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4 - THE PORT PERRY STAR, Tuesday, November 27, 2001 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Brooklin biker grabs provincial gold By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star Before Eric Batty could walk he was doing laps-around the kitchen table on his tricycle. Now 18, the Brooklin teenager is still riding bikes and is on one of the largest bicycle racing teams in Ontario. Competing in mountain bike races in the spring and summer and cyclo- cross events in the fall, Eric is a provincial champion. Riding his Giant NRS air bicycle, he competed in the Junior Expert Division (ages 17 and 18 years) last weekend at the Provincial Cyclo-Cross Championships and won the gold medal, peddling across the finish line 20 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. Even after an early crash, which cost him three minutes and a few injuries, he still managed to pull through and win the gold. The biggest difference between cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing is the terrain and time allowed. While cyclo-cross racing is a combination of mountain biking and road racing, mountain biking is what you would imag- ine, "up and down steep grades and over several of the most grueling obstacles," he says. "It's one of the most demanding sports on your body. The climbs are immensely steep," says Eric. While a mountain bike race is about two hours in length, a cyclo-cross event can last up to an hour. Often in a mountain bike race you start out in a solid climb for five to 15 minutes that causes your legs to cramp from a lactic acid burn. Going down and across rugged terrain, your body takes a pounding. "Just imagine riding a bike for five minutes down a flight of stairs and it will give you an idea what it feels like," he says. Although Eric bought his first mountain bike when he was nine-years-old, he didn't start to compete seriously until in his early teens. Riding with a friend, Matt Douglas of Ashburn, the two pals were soon riding together and now share the same coach, Rob Holmgren of Barrie. Four years ago the two friends became part of the Bay Cycle Racing Team. Made up of 20 racers from across Ontario, their fathers, Rick Batty and Cris Douglas, are the managers. Earlier this year the team divided into two categories: the Grassroots division, which is more Ontario-based races, and the High Performance divi- sion, which Eric is a member of, that includes the National and International racing events. On the High Performance team members hail from Kitchener, Barrie, Trenton, London and Barrie. Eric was on a North American mountain bike racing tour for three months this summer. Starting in Quebec, he placed fourth at Mont Tremblant and then placed fourth in the Canada Cup in Fernie, B.C. "If you are in the top 10 in the Canada Cup that's really an achievement," he says. Initially, he was in second place when, during the final lap, he says he "bonked." "That's when your blood sugar level gets too low and you run out of ener- gy. At Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, with 20,000 spectators watching the World Cup, Eric finished fifth, "which was really good" and placed as the third Canadian. "Canada did really well. We competed against the top cyclists around the world," he said. Sometimes the weather doesn't co-operate and other times there's always the fear of a mechanical breakdown In the pouring rain Eric came in eighth at the Canadian Olympic Park in Calgary. After this tour, he compet- ed in the NORBA national race where he didn't place at all, after experienc- ing two flat tires and a broken back wheel. "For every race you win, you lose one, too," admitted Eric. At the end of August Eric competed at another World Cup event at Mont- Sainte-Anne where he ended up a "solid 10th" as well as the third Canadian. Although broken collarbones are the number one serious injury in racing, scrapes and bruises are more common. "Touch wood, I've never had a serious injury yet," said Eric. But, sometimes he's so sore and exhausted after a race he wonders why he abuses his body so. "But once you win a medal or achieve your goal of coming in the top 10, you get that familiar adrenaline rush again," he says. On Nov. 2 Eric flew to Edmonton where he competed in the Cyclo-Cross Nationals, earning a Bronze medal. Eric balances his week by working part-time at RLD Games, an outdoor paintball facility in Ashburn, which allows him to adhere to a grueling exer- cise program too. While Monday is always a day of rest, the balance of the week is spent at the gym and road riding as well as trail running. Entry fees are usually $25 to $35 per race, "which isn't bad but the killer is the cost of getting to the races," he says. The bills can mount up. Last year the Batty's expenses amounted to more than $50,000, but Eric isn't complaining. This amount would be greater if he didn't have a lot of sponsors, including Bay Cycle. Next year Eric will move up a category to Senior Pro (Espoir; 19 - 29 years). "The courses are the same but have more laps." Often he is asked why he delves into such a demanding sport. "I love it and it's competing outdoors. It takes a lot of discipline and it's always a challenge," he says. "My goal is to ride for Canada in the 2008 Olympics." Eric Batty, 18 recently won the gold medal at the provincial cyclo-cross championships, finishing 20 seconds ahead of his closest competitor despite crashing early in the race. He hopes to ride for Canada in the 2008 Olympics.