First off, sorry for how
long it has taken me to write this report. It is amazing how busy one becomes
during finals and preparing to graduate from Whitman College, but I finally
have the time to sit down and organize my thoughts into a (somewhat) coherent stream of
comments. Because I am a senior, I will first talk about how much fun it was to
support our 7 racers at Nationals, then move on to my closing comments of
riding at Whitman for 4 years.
Nationals
From the very first minute
of being in the car with all 7 racers, I knew this extended weekend was going
to be AWESOME (well, maybe after the first 10 minutes in the car. Initially we
were a bit uncertain about the car situation because we had just packed 8
people into a Surburban that fits 8 people, and we were quite tightly packed.
Envision sardines in a can.). The trip down went quite uneventfully with lots
of rambunctious partying music and us arriving in Utah with no major
issues (except arriving at 4 AM. That was WAY past my bedtime).
The next day, we drove out
to the TTT course to practice riding the course. This was one of my only
opportunities to ride a bike during this weekend, so I was super thankful to
get to be able to ride the ~20 miles with the racing team. Fulfilling my
typical role on the Whitman Cycling Team, I went for (and got) several yellow
sign sprints. It was also quite entertaining at the turn around point to watch
the different tactics that teams used. One team had this awesome echelon
formation where the TT order was completely reversed during the turnaround,
while other teams just followed the leader through the turn, while other teams
had their first person drift to the back during the turn. Of course, this was
further entertaining because the turn-around point (initially a barely visible
water bottle) was a dancing person. After an AMAZING lunch put together by the
Tupper family and Roxy, we had an awesome photoshoot and feed zone practice,
then we went back to our hotel to get some homework done (I think most of us
ended up being too exhausted and took naps or just cleaned our bikes). This day
was also quite exciting because it was my birthday. For dinner (for what I
imagined was a group of people taking me out for birthday dinner), we went to
an amazing Indian food recipe where we had SO much good food and I impressed
most of, if not all of, the parents with my insatiable appetite (and Kevin's
insatiable appetite also impressed the parents). There were these fried veggies
in a chickpea flour, which was divine. Lots of good curries. Lots of good other
food that I can't remember. Overall amazing dinner! great way to celebrate my
22nd birthday as well
The next day, the Team Time Trial (such alliteration!) went
off and I had the opportunity to support my team as the women and men killed it
out on the course. It was an amazing opportunity to just get to go to the start
line, heavily marked, lots of people, big tents, lots of fencing, and grab the
men’s and women’s apparel. I felt constantly like I didn’t belong because of
how organized it was, but I successfully got all of the team’s apparel without
messing up anyone’s job or mental focus. When the men’s team was warming up, I
had the opportunity to experience what must be one of the worst possible
nightmares: constantly standing in a bathroom line. Literally, I would get in
the back of the line and slowly inch my way all the way to the front, and then
have one of my teammates come over and take my spot in the line. I would then
jump back to the end of the line and repeat! Back to the happy stuff though (I
was happy to do it for them. It just seemed like what a nightmare would be
composed of: constantly stuck in a line and never seeming to get to where you
wanted to be), it was amazing to stand at the finish line and watch the teams
come in, with the literal roar of carbon bikes flying back to the finish chute
at close to 30 mph! It was also amazing to hear the Whitman parents collect all
of the unofficial Division 2 women’s finish times to put Whitman Cycling at an
unofficial 2nd place. With this tentative, but not confirmed,
knowledge, I went back to the Whitman trailer to see how the girls felt they
did. The conversation went as such (this is paraphrased to the best of my
memory):
Whitney said, “Nice job on the TTT. You guys, I mean gals,
looked awesome out there!...{Insert additional filler statements here}…So, how
do you feel like you all did?”
Mackinzie: I don’t know. It is really hard to say. I felt
like we gave it our best and that is all that we could do.
Molly: (a rare frown on her face) Yeah. I really don’t know.
It was so hard and all the other teams are so good. I really don’t know.
Rachel and Lizzy: {I don’t remember what they said, but probably
similar stuff}.
Whitney said (butting into what the girls were saying) “Well…unofficially
you took 2nd overall.”
Pause. No comment from anyone. Not sure that he was heard
Whitney said “According to the parents keeping track of the
times, you had the 2nd fastest time!”
Rachel: What?!?! Really?!?!
Whitney said “Yep! 2nd fastest time in Division 2
women!”
Exclamations of glee from all the girls!!!!!! High fives,
etc…
I think that was my favorite moment of the weekend. All of
them quite unsure with how they did compared to others, but knowing that they
had given it their best efforts, hearing that they had just taken SECOND in the
women’s time trial and not fully realizing or believing it!
On Saturday, it was largely uneventful. It was
nerve-wracking to watch all of the crashes, especially those that involved
Mackinzie and Luke, but they ended up being alright, with minor scrapes on
Mackinzie and Luke dancing free of the crash.
Sunday was quite exciting with the road race AND the long
drive home. The morning started off quite early with Lizzy, Dave Tupper, Kevin,
and I packing up all of the team’s stuff before the racers had even woken up.
When we finally departed and got to the race staging site (accidentally driving
through the start/finish with our entire caravan in the process), it was all
uneventful until Molly started complaining of dizziness and being nauseous. I
personally thought it was probably nerves because of this being the most
important race of the weekend, with our overall team standing relying upon this
race, but it turned out to be a bit more severe. When we finally shepherd the
girls over to the start line, Molly pulls out and goes over to the medical tent
with her mother and sister. Luckily it was just a migraine, but we were all
initially concerned that Molly had some more serious medical problem, such as dehydration.
I later learned that Molly actually had a secret plan with her sister if she
had started. The plan was to start, but if she was too dizzy to continue, she
would pull out of the race near staging (a mile down the road). I am very glad
that Molly did NOT use that plan and instead decided to just sacrifice her
final race as a Whitman racer for the much important safety of herself (and the
other racers in the pack). That race was going uneventfully (I even got an hour
nap in), until we headed back over the finish line to get ready for the women
to finish. I recall hearing over the PA system, “…There is a two person break
off the front with about 20-30 seconds on the field. The two riders are a rider
from Baylor and Mackinzie Stanley…” At that point, I (and the rest of the Whitman
team) are FREAKING OUT!!!. Mackinzie is in a two person break?!?!? With 30
seconds on the field!?!?! WHAT!!?!?!??! That is AWESOME!!!! We continued to
hear the finish line commenting on the state of race, with the 2-person break
shrinking into a solo break (didn’t say who it was though) and the eventual 9
person chase group forming. We eventually hear from Dave Tupper (at the last
feed zone), that Mackinzie is in a solo break with about 20 seconds on the
pack. We are ecstatic, because we know that Mackinzie was going to beast the
hill and hopefully destroy on the descent. Despite this, we were still quite
wary of proclaiming her the winner. Weird things happen out on the road and a
virtual winner is not the winner until they are across the line. Because I
wanted a good vantage point of the finish and to potentially cheer Mackinzie on
(in case the chase group was closing rapidly), I ran about 800 meters up the
road, such that I could see the 1K banner, but also the finish line. (I could
also still hear the PA system). After seeing who knows how many police cars, motorcycles,
support cars, I finally see a lone rider coming through the 1K banner escorted
by at least 3 police motorcycles. I was ecstatic at this point, because I
couldn’t even see a chase group. Of course, as you know by now, she went on to
win by 24 seconds on the chase group. No big deal. Just a freshman cyclist from
Whitman soloing in to the win after a crash the previous day. That was my
second favorite moment of the weekend (after seeing the girl’s reaction at
taking 2nd place). Seeing Mackinzie win her first National title.
The previous night, she had been frustrated at the dinner during the award’s
ceremony, because she really wanted one of those individual medals and one of
the jerseys (for the criterium). I had told her, she always had future years.
Turns out she didn’t need future years. She proved me wrong. She only needed one
more chance!
The men’s race was also exciting to watch, with Luke being
in a break for 9 miles and not seeing Alberto or Luke at the feed zone, but
everyone finished safely. The drive back to staging from the feed zone was also
entertaining due to the Air Force team. There was some gutsy driving (several
almost head-on collisions) and funny antics with the riders in the field
(spraying water onto riders on the climb, only to have the rider spray them
right back).
The drive back went uneventfully except for almost being
T-boned by a car pulling out, having a police car trail us for about 5 minutes,
having a semi almost broad-side us, having a semi almost take out the front of
the car when they failed to signal before moving over to the left lane, and of
course almost running out of gas in rural southern Idaho.
Amazing weekend from everyone. The Tuppers, the Whitman
parents (Ogden, Geiter, Blust), Roxy Pierson were almost amazing at making the
weekend succeed. Hopefully I was able to help all of our racers to achieve
their full potential. Thank you also to the USA Cycling Officials for putting
on such an awesome race in my home state.
Remarks on Four years of Racing
Although I have run cross-country for 4 years in High School
and 3 years in College, the Whitman Cycling team has always felt like more of a
home to me, with its camaraderie and constant support. Even freshman year, when
I had just expressed interest in the team, Ben Chaddock and all of the other
riders (Emily Rodriguez, Mia Huth, Colin Gibson, Timbah Bell, Kendi Thomas,
Roxy Pierson, and all of the other upperclassmen that I have forgotten) made
sure that I felt supported by the team. Ben followed my entire XC season of
running and offered priceless advice and pointers throughout the season even
though I barely knew who he even was. When cycling season finally began, I was
quickly incorporated into the team and learned SO much about bike racing, such
as how to draft, when to go to the pit, how to race smartly, how to ride
gravel, how to ride rollers, bike handling, riding etiquette, how much food to
bring, etc. All of those things have long stories behind them, but the key
point is that there was always the perfect blend of support and self-discovery.
This is a student lead team, and is always what the students want it to be.
Although there may be individual adult coaches, they never direct the actual
team, which is nice. I had a nice introduction to racing that year, and despite
a couple of crashes and horrible weather, I became hooked on the sport.
Although I was unable to race the following year (sophomore
year) due to Baby Seal (my bike) having a broken frame, I still felt part of
the team and really enjoyed being able to go on casual rides with the teammates.
Junior and senior year, I felt a distinct shift in the team
mentality that made me love the team even more. I felt that freshman year,
there had been a disconnect between the Nationals riders (our Women and Men A
rider) and the beginning riders. There was a huge gap between their knowledge
and our knowledge. Although they taught me and the other riders a lot, it
always seemed apparent that they had one goal: go to Nationals and WIN! They
did win, which was fantastic, but I felt that it happened at the cost of
community. I felt part of the team, but it didn’t feel that much different from
the cross-country teams I had been on previously. We were closely knit and all
friends, but at the end of the season, I didn’t particularly miss them. The
season was over and with it, the team disbanded until next Spring (or Fall, but
I always ran XC in the fall). Junior and Senior Years, this was the biggest
change. I absolutely adored the team and couldn’t wait to be on the rides or
hang out with them all year long. The community we built was immense. I felt
that we tried to incorporate the new riders (be them freshman or seniors) and
teach them skills without making them uncomfortable. At times, I know the more
experienced riders were a bit cliquish (Sorry about that.), but I felt like I
knew the new riders and that they were willing/happy to ask me or the other
experienced riders any questions they might have. I also felt that instead of
there being the win-win-win atmosphere of my freshman year, there was a much
bigger mentality to go out there, have fun, and be safe. Winning feels good and
is the ultimate goal, but not at the cost of safety or fun. Our team wanted to
introduce riders to a life-long passion that they can pursue for the rest of
their lives. Another indicator of this change was the huge influx of female
riders. This year, we had about DOUBLE the number of female riders as compared
to male riders. There was one weekend where I was one of two male Whitman
racers, and we had NINE females. That is INSANELY AWESOME!! Where else would
you find this (literally, other teams constantly ask us how we attract some
many females to our team. I think the answer is that we make it fun and
enjoyable for all new riders. All the rides are open and friendly.)
Finally, everyone has their distinct personality, but they
were not afraid to display it. Everyone seems so comfortable together that no
one was worried about being judged, so it always felt like a home. For me, this
was huge, for the past four years, I have never really had a home. I stay in
Walla Walla for the summers, and go to random places for Thanksgiving.
Christmas is with my family, but not at my home. I felt the most comfortable
being with the cycling team, at race weekends, sleeping in stranger’s homes.
Finally I want to extend a thank you to everyone that has
made my four years of cycling so wonderful. Molly Blust, David Hancock – You two
have been the most amazing presidents and friends I could have ever asked for.
Ben Chaddock – You got me into the sport and made me love it enough to come
back for more. Justin and all of Allegro –Thank you for the speedy repairs and
assistance. Thank you for helping me get the deals on the Rolf and Kona
equipment! Ryan Nesbit, Logan Thies – Thank you for being such awesome seniors
and trying out a new sport. It was wonderful to get to race with both of you.
Lizzy Peterson – It has been so amazing to get to race with you for four years.
Just think of how far we have both come from freshman year. I know we both had
hard senior cycling seasons, but look at what we both accomplished. You got
SECOND at Nationals (and I got way too long of a mention at graduation).
Alberto – I don’t even know where to begin. Thank you for being so awesome? It
has been an amazing two years. Thank you for all of the advice with handling,
cyclocross, repairs, etc. Eli – Although you stole my calorically-dense butter,
it has been amazing to know you. You did amazing last-minute bike repairs
(replacing my shifting cables with spare parts 5 minutes before race start).
Roxy Pierson – For having such sass and being so much fun to be around. Thank
you for helping out at Nationals. Kristin, Jenna, Becca, Arika, Laura
(hopefully I haven’t forgotten any new females) – Thank you for bringing each
of your awesome personalities to the team. Although each of you had your
crashes, injuries, or failures, each of you got up, brushed yourselves off, and
kept cycling no matter how hard it was to get back on that bike. You all
inspired me to keep pushing.Rose - Thank you for your awesome discussions of classical music and physics. it was awesome to see you get so involved in cycling while still being involved in music. Mackinzie – Thank you for all of your wisdom and
wit this season. You helped make me feel more comfortable expressing my true
personality this season (jumping around wildly like a kangaroo). Adam, Nick
(although you weren’t technically new, this was my first season riding with you),
Jeff(s), Cam – It was awesome to see new males entering this sport at Whitman
to help balance the females. Hope you all had fun. I really enjoyed getting to
know all of you. Luke – With your colorful commentary, I never got bored. There
is so much else, but I really don’t know where to begin. Watching you put on a
race weekend, then get in a 3-person break? Watching you drive SO many hours at
the cost of your homework? Rachel - Getting to race with you for 3 years has been interesting. We frequently didn't see eye-to-eye, but despite that, we were still friends and supported each other. You always brought such spirit and enthusiasm to the team. Kevin - Getting to watch you dominate the races has been epic. Your comments are also priceless and it is nice to have someone who can finally out eat me!
To everyone I have forgotten to mention – You are just as
important as everyone I mentioned by name, and I am sorry if I forgot you. I
seriously could not have done these four years at Whitman without all of you!
I will be following the entire team closely and hope to see
many of you at Nationals next year! Keep the team awesome
Whitney says, "Tweet that, with popped collar"
