Contender

Prologue

On Saturday, November 26 Tacchino Cross proved to be quite a disaster as far as racing is concerned. A larger than usual Women’s A field (due to double points for both VACX and MABRA) gathered to tackle the King George course. I’d raced the course the previous year, when conditions were ideal (read: cold rain) and managed quite well. This year, we were faced with a sunny, dry course and of course, I fell apart. I had a decent enough start but couldn’t hold onto the pack. Kate Flore (of Artemis) and I battled back and forth. I’d get her on the climbs and barriers and she’d get me on technical down hills. The first two laps I crashed on the same off-camber section, bruising my right shoulder. I cautiously crossed the crevasse, forcing myself off the bike and opting instead to leap across. I was lapped by Betsy (as was becoming a regular occurrence) on the fifth lap. As I came into the final stretch, I had Kate in my sights and was convinced I’d be sprinting to the finish as soon as I rounded the corner. Nate held out my feed, but I refused thinking that I had at most 500 meters between me and the end. I sprinted to catch Kate’s wheel, but the official didn’t pull us. WHAT??? All that sprinting for nothing? I didn’t even get a feed and now I’d be left for dead on the final lap. I was so discouraged. I had very little left. I let Kate go and I struggled through the course cursing myself for being misled. I finished last, which wouldn’t have been so bad had there not been eleven racers on the line. I could kiss my fifth place overall ranking goodbye.

Having placed last in the past two races, I needed to re-evaluate my racing strategies. I was losing focus and momentum and feeling anxious and nervous as MABRA championships approached. Now in sixth place overall, I shifted my goals. I was now focused on having a solid race, and if that meant not finishing last or holding onto a top ten overall ranking, great—but it wasn’t my sole intent. Quality over quantity!

MABRA Championships

There’s something to be said for driving myself to races. I don’t want to downplay the importance or convenience of having a boyfriend who loves to drive, but I definitely notice a difference in the quality of my racing when I drive myself than when Nate drives. It’s not that I especially like driving more than he does; it’s just that it distracts me from the nerves and anxiety of racing. I am too preoccupied with getting lost and scraping enough change off the floor for tolls to worry about the actual race. In fact, by the time I make it to the race, racing is the easy part—because I ultimately have to drive myself home.

Anyway, I arrived with more than enough time to register and warm up. First, let me say that it was bonechillingly cold and windy (but sunny!). Luckily, Melanie remembered to bring all her old PVC gear for me to have (e.g. skin suits). I had thought I’d race in a skin suit and look impressively zippy on the start line. But it was quite nippy out and I only had bright blue knee warmers and as they say, Fashion over Function, so I opted for knickers and my newly inherited long-sleeve PVC jersey!

I warmed up on my trainer and had an impressively good warm-up! Though windy, I was sufficiently warm as I layered up before the race. I pre-rode the course sort of—I didn’t get it all in, but I saw most of it as I squinted and traced the course with my finger.

Five minutes to start! Five minutes to start! Four minutes to start! AAAAHHHHHHH!

There were fifteen of us on the start line. My sixth place ranking and I got a spot on the front line. As I tried to control my shivering, I just kept telling myself—stay on a wheel. Just stay on a wheel. The whistle blew and we all chased furiously up the hill. Just stay on a wheel. I got onto a wheel and I wasn’t going to give it up. There were three of us that trailed behind the lead group. As the woman in front of me chased down the woman in front of her, I hung on to her wheel. I was determined not to let her go. I thought about trying to advance on her, but then I decided to be a little more strategic. I’d become her shadow and let her do all the work. There were some great asphalt climbs that I could power through, but I let her lead, blocking the wind the entire way.

Two laps down and I was still sucking her wheel. I decided that I’d let her lead for as long as she could. We started our third lap and I again let her block the wind for me as we ascended. It must have been too much, because she began to let me pull ahead. I was worried she’d try the same thing with me, so I slowed my pace down a little—I didn’t want to work too hard for her. However, I began to gain a small lead over her. Afraid to take anything for granted, I kept up a fairly competitive pace. I didn’t realize how much of a lead I’d opened up until I came down through the small drop off. As I carried my bike up the small run-up, a group of guys cheered me on and yelled that I had about 20 seconds on her. I took it and never looked back. On my forth lap, as I came through the barriers, I dropped my chain and struggled a bit to get it back on. I frantically jumped back on worried that I’d lost considerable time.

I came through for my final lap feeling quite pleased with myself. I realized that not only had I raced strategically, I didn’t finish last and most impressively, I wasn’t lapped. For the first time all season, I didn’t get lapped!

Epilogue

Though the final standings for the MABRA have yet to posted, I am confident that I maintained a top ten ranking. Considering that this is my first season racing in the Women’s A field, I am very encouraged, if not elated, by this. In addition, I realized that (with the exception the 13 year old wunderkind) I was the youngest person in the A’s by a good 3 or 4 years. This also is very encouraging.

As a more optimistic Brando might have said in On the Waterfront, “I might be a contender, I might be somebody.”

This weekend I’m at Nationals, racing in the Women’s Bs. 44 of my closest rivals and I will battle it out. After having had such a fun and satisfying race this past weekend, I look forward to going out with a bang in Providence!