn. on March 29.
Once again, Ledford arrived early to test ride the course. Since the first race, he had gotten a new Trek 8500 bike to race on. It had rained for three days prior to arriving in Columbia and a local bike shop informed him the course at Chickasaw was known to be muddy course.
Muddy was an understatement. It was like riding in peanut butter, Ledford said. The conditions on the trail made every climb slick and difficult to make sure your wheel didn’t slip out from under you.
As he finished a 9 mile lap, clouds were rolling in. “I knew we had to get to the car wash to hose off the muddy bike from the ride,” Ledford said.
After returning to hotel, the television advised the town was under a tornado warning. Ledford and his team wondered what this might do to the trail for race day.
Sunday ended up being cloudy with temperatures 30 degrees cooler than the day before and windy. Ledford had to race two 9 mile laps for a total of 18 miles. He was in the lead by the first turn on the course. He maintained the lead throughout the entire race and passed all the riders in the Single Speed class, which started 2 minutes before his class. He finished 3 minutes in front of second place and 6 minutes in front of third place.
“It was a great day and while the sun never came out and the temperatures never reached above 40 degrees, it was a bright day for me,” Ledford said. He now has the nickname, “Lead Foot” Ledford.
The next race was in his stomping grounds of Tsali near Bryson City. This is also one of the biggest races in the SERC with more riders and more competition than any of the other races.
Tsali is known to be muddy, especially after the spring showers. The team was praying for good weather for the third race of the season. They got the answer to their prayers as Sunday, April 5 was a beautiful day.
Smoky Mountain Bicycles was also the “Round Sponsor” for the Tsali race and would be awarding the prizes to all the winners in the Sport and Beginner Class. Ledford’s family, coach, and friends came out to cheer him on.
There were a lot of pro riders racing and Tsali definitely attracts a crowd, with over 400 racers competing. Ledford got his best start ever and had a 50-yard lead by the first turn. He passed all the riders in the class before him and was beginning to pass the pro riders. He completed 18 miles in an hour and 15 minutes. He finished six minutes in front of second place and nine minutes in front of third.
Training six days every week for almost three hours a day can get tiring, especially while going to college and working. Ledford had to completely rearrange his schedule so that he can train.
“The weather never cooperates when you have to ride your bike outside for three hours, but Charlie’s dedication and motivation is inspiring and contagious. Riders are always asking how Charlie’s racing is going and looking for the latest race report,” said Pam Forshee of Smoky Mountain Bicycles.
Ledford has achieved enough in the Sport class that he feels he needs to step up a level for more competition, and he credits his success on the fact that the bike shop and his coach recognized he had some ability and encouraged him.
“The most important aspect of racing is your coach. I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have Coach Hood. He’s taught me how to train without over-training or under-training and he’s amazing. Back in the day he rode against the big boys like Lance Armstrong and won a race at the age of 50. He’s truly inspiring. He taught me to go to a race believing I’ll win it, and to simply refuse to let anyone pass me,” he said.
The next SERC race is in Clemson, S.C. on June 7. The SERC Series Championship race is at Fontana Dam on August 2 and Ledford hopes to win the Sport Class Series and has the chance to win a 2009 Trek Top Fuel 9.8 bicycle ($5000 value).
To follow the race, visit www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com . You can also see photos and race schedule at www.smokymtnbikes.com .
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