I got my head kicked in.
I had heard of this phrase before, but I never really knew what it meant. I got my first taste of it at the 2013 Tour de l’Abitibi, a Junior UCI Nation’s Cup race in Quebec, Canada – for those of you who don’t know junior cycling, this is the highest level of racing in the world. It was my first year of bike racing, and I was in way over my head. I got dropped every single day, and I was scared out of my mind when the caravan of cars started passing me at 35 mph. It was one big learning experience, to say the least.
Tour of the Gila 2018
I finished 46th Overall, and was the 6th best amateur rider in a field of mostly international pros. I’m guessing most of these guys didn’t have a Biology Exam last Wednesday, but this is the life I chose. Top 50 Overall might sound pretty good, but I had high expectations, and I finished over 30 minutes down on the overall winner. I feel like I let my team down, and also myself.
Taking Notes
I analyze every single ride, workout, or training session that I do, some more than others. (The most I will do with a 1-hour recovery ride will be uploading it to Strava and TrainingPeaks, and that’s about it). But for each and every race, I will write up a list of notes after the stage. These notes range most often describe how I felt (and why I think I felt his way), how the race played out, and what I could have done differently to earn a better result.
On Stage 5 of the Tour of the Gila, I made the worst mistake that I could ever make: I didn’t go hard enough.
A Moment Of Hesitation
The race split on the first major climb of the day, a 6-mile Cat 2 climb going towards the Cliff Dwellings. I put myself in a decent position heading into the climb, but it wasn’t good enough. I rode hard and made the front group of 50 guys, but it wasn’t good enough – the split happened just ahead of me, with the first 40 guys slowly pulling away as I looked around, confused, and overthinking the situation. I wasn’t prepared for this moment. I didn’t think the split would happen so fast, and so close to the front. But that was it, my race was done – the front group rolled away, and I rode to the finish in the groupetto, 27 minutes down on the stage winner. I was pissed.
Anger, Disappointment, and Regret
These kinds of results are the worst that I can imagine, not because of the number next to my name, but because I know in my heart that I didn’t perform to the best of my ability. There’s so much more that goes in to bike racing than power-to-weight ratio, aerodynamics, and other physiological measures that will tell you how fast you should be going. Especially at the professional level (which I am very new to, and I am still learning every race), there are so many things as or more important than putting power into the pedals: positioning, conserving energy, nutrition, and recovery, just to name a few.
Positioning is my biggest weakness. Coming into the bottom of the climb, I found myself too far back – in the past, I’ve been able to use my strength to make up for it, no problem. In the Midwest, I am one of the strongest climbers in every race; at the Tour of the Gila, it would be generous to say that I’m in the top half.
Lessons Learned
I learned a lot this past week, and I already want another shot at it. The Tour of the Gila may have been a personal disappointment this year, but I am determined to come back better, stronger, and smarter in the future. I can take what I’ve learned this year – the importance of positioning, recovery, and nutrition – and apply it to my very next race, the Redlands Bicycle Classic.
And while the Tour may have been disappointing for me personally, it was a great learning experience for our team, and Cooper was able to snag a Top-10 in the Stage 4 Crit! While our final results may not have been what we were hoping for, it was still an awesome race for the team, and one that we will come out of with greater knowledge, stronger legs, and more confidence heading in to rest of the season.
Up next: Redlands (May 2-6)