ARTICLE ABOUT JASON BARTON...

Jason Barton stepped to the podium to accept his prize as Savannah's top cyclist, which is somewhat miraculous. Less than a month earlier, he was shot in the back while lying on the floor as three men ransacked his apartment.

"They didn't take anything. I didn't have anything," Barton said. "I'm lucky to be here."

He was standing Saturday night in a banquet room at the Doubletree Hotel, where the Nestor Cup cycling series based in Savannah held its annual awards dinner. It was a celebration of the region's best cyclists on the 12-event tour, and it became a celebration of life, Barton's life.

"This is my first time seeing him (since the shooting)," said Christopher Perham, a Savannah cyclist and senior at Georgia Southern. "I think he's doing good. He's a very positive person.

"He'll bounce back."

When other cyclists speak of Barton as a tough competitor, they now have a choice of meanings.

Barton, 31, showed supremacy in endurance races in 2007 by capturing the Nestor Cup's elite "A" series points title. He also ran away with the "A" sprint championship.

Nestor Gernay, the series creator 13 years ago and the president of the Savannah Wheelmen cycling club, personally chooses a few awards such as most improved and most dedicated riders. Gernay honored Barton as the most aggressive rider.

About the only major award Barton was not a part of was the "A" series team title, in which his Wheelmen placed third. Bike Doctor of Hilton Head, S.C., was the team champion.

Barton, in accepting his awards, thanked "the onslaught of support from so many cyclists in the Savannah community." He recounted a few details of the shooting Dec. 28.

"While they were loading me into the ambulance, they asked if anybody personally had a grudge against me," Barton recalled. "I think I said (in a raspy voice), 'Bike Doctor.' ''

Home invasion

That fabricated bit of levity earned the desired comic relief. In truth, Barton doesn't know the three hooded figures who brazenly strode into his home about 7:30 p.m. one Friday while he was working on a motorbike in front of the apartment.

Barton was going back and forth, retrieving some tools, when he walked in on them. They told him to lie on the floor, which he did. They ignored his bicycle equipment in an apparent search for cash. They came away with $4 plus whatever change he had sitting in a jar.

Before they left, Barton heard a gunshot and felt pressure on his back. There was pain. There was blood. There were police, an ambulance and emergency medical personnel.

Just like that, his apartment was a crime scene. He is frustrated and angered by the lack of progress in the case. He figures his assailants are long gone from Savannah.

He has made remarkable progress from his injuries. He said the bullet fractured his tailbone near the base of his spine, but thankfully did not paralyze him. He is required to use a colostomy bag because of a bruised or torn colon, said Barton, who has more surgery ahead.

"Being in the shape I was in actually allowed me to recover quickly in this kind of predicament," said Barton

Barton was out of the hospital in three days. He stayed with friends for a couple of weeks before finding a new place to live.

"I couldn't go back there," said Barton, who lives alone. "I'm so vulnerable after surgery."

He can't be blamed for being apprehensive. It's not even his first time being a crime victim in Savannah. Two months ago, he was riding through Forsythe Park about 10:30 p.m. when two men knocked him off his bike and took his wallet and cell phone.

His life cycling

He might never do that again, but he's not giving up competitive cycling, which he started about three years ago. Barton moved to Savannah from his native Michigan in 2001, as he said, "basically working my life away" without any grand plans.

"I fell in love with (cycling). It gave me some direction, some focus," said Barton, now studying liberal arts at Armstrong Atlantic State University. "It definitely has been one of my major focuses for the last three years. It's great at so many levels. It's a great stress reliever and great motivation."

Barton is motivated to defend his Nestor Cup titles, saying, "I should be training right now" for the series, which runs April through September. However, his condition doesn't allow him on a bike just yet.

Asked again when he might return, Barton said, "Maybe 2008."

Nestor Gernay might have to create a new awards category: Comeback rider of the year.

Nathan Dominitz is a Morning News sports reporter. His column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached at 652-0350 or by e-mail at nathan.dominitz@savannahnow.com.

© 2008 SavannahNOW and the Savannah Morning News.