Area cyclist shares dream with champion

Kurt Garin compares it to playing baseball with Barry Bonds or basketball with Michael Jordan.

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In the world of professional cycling, sharing the road with five-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is a dream come true.

Garin, a native of Martinez, will live that dream Sunday at the T-Mobile International in San Francisco.

"It's a chance to be with the best in the world, even though I'm not going to say I'm in the same league as him," Garin said. "It's a pretty big race."

Garin is a member of the Jittery Joes Cycling Team, based in Athens, Ga. After competing as an amateur the past five years, he was invited to join the team and compete with them in races across the United States.

Sunday's race features a 109-mile course along the steep terrain of the San Francisco Bay area. Armstrong and his US Postal Service team will lead the field of more than 100 cyclists.

"My role out there will be to just go out there and ride support for my teammates," said Garin, an Aquinas High School graduate and a senior at Augusta State University. "I'm a worker for them. I'll basically go back and get them water from the team car if they need it and be there to help throughout the race."

Playing a supporting role is part of the strategy in team cycling, where some riders must sacrifice individual success for team victory.

Garin, 23, is willing to play that role for now, but hopes to move up the ranks.

"Initially, when I first started, I just wanted to get to the pro level," Garin said. "Now that I've gotten there, I realize it takes an extra level to be competitive as a pro in the U.S."

For now, Garin is glad to be along for the ride.

"I really enjoy the travel aspect; it's fun being able to go around the country for different races," he said.

GET IN-LINE: The last chance for area kids ages 4-16 to join The Family Y's in-line hockey league is 9 a.m. Saturday, when the final in a series of free clinics will be held at Abilene Baptist Church on Washington Road in Martinez.

Team selection will be held after the clinics, and players can register for the league on site. Skates, stick and helmet are required. League fees range from $39 for Family Y members to $59 for non-members.

For more information, contact The Family Y at (706) 860-7986.

WHISKEY A GO-GO: The 26th Aiken Whiskey Road Race was held last Saturday in Aiken and featured hundreds of runners from across the Southeast.

In the 10-kilometer race, Ale Kennedy, 31, of Augusta was the Women's champion with a time of 41 minutes, 13 seconds. On the men's side, 27-year-old David Lyle of Aiken took first in 33:54. In the Masters division, 40-year-old Ruth O'Brien of Aiken finished first among the women (43:52), while Mark Bedenbaugh, 40, of West Columbia was the men's winner (35:51).

Several local runners won their respective age divisions.

In the men's divisions, local winners were: Conner Crowley of Martinez (12-and-under); Matthew Funk of Fort Gordon (18-24); Gary Moore of North Augusta (25-29); Dave Crowley of Martinez (40-44); Glen Chamberlain of North Augusta (45-49); Larry Milner of Aiken (50-54); Jimmy Hadden of Graniteville, S.C. (55-59) and Richard Conley of Montmorenci, S.C. (65-59)

For the women, the winners were: Kathryn McLeod of Augusta (30-34); Paula Ramos of Evans (35-59); Terry Rossabi of Aiken (40-44); Annette Putnam of North Augusta (45-49); Pattie Hannan of North Augusta (50-54) and Brenda Cooter of Grovetown (55-59).

In the two-mile road race, Shelly Onderdonk, 35, of Aiken, was the women's champion with a time of 13:43. Ed Winslow of Cayce, S.C., won the men's race in 10:49.

For two families, the Whiskey Road Race was a family affair.

The Ramos family had three top finishers - mom, Paula, won her age division in the 10K. Her son, Austin, finished second to Crowley in the 9-10 division, while daughter, Jackie, placed third behind winner Lindsay Crute and Carson Crowley in the 7-8 girls division.

The Crowleys had four family members place in the three races, including the one-mile fun run where 10-year-old Casey Crowley took first in the 9-10 division.

--From the Thursday, September 11, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle