I really can’t think of any way I’d have rather spend my
last weekend before finals! I probably would have gotten more work done if I
had stayed at Whitman and been less completely swamped this last week, but it
was soo worth it. Four and a half days spent with seven of my teammates, bike racing and surrounded by the festivities of Nationals…I mean, how
much better can you get?
There is so much that was amazing and I would bullet them all but I have way to much to say about the just the races so I'm going to rely on Molly’s overviews and my other teammates
eventual reports to cover the rest of the trip.
I literally couldn’t keep still or quiet once we started
warming up for the TTT because I was so excited and pumped to race and race at
Nationals. And then after we finished, I only became more pumped for the entire
rest of the trip and all the racing in the next two days! I felt like I had
just taken like four or five shots of espresso… Plus, the women’s bikes looked
so bad-ass with the matching bright pink handle bar tape.
The crit was a block away from out hotel and we didn’t start
until noon, so like Molly said, super convenient and made the morning extremely
low stress. I was a little more apprehensive for the crit just because it was
the race I was least comfortable with and had the most unknowns. After
listening to a collection of great songs though and my teammates crack joke and
be there general happy selves, my excitement returned and I found myself just
wanting to race. The crit itself was an eye opener. This whole season, I’ve
never had to ride in a pack bigger than like seven in a crit and cornering in a
pack of about 40 was a new experience. I really had to force myself to relax
and just hold my line when I was cornering at speeds somewhere in the 20’s and
surrounded by others on all sides, and within a foot of Ash and me. That was
kind of scary, but I managed to play the mind over matter game, stamp down
instinct and maneuver my way through the pack, holding my line and trying most
of the time to position myself near the front. This had a few huge advantages:
I didn’t get the rubber band effect of having to sprint out of each corner, and
I didn’t have to deal with riders who didn’t know how to handle their bikes or
keep a line. Besides the general closeness of riders, people just couldn’t seem
to keep a line, especially around corners-they would cut way in and block your
line or just veer a few feet to one side or the other, even when I was yelling
at them where I was. It was a bit nerve wracking to be racing with people who I
didn’t trust in the least and I became a lot comfortable near the front where I
found a few wheels I could trust. The worst part happened when I was starting
the last lap. I was near the front in a good position, when suddenly I became
boxed in on either side and people started jostling for the hill and I was
praying that nobody would be stupid, but apparently they didn’t get the memo
and I got squished from the back and sides and caught up in a crash. Luckily
Ash and I both escaped with limited injuries, but it was really frustrating to
be caught in a crash, especially on the last lap. Overall I think I learned a
lot about riding in a big group and next year I really want to be the one to
make some attacks off the front and try to control the race a bit more, instead
of just hanging in and observing.
This is the part where
it starts to get super long and detailed, but I couldn't resist once I got started :) If you don’t care about my play-by-play thought process during
the road race though, this would be a good time to stop reading or skip to the end…
So, the road race and the rest of Sunday is all that is left. This was the race I
was really looking forward to because it had a huge hill (up and down) in the
last bit of the race, I had some pent up feelings left over from the crash and
I was really yearning to be able to actually race and have a chance to expend
everything I had, which I didn’t feel I had been able to do yet. I started
warming up for the race and was glad to observe that my legs didn’t feel stiff
or sore and really have any of the symptoms I usually connect with multiday
racing. I also realized that I really didn’t feel like warming up-at all. I
might have gotten ten minutes, in 2-3 minute chunks and then I sort of gave up
and just sat there stretching on my bike, listening to my music and feeling
super pumped and itching to start racing!
The race finally started and it was a bit of a
disappointment at first because nobody wanted to work on the front and it was
flat, with little wind so we just cruised at sub Sunday-ride pace for most of
the first two 15 mile laps. I wasn’t about to work on the front at this point
in the race because I knew the hill was where I had the best chance. This is a
great time to give a huge shout out to Rachel! She was an awesome teammate,
basically working for me on the front and to maneuver both of us through the
pack, keeping me near the front, but sheltered. It was really nice to have
somebody around that wasn’t trying to cut me off and push me into the wind and
just have someone to chat to because honestly, it would have gotten boring
otherwise because we actually weren’t doing anything
for the first 25 miles or so. I also realized that many of the girls are
really rude actually and I found myself missing the northwest conference races
where everyone is willing to talk to their competition and exhibits
sportsmanship during the races, even if they are vying for the win.
Anyway, the real race started as soon as we entered the
larger lap and started on the long windy descent through the gorge, with lots
of construction. Most of the descent was only one lane and so for safety and
also because I didn’t want to get held up, I maneuvered myself right up at the
front. As we spilled out into town at the bottom, we encountered a huge head
wind and then a crosswind. It was actually blowing girls a few feet sideways
such that we were all keeping a good distance between each person. Combined
with the long windy descent and a sudden increase in rolling hills the pack
began to split up and I found myself in maybe a group of ten girls on the front,
all plastered to the left side of the road so that everybody was getting
guttered (nobody was able to get much of a draft). At some point around 15
miles to go and before the hill, a girl took off the front of the pack and
nobody chased after so I decided to take off as well and chase after. The front
girl acted like a carrot and since I knew the hill would be coming up shortly
and that’s where I was going to attack anyway, I decided that it was time to
get in the zone and just see what I could do. I questioned my tactic a little
when we turned to go up the hill and suddenly I met a huge headwind (as if the
hill wasn’t steep enough as it was..). I briefly thought about the group
advantage with the headwind and whether it would be smarter to drop back and
then proceeded to throw good sense out he window and decided to just go for it
because even if it didn’t work out, I could say that I really went for it (and
I was done with being passive) and if I was able to get on the front for even a
little bit, at least I’d be remembered (and Whitman along with it). Shortly
after starting the climb, I caught up with her and passed her. I think she
quickly dropped back into the pack behind me.
After I was sure she had dropped, I quickly started in on my
mental deliberations. This consisted of me deciding that I was going to always
try and push it harder, never backing off and never settling in and also to
never give up, no matter how much of a gap I might get or if people passed me
or caught up to me. I then moved onto reasons that I could reference later,
when it really got difficult: 1. National title and the Stars and Stripes
jersey!!! 2. Molly decided not to start because of a massive migraine and she’s
a senior so basically I had to do well for her 3. This would really help out
the team in the team ranking 4. Make up for crashing in the crit 5. Wanted to
see my teammates reactions if I won 6. It would be one more reward for the
struggles and hard work of the last five years. And also, I was thinking the
usual Everyone else wants it too…it’s
about who wants it the most and who is willing to dig deepest to get it.
Also, I really just wanted to push myself to see how far I could dig my pain
cave and how fast I could get up the hill. I guess it’s sort of masochistic,
but it’s one of the things I love about racing-that you get a chance to see how
much pain you can put yourself in and how much you can accomplish.
I continued to push myself up the entire climb, with a jap
ranging somewhere between 20-30 seconds. I definitely talked to myself a lot
and it was defiantly in the 3rd person, as usual. For instance ‘come on Mackinzie! You got this, don’t let
them catch up, you can do it. Faster, faster… (etc.)’ One really cool
aspect was that media cars and motor bikes continued to pass me, stop, drop
back and then catch back up, along with other officials. I felt like a total
pro, plus they were giving me time gaps and information on when the chase group
started splitting up which was really helpful because it was so curvy and steep
that it was hard to tell just by looking back over my shoulder. The last 200
feet I got out of my saddle and gave it everything I had, knowing that the hill
and the descent were my only chance to gain a gap and have a chance at actually
winning this thing. Air was whistling through my lungs and I was pretty light
headed and my legs were almost shaking, but I somehow managed to keep pedaling
over the top and down the other side until the hill got steep enough and I ran
out of gears and was able to just tuck and go. I was so glad that we had the
whole road and I didn’t have to break because that was just one less thing to
think about at that moment. The main part of my brain power was occupied with
breathing and trying to send good thoughts to my legs and also brace myself for
when the hill started to flatten out because I knew as soon as I could start
pedaling I’d be right back into the pain cave for the last few miles of flat. I
knew this was going to be like a TT-me in the drops going as hard as I could,
emptying out the tank and then digging deeper into back up reserves. Earlier in
the weekend I was wishing I had been able to do the individual TT…and now I got
my wish (albeit with a twist) and all I wanted was to stay ahead of the two
chasers and finish. Those last few miles were some of the most painful I have
ever completed. My legs were pretty dead at this point, I could barely breathe
and I was uber paranoid about the chase group catching up because I knew the
flats are not my specialty and anything can happen until you cross the finish
line but at this point I had invested so much already I really really didn’t
want to be caught. By the time I saw the 1k sign I was yearning for the end and
digging deep into my mental reserves so that I’d continue to push myself even
though all I wanted was to stop pedaling and get some extra oxygen pumped into
me. I did have just enough awareness to see the sign though and also all the
police and support cars, which was just so cool. Some people have asked why I
didn’t do a victory salute through the finish line since I had a good enough
gap at the end and it’s sort of two parts. One, I don’t know if I’d even be
able to keep upright I was so dead by that point (I’m not even sure how I
managed a half sprint..) Two, my mantra for the last hour had been to never
ever give up and to push myself to the very end. That’s what got me to the end
and I wasn’t going to give up that mindset before I crossed the finish line.
Crossing the finish line: I was in so much pain, then it
was relief to be done, a brief flash of joy at winning and seeing a collection
of teammates on my left looking like jumping beans and yelling their heads off
and then a refocus on just getting air into my lungs and staying upright. As
soon as I could manage it, I turned around and discovered that my teammates had
run after me as I rolled past the finish line and then luckily stopped before they mobbed me. Surrounded by my ecstatic teammates and finally able
to breath somewhat evenly, it really set in that I had just won Nationals!!!…I
couldn’t stop smiling (both at winning and at how happy my teammates were).
I think if there was a way to check adrenaline levels, my
blood stream would have been filled with it for the rest of the day, and my
happiness level was through the roof for the next week. I’ve been watching
teammates get the Stars and Stripes jersey for the past few years (in the
mountain biking scene) and to finally get one of my own was an amazing feeling.
Even more though, I was so happy with how far I was able to push myself in the
last hour and that something I had done had created so much excitement for my
team. And our team managed to get fifth out of all the D2 schools! Basically I
wasn’t the only one glowing at the end of the day… I think it infected all of
us J …And then we got to
pack up and drive the ten hours home…lucky us. It turned out to be just about a
24 hour day, with maybe two or three total hours of sleep before classes the
next day. That’s college life for all you folks! In the end though, there is
absolutely no doubt that it was worth it!
I’d like to give a special thanks to Dave Tupper who gave me two amazing massages and also LeAnn and Roxy who both contributed in getting
us amazing spreads of food and helping out in endless other ways throughout the
trip. And where would I be without my teammates, who raced, pushed themselves,
helped out, cracked jokes, supported each other, took driving shifts and
provided endless entertainment. Oh, and of course everyone else who followed us
and provided support and congratulations throughout this whole amazing
adventure! And thus Nationals 2013 is completed.
If you got this far, thanks for hanging in there and I hope
you got something out of my narrative!
Mackinzie
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