<i>I ran into Ian Harris on the road one day and we got talking about what a great job Craig’s done with the CRCA junior program. We decided it would be nice for all the guys to write a few words of thanks. Thanks to Ian for putting this together, and check out the juniors’ <a href=”http://crcajrdev.blogspot.com/” target=”blank”>blog</a> for updates on how they’re doing.</i>

I am hesitant to gather notes of thanks for Craig Cook from the members of our team because I know that few words could do him justice.  Without any tangible rewards, Craig has put aside time and effort in his busy life over the past couple years to create and develop our team.  He has been our director, coach, mechanic, masseuse, soigneur, driver, friend and role model.  If you have ever seen us listening with wide eyes and dropped jaws to Craig’s stories of racing at home and abroad, it is obvious how much we all look up to him. 

-Ian

We wanted to express our thanks for really taking care of us the past two years:

I remember quite vividly showing up last summer bright and early one Sunday morning in June for the CRCA men’s racing clinic. The three-lap race, although ending pretty quickly, seemed like a painful eternity to my inexperienced lungs and legs, and I proudly rolled across the line in seventh place, just praying that would be enough to impress someone. I was totally new to the sport of cycling, and new little to nothing about it. Fortunately, I wasn’t going to be kept in the dark much longer.

Immediately after the race I was introduced to Craig Cook, decked in his full Re-Max kit and seeming for all the world to me as pro as can be. Telling me about the other juniors on the team and the racing that they were doing, he had me hooked instantly. No more than a week later, he delivered to me possibly the coolest thing that any young cyclist could ask for: my very own matching team kit. I can hardly remember ever being so excited. Now, more than a year later, he has stretched that oh-so-cool racing kit into a whole lot more.

Craig has been the sort of mentor on whose amazingly vast experience my teammates and I have been able to draw time and time again to guide us in our growth as cyclists. Whether it be talking over team strategy or discussing some of the finer nuances of the sport, Craig is always ready with an explanation or colorful narrative. One of Craig’s greatest assets, in fact, is his vast wealth of fascinating and odd stories. My personal favorite is about the time he accidentally ran over a fallen Viatcheslav Ekimov, a feat that not many can claim to have accomplished. Whether it be as a director sportif, coach, or masseur, Craig has been an excellent teacher and friend for myself and the entire junior development program. We are all greatly indebted to him for the guidance and invaluable support that he has offered us, and he deserves the greatest of thanks for what he has done. I want to wish him the best of luck at Princeton this coming year and I’m sure that we will all miss him. Thanks Craig!

-Evan

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I consider myself extremely fortunate to have come upon this junior development team, because had I not done so, I would not have had the privilege to meet Craig Cook. Every time I find myself with the team, I always learn new things from Craig, whether it’s to do with tactics or just life in general. Although I am enjoying this year’s season, I sometimes cannot help but think of how Craig will sadly be leaving us in the end. I don’t think that I would be who I am today without Craig’s help, and for that, I am forever grateful. As I continue with my racing, I will always try to be like Craig, where his tremendous leadership skills and friendliness get him to exactly where he wants to be. Craig is and will continue to be one of my idols for the rest of my life, and I will miss him when he is gone. Next year, a new face will attempt to continue the success of the CRCA Junior Development Team initiated by Craig. I know that it will be very difficult for me to adjust to a new face – almost as difficult as finding another person as good a friend as Craig.

Best of luck to Craig wherever he may go.

-Connor
                                   

 I am truly amazed with all of the dedication and effort that Craig Cook has put towards our cycling endeavors. He has always been there for us and has played the role of the team director, soigneur, driver, mechanic, and fan to name a few. To me, Craig has been a solid mentor. With his expert advice, I have been able to gain a better understanding of proper race tactics, which have helped me become a smarter, stronger racer. Craig has also guided the team to understand the importance of teamwork in that the team must help each other to be successful instead of having every man race for himself. By showing myself as well as the rest of the team these and other important cycling tips, we can benefit greatly in our cycling ventures. For all Craig’s time and effort which he invested into the program, I am sincerely grateful. I could not have asked for a better season, a better team, and a better director. I will really miss Craig’s presence among the organization and I can’t say enough for all he has done for me except for, “Thank you Craig!”

-Graham

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Craig Cook is seriously like a cycling Library. He knows everything and has experienced just about everything cycling has to offer! There hasn’t been a question that I asked he couldn’t answer. For me its like the more time you spend with Craig the more you learn and that’s one thing I am going to miss about him. Never has mood swings and always has a chilled out mellow attitude, very Zen like.
 
Craig also served as my motivation for cycling. I always look forward for his emails. When ever I was feeling down about training or the expenses of cycling he was always there to cheer me up and keep me on track. There were really times when I wanted to give up cycling but then I would think of all the things Craig did for the Team such as spending time to put together  race Calendars, Training Manuals, Team clothes and training rides that I couldn’t simply quit, I just tried harder since he really didn’t have to do any of these things. With his mentoring I went from getting dropped in races early in the season to thinking on my feet and making moves that stick. It paid of when I got podium on June 16th’s Prospect Park race and was able to comfortably sit in my first Category 3/4 race a week after. There are few if any people in NYC’s cycling community like Craig and I am really going to miss his openness and broad knowledge of cycling and life. Whenever I think on my pedals I will always ask myself, “What would Craig do?”
 
– Khary

Craig has been incredibly supportive of me since midwinter when I first began training to join the Junior Development team. Always there to help at the races (pinning numbers or helping me out when I forgot my license) and then going on to race himself. Craig is always a blast to ride with, and always ready to offer some helpful guidance. Thank you Craig for all your help! Be sure to come back and ride with us all the time.

-Liam

I want to thank Craig for everything he’s done for me and the junior team over these last two years as our team director. I think that if it wasn’t for Craig I wouldn’t have developed into the rider I am today. I also think that if it wasn’t for Craig and the junior program I would still been racing locally. After I joined the CRCA junior program that’s when I began to do out of state races such as Fitchburg, Green Mountain, Can-Am, etc. Craig thank you for everything you’ve done for us, and visit us when every you can, oh and good luck at Princeton.

-Lewis

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