The GC Update

I'm back home in Indiana. Just got back from the first workout of the year on the track. I'm so fired up! I forgot how hard it is though, I'm real tired. Bri, Katie, and I initially thought it would be a good idea to do a points race where we sprinted for points every 3 laps but got talked up to 5. It was sooo hard, I forgot how fast Bri Kovac is without a broken hip.

Tulsa Tough this weekend. Excited? Yes. Scared? Duh. Have you SEEN the start list???

The Wenatchee "This seemed like a good idea at the time" Omnium

As if leaving for a week to go race in Colorado wasn't enough, I decided to sign up for the Wenatchee Omnium up north in Washington. So after Nationals I worked my ass off for 4 days, writing papers, taking tests, and improving my spider solitaire winning record to 31 (that's a 16% winning average, thank you very much).

After these dreadful 4 days, only 4 of us were left still thinking Wenatchee was a good idea (plus the fact we had all already registered). Me, Andy, Ben and Duncan. We packed up the car, surprised everything fit, and headed up north. We made it to the Red Lion in time for packet pickup, only to find a few dozen people roaming around aimlessly in what looked like complete chaos, holding license in one hand and a beer glass/t shirt combo in another. It took some time, and our Whitman College wit, but we navigated ourselves through, one beer glass and t shirt richer.

The generous Valaas family let us into their home, and even broke into the house of their neighbor to find us a place to stay. They are so great.

Saturday morning was the TT. The race directors, again ahead of the game, had delayed the starts by a mere hour. I mean, who DOESN'T want to sit in a huge factory parking lot for an extra hour? This delay combined with our lack of coffee contributed to the crankiness of the team. We even had to call the Waaambulance for a Mr. Duncan McGovern. At least it was pretty outside.



Then we drove the road race course. Fuuuck.

Same night was the crit. This was the best part about the weekend, aside from the discovery of the Yakima Valley Party Station and the baller beer glass. It was a short, four corner course, with a fast downhill corner (like the conference crit) and a steep kicker of a climb right before the sprint. I accidentally found myself off the front for the first 5 laps, and spent the rest of the 30 minute crit (30 MINUTES??!?!? That's a crime!) trying to recover. It was fun to race with some the Hagens ladies, and one of them, Karen, gave me a super fast leadout...a lap early. It was still great. I ended up 9th, I couldn't really sprint I was so tired. Oh well.

Road race...ahem. 10 mile climb. 90 degrees. I am not cut out for races like these. I don't WANT to be cut out for races like these. After the first 9 miles (the time trial course, even complete WITH a turn around) we began our journey up the hill. I was riding okay, I could still see the lead pack, I looked to my right-Christine Chang. Cool, I'll just ride with her. Shit she's passing me. I looked to my left-a few other girls. Cool, I'll just ride with them. Shit they're passing me. I could keep going but chances are you'd stop reading after the 20th time I realized shit, someone is passing me. After a while, I gave up even pretending I was racing, and tried to check out some of the killer nature views. But, even the pretty flowers on the side of the road could not convince me that turning around (and returning to the feed zone where Andy sat with tons of cold water and all things good, at least I imagined) wouldn't be a bad idea.

Earlier in the day, when Duncan and Ben and I had driven up the climb to cheer on Andy we had heard a variety of cries from passing riders. For example:

Duncan: There's cold beer in the feed zone, just a half a mile!
Dropped guy: I need a cigarette!

or

All of us: Where the FUCK is Andy?
Andy: I stole your move, Duncan! I attacked right out of the start!
(As Andy rides a circle in the middle of the climb.)

or

Really dropped guy: Two nuns walk into a bar... that's all I got.

I envy these people. During the race I could not think of one single cohesive thought, especially not one that I would say outloud to strangers. My thoughts ranged from "What the fuck was I thinking" to "I'm a track racer" to "This will only make me stronger". Okay, you're right, I wasn't thinking that last one. But I WAS thinking "Why did you just spray me as hard as you could in the face with that hose?" I'm willing to bet some other people had that same thought.

Anyway, I finished. Some bitch sprinted me at the end, which I found both annoying and amusing at the same time. Go ahead and "sprint" me for 40th place, I'll let that happen. Duncan flatted, much to his dismay, and did not have to go up the climb a second time. Ben crashed, but still finished. Andy finished, with his 13 miles of glory.

A myriad of thoughts/outcomes:
1. Duncan got invited to join the Wines of Washington team.
2. Nobody parties like Yakima Valley.
3. Grad week is going to be well-appreciated by all.
4. GRAVEL RIDE
5. Wenatchee Omnium=never again.

Collegiate Nationals

We set out (half of us in a plane, the other half in a car) on Tuesday night for Boise. Through the generosity of Ethan's dad, we had a whole office building to ourselves. Unfortunately, the only business we attended to was sleeping. And we tried that, but Colin kept stealing our blankets, crying "But I'm coooooollllldddd!" We awoke Wednesday morning, consumed at least a small child's weight in egg and scone at Big City Coffee in Boise, rode in Xtreme Wind Wyoming, and I single-handedly won the Stateline Sprint Omnium. We finally arrived in Fort Collins around dinner time.



Thursday was logistics day. We got up early to drive the road race course and preride the Masonville loops. Everyone felt good about their openers, though we could all feel the altitude. It's so dry in Colorado! The rest of the day was spent lounging around, picking up race packets, and getting massages by our very own masseuse, Dave "Magic Fingers" Tupper.



The DII Womens race started at 8am (ouch!) so we got up painfully early. The first thing we heard about the weather was courtesy of my coach Kent Menzel, "See my eyes? I'm not crying! It's just REALLY windy outside!" Greeeaaat. Yesterday there was absolutely no wind! When we got to the course, we quickly realized there was no stopping these hurricane-like winds. Someone mentioned something about 40mph gusts. Things were blowing everywhere, papers, numbers, small animals. I tried not to get gusted on the rollers. My bike was practically riding away from me.
The race was hard. This year they ran the course the opposite direction, starting with a real live neutral (opposed to a GIANT climb in the first 5 minutes last year). I think everyone expected the race to break up, but because of the wind things stayed together pretty much the whole time. All four of us were there almost the whole time, which is always great. Tons of climbing/tons of fun (ahem). We descended into the finish with a huge head/crosswind and I got 6th, Mia 15th, Emily 13th (who managed to crash 1 and a half times AND finish top 15!!) and Roxy 21st. I was a little upset about how the finish played out, but happy that we all finished so well. And my friend Rita (from Depauw) got 2nd!



The whole team after the road race.


Saturday: Another early morning. (Come on, crits at 8am??? I'm pretty sure that's illegal in at least 3 states.) We were all excited, especially after our sweet showing at the conference crit. Now that the road race was over, there was a definite change in energy, everyone was super fired up instead of super stressed. That is a stressful road race. Especially when you're on a flat road going 5 mph as hard as you can, trying to hold your bike straight. (Apparently many others weren't as concerned as I about riding in a straight line.) Anyway, we had completely forgotten about the previous day's stressors and totally focused on what was to come. We decided early on we wanted to have fun, try and control the race, get the leadout, and the win. Though these were our goals, I don't think any of us expected to accomplish them all so brilliantly. We were active the whole race, all four of us. I had planned to be conservative, but 10 minutes in found myself off the front, winning a prime. Okay, there was no turning back. All of us attacked at least once and I got 3 primes (I think?) and Mia got 1! I really thought (maybe more like hoped) that Rita (the brains of Depauw Cycling) and I would have stayed off. But the course wasn't nearly technical enough. When it came around to 2 laps to go, it was no problem getting people to let us have the leadout. Mia went to the front, set a good pace, then a faster pace, then a blistering fast pace (I can't say for sure, but I'd say there were three, at least four girls crying on the side of the road after being dropped by this maniacal leadout) delivering me into the final corner first wheel. I knew from the primes that I had sat in for, it would be way too hard to come around someone sprinting for the finish. So, I lead it out, HARD, and prayed (and I don't pray) that I wouldn't get second this time around. I soon realized no one was passing me. I was...winning? I was going to win?! I WON!!! Finally. I was so happy that I threw up my left hand to celebrate, which I NEVER take off the handlebars. Maybe I was having a body spasm, it's hard to tell from the photos. Afterward, all I could think about was how WELL we rode the race together. I could never thank Mia more for what she sacrificed for me. Mia is a badass sprinter herself! She could have done really well in the sprint, but instead she gave it all to me, which is the ultimate compliment. And Roxy got 6th, too! Unfortunately, in an incredible streak of bad luck, Emily got crashed out on the second to last corner. As a team, we could not have ridden a better race. In the wise words of Dave Towle, "Whitman College has a high cycling IQ." We could all sleep well tonight (maybe except for Emily, who had a nice raspberry on her hip).


Later that night at the banquet.



TEAM TIME TRIAL. 38 degrees and raining: ideal team time trialing weather. Today we were not the first to ride, so we lounged around for a while. It's hard to say lounge when it's freezing and you realize you forgot gloves, leg warmers, and your number. But, I'd say we accomplished it alright. Warm-up. Time to start. 1 minute....30 seconds...check my tires (good time to check tires)...man that tire feels soft....Mia, feel this tire....Mia: Oh my god....Colin: Nothing you can do about it now. GO!!! Best time trial we've ridden together all year. Good thing too, because turns out, it was the first one we WON all year!!! By a minute!!! We couldn't have been happier. It will probably be impossible to ever simulate this amount of happiness. Picture the happiest thing you've ever seen, and quadrupletriplemilliondouble it.




And that's a good place to end. HAPPY. That's what this weekend could be summed up with. That is what collegiate cycling is all about, and no better way to end it than on such a successful note. But, even if we hadn't won, even if I hadn't won, even if those things hadn't happened, I still would have loved every minute of it.

(Special thanks to Tracey Neill who kindly offered us (very last minute!) a place to stay in Boise on the way back!)