Spring break is officially over. We are back at Whitman, unloaded and have separated back to our individual places of residence.
At the time I was writing this we were heading back to Walla
Walla and I just woke up from a casual hour and a half nap…
Now that I’m back to
feeling somewhat less about to pass out I’m feeling quite conflicted because on
the one hand the past two weeks have been amazing, fun and full of biking and
limited class work and we are returning to lots more classwork, but on the
other hand it’s been a huge logistical, emotional and traveling marathon. The
group was continually changing in composition and size as people came and went
to visit family and friends (awesome, but also logistically tough to keep track
of). We got in amazing rides with lots of miles and elevation, as talked about
in previous posts, and that combined with this past race weekend mean that our muscles
are well and truly tired (mission accomplished). Living with 11-15 people for
two weeks has also been a good test of patience and introversion. Even though I
absolutely love everyone on the team and spending time with them, spending time
around any number of people in general is very emotionally draining for
me-especially so in large groups. The one on one is better and the me time is
even better, but given that we live in confined spaces and I’m in charge of
everyone (also something I’ve chosen and love to do) the amount of alone time I
can take is limited. With that said, I am so unbelievable excited to go back to
my own room where I can shut the door and have nobody else around (yay!!!!).
Speaking of my bedroom, it’s going to be amazing to sleep in a bed again. And
I’ve also had enough driving for the moment… at least until next weekend, when
we head up to Bellingham for the WWU race weekend.
Here are a few driving stats from the entire trip (riding
totals are in the previous blog).
Total miles driven: 2200
Total time spent traveling: A lot. Lots and lots. Probably
at least 36 hours
First race weekend of the season I always expect a little
roughness as people get into the rhythm of a race weekend, but I was impressed
by how the new people picked up cues from the returning riders about what to do
and how everyone pitched in and we ended up sticking to the schedule quite
well. Morning wake ups for the past weekend were 4.45 for breakfast crew and
5.15 for everyone else. We left the house at 6.15 and were at the course at
7.30 and 7.00 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. We told all the new riders
to get used to the early wake up, because they are pretty typical of race
weekends and actually we got to bed way earlier than normal because we had a
short trip on Friday from Portland. Welcome to collegiate cycling!
Speaking of which, Dino, Maddie, Teddy and Adam (some of our
new riders) did awesome this weekend and now have a good idea of what to expect
for the rest of the season. We are so happy that they joined the team! I saw
everyone putting their own best effort into the racing, which is all I could
ever ask. I saw teammates cheering and supporting one another and acting crazy
together, which makes me so proud and also grateful to be a part of such a
wonderful team.
I will let others tell stories of their own individual
experiences from the weekend, but I just want to express here how impressed I
am with everyone on the team, how thankful I am for everyone on the team and
how much happier you all make my life. Thanks for all the hugs, the support and
the excitement.
The results from the races can be found here.
Something incredibly sad occurred this Saturday during the
road race that I have never witnessed in collegiate cycling before, but that
I’d like to address as it severely impacted everyone who was present. A rider
from OSU crashed really badly, was airlifted out and then a few hours later
passed away. This death impacted everyone in the conference extremely strongly,
including our teammates who were present. This death brought to stark attention
the small but always present risk inherent in cycling and I think forced
everyone to do some serious reflection. Why do we ride and race? What
activities in our lives do we love enough and are important enough that we are
willing to take the risk? How often do we express our appreciation and love to
the important people in our lives? After the announcement was made of the
rider’s death, the rest of Saturday’s races were cancelled and we took the rest
of the day to decompress, relax and allow everyone to process and deal in
whichever way people saw fit. I am impressed and gratified by the support and
love in which the team came together to support each other in this time of
sadness. I think many people on the team are still processing and will still be
processing/dealing with this event for a while.
We are sending our heartfelt sympathy and best wishes to the
OSU team, the family of the rider and everyone else in his life. We can’t
imagine what you all must be going through right now, but know that we are here
to support you as a conference, community and extended family. We are so very
sorry for your loss.
On that note, I would like to thank everyone involved with
this team. Thank you to all my teammates. Thanks to the parents and supporters
and alumni that have made this team what it is and who have enabled the current
riders to do what they do. Thanks to my family for supporting me always and for
the school for supporting this club sport and allowing us to do such amazing
things like spring break in CA and be self-run. Truly this team would not exist
if not for the continued support and effort of everyone involved and for that I
am extremely grateful.
Now back to the student life and a recovery week before WWU
next weekend.
-Mackinzie
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