Bookmark This Page
Joie du Franco's Journal
Race Report: BASP #2 Coyote Point
posted by joie at 09:26 PM on October 30, 2009
- Region:
- San Mateo, CA
- Location:
- San Mateo, CA
- Country:
- United States of America
- Ride Type:
- Road + MTB
Ride Description
I watched "Off Road to Athens" the night before Coyote Point BASP #2. The top mountain bikers compete for spots on the 2004 USA Olympic team going to Athens. The documentary follows the racers through a year of UCI point collecting. Does it seem silly to be 25 years old and dream of racing mountain bikes at a professional level? Sometimes I feel too old to have a dream. "A (woman's) dreams should exceed (her) grasp, or what's a Heaven for?" I go into every race with the mindset of "ride like a pro." In the movie, Adam Craig talks about the level of competition in these races - that if you back down for any minute there will be someone waiting to pass you on the inside, to get ahead, beat you to the punch. Perhaps I get so nervous at the start of every race because I know I've crossed the point of no return. Once the whistle blows, it's an all in dedication with no backing down. It scares me because I know how much it will hurt.
This was not my best start. I should have gone harder. I think I could have gone faster. I only held the lead for less than a lap. One girl passed me. I began to chase. My mountain biker mindset told me to ride as much of the course as possible. As we traveled through the grass, I realized the advantage I have on technical sections. Riding at full speed, no brakes, down the pavement, hard right. I flied into the first sandy U-turn, but I went wide and hit a late apex, allowing myself to maintain traction and turn, riding through the granules of speed eating dust. Shifting into the easiest gear, I paddle boat spun up up up. From a race strategy viewpoint, however, the riding took more out of my legs than is considered productive. When racing mountain bikes, the idea is that getting off the bike maxes out your heart rate. What I neglected to remember is that in cyclo-cross, your BPM's are already at max, so getting off the bike isn't a problem. I should have ran that section.
One crash. Front brakes and sandy turns are not good bed mates. I had one crash, but I stayed off my bike and ran up, not realizing that my chain had dropped. I hopped on the bike only to realize my blunder. Back off the bike, put the chain back on. Jaime passes me.
Next lap. We're back on the grass and I felt the heat on my neck. It was a girl in "Evergreen" shorts. As she passed me going into a turn through the trees, her lack of technique caused her to come to a stop. I lacked the forethought to keep going, and had to stop as well. The next turn was chicane-like, heading into the barriers. I passed her on the inside, which set me up to turn left and get over the barriers first. It's the section I should have run. I stayed on my bike, spinning away, and she passed me by with bike on shoulder.
Now I'm just trying to maintain a fourth spot, so determined not to be passed by anyone else. Isaias is screaming to me on the sidelines, reminding me of a race tactic learned from the pros - "Sprint baby sprint! Then recover and sprint again!" The tactic I am trying to learn is that if there is a gap between two riders and the one ahead accelerates for 10 seconds, it increases the gap and the rider can go back to the original effort level. If you keep doing this during a race, it prevents other riders from bridging the gap. As I did this, I passed the first girl who passed me. I was in third near the end of the last lap. I saw Joanna on my tail. I had to keep pushing. I remembered what Craig said about racing.
Cyclo-cross may not be my main goal, but the racing experience is seriously building my mental toughness, and that is beyond invaluable for next year. When I finished my race, I knew that if I wanted to truly work for next year, I needed to race again in the B's. Luckily, I had the chance to relax a little and just enjoy the experience of riding and taking a little bit more time to focus on technique. Two laps in, I seriously doubted my ability to finish. Again, I thought about what it means to compete at the highest level; that there is no backing down. For the first time, I understood what it meant to have confidence in myself. "Assurance: freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities". To 'free yourself' of doubt is a skill just as important to racing as putting air in your tires. Sure, you can ride your bike if they're a little low, but it's definitely going to hold you back. I finished mid-pack in my second race that day, so very happy to have crossed the line.
In the end I learned some big lessons on Sunday. One: don't even think about touching your front brake in a loose turn. Two: Sometimes it's faster to get off the bike and run. Three: I shouldn't fear my own ability.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”- Nelson Mandela
Already a Member? Sign in Now to Add A Comment »
Comments (0)