Sunday’s final race of the 2010 Greenville Spring Training Series was for me a tiny bit like the final stage of the Tour de France ending on the Avenue de Champs-Élysées. The omnium was in my pocket and all I had to do was finish out the race without any scrapes and bruises and this would be my best month ever on a bike! My only goal was to stay up right and have a respectable finish.
When I woke up that morning, I began to wonder if I could accomplish those goals. Something had started settling in my chest the day before after the River Falls race. I was coughing a bit and feeling my sinuses grow tight.
I headed off to teach Sunday School and then sat in the morning service starting to feel more and more tired. Actually, it felt as though I was very, very relaxed. It was that way you feel when you lay in bed after a hard day of manual labor and feel like you are a stone.
However, by the time I got in my car following the service, I was no longer coughing. I rolled the windows down on the car and got some cool air going and that seemed to revive me. The adrenaline was starting to flow as well and that helped.
Quickly I changed, loaded up the car, and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich as I drove toward the course. I arrived with about 20 minutes to warm up. As I headed out onto the course, I saw Eric heading the other way in route to a third place finish in the 35+ Masters. Soon behind him I saw Hank on his way to a second place finish in the 45+ Masters race. POA Cycling was already getting off to a great start!
As I lined up with Louis, Matt, and Billy, I felt no pressure. I was just taking it all in. I appreciated the people who congratulated me for winning the omnium. It was fun to chat with some of the other riders. However, as the start approached, I really just wanted to be a spectator and take in the sights and sounds.
Then we rolled away. What a relief! The field started out at a nice clip. It is so much easier to ride in a fast group than a slow one. For almost two laps we enjoyed the speed.
Then things began to slow a bit. There would be someone who would go off the front and the field would act to bring them back and then we would start doing our yo-yo moves. By the fifth lap it was as though the word had gone out and no break was going to be allowed — and no meaningful one was attempted. This was going to come down to a field sprint once again.
I had a chance to communicate some with Jon Leifer and the two of us talked of connecting for the final sprint. His main concern was finishing in front of Wade Greene and I really don’t think he would have minded too much had I ridden his wheel for the finish… if he could out sprint me then he would win… if I could come around him, then I would. Either way he would get his second place in the omnium.
Mid-way through the race I was starting to feel great! I was breathing clearly and my legs felt great. My fears started to fade and I started to think that perhaps I could finally get a win.
My focus was on staying out of the wind and avoiding riders that might cause me problems. It was all very clear to me. As we moved around the course, I followed the advice that Mike Askew had given me about the wind. Sure enough, I could see the flags pointing the directions he mentioned. With each turn I would set myself up to allow riders to block the wind for me.
As we moved into the final lap, I was setting up for a strong finish. I thought it was interesting that what wind there was came from our left and that was where the lines were forming. By riding to the right, I was feeling no wind at all. Riding in the draft of the rider in front of me, I wasn’t putting out much effort.
As we entered “the dip” things started up in earnest. I noticed Leifer went left and I stayed to the right. I’ve learned that while the field tends to start to the right, it then shifts to the left along the yellow line as we make a left turn just before the fire station. If you are patient, the road will open before you.
I was coming along the white line with two riders on the same team right in front of me. One came around the other and the one being passed said, “Go!” The first riders took off and the second one went over to the white line and slowed. Unfortunately, that was right in front of me with the field streaming to my left!
For a moment I hesitated and finally to avoid losing any more positions, I went around him in the grass. Once I did get around him the road was open. His teammate was heading up the road, but I knew he went too early. He was going to be swallowed up before the line.
I then moved up like I did in the last Donaldson Center race and sat on the hip of the fourth placed rider. I wanted to wait until after the 200 meter line before I attacked. Again, like Saturday, I was wondering where Leifer was. In my mind I was thinking he would come around and I would ride his wheel.
Moving now to the front, I kept waiting for someone else to make the move and I planned to counter. However, that was a mistake. The reason why is that by the time you move to counter it is normally too late. The people coming around you already have the acceleration. From that point you are playing catchup — which if you have enough road might not be a bad thing as you can catch his wheel and pay him back.
Knowing I made a mistake and trying to fix it - Photo by Jimmy Helms
However, that wasn’t the case. I didn’t have enough road. Two Greenville Spinners split me on either side. I dug after them, but bottom line is they got to the line faster than I did. Clark and Robert both beat me and I finished third.
Lesson learned? When sprinting, don’t think — DO! When you go — GO! Hey, I finished third. Had I not tried to analyze the sprint in progress and just turned myself inside out after 200 meters I might have still gotten third. However, I wouldn’t be sitting here saying, “I shouldn’t have waited to counter.” Who knows I might have gotten my first win of the year.
