Me lining out the Elite 3's
Ryan and I out front of the junior field
Junior 17-18 ~ 4th Place
The first race of the season, there is always so much anticipation. Having trained hard throughout the winter months and the countless hours spent trudging through wind and rain seem to culminate into one afternoon, one test. Or rather for the juniors it is always a brisk morning of expectation. Of course there is a whole year of racing to follow, but it seems that the first race of the season sets some sort of tone. Every ‘big name rider’ from the juniors tends to show up to the first big race and it is some sort of trial. We all see each other and wonder who has really gone out and rode their bikes day in and day out from November until now. The butterflies build on the starting line and it seems that we stand there for an eternity. Then bang, another season begins, the butterflies are gone and once again were on the road. I love that aching in my legs and the loss of breath, the crashes, the attacks and the final sprint. There is no other sport that can compare to a bicycle race.
My season began at Cherry Pie Criterium in Napa. My race started at a cruel 8:30 in the morning, but that is just the way it is for the juniors races. It was exciting to see so many riders from Team Swift at the race and it was great to get everyone together to warm up and get ready for the race. I got to the starting line ready to go and then we were off. I was first through the first corner and ready to pound up the tempo. The first few laps of the race were an absolute blast. Ethan, Ryan and I tore it up on the front and had some fun attacking and countering. It was then about time to settle down and get ready for the real moves to go. Prime lap, Ethan attacked at the bottom of the hill, he looked good. I sat and watched the sprint for the prime and then bang that was the break. Immediately I was chasing it down. Should have gotten into it instead of watching them go. My mistake. The next few laps were a strong chase. Not many teams felt like working though. Swift on the front not wanting to let the race go. Then they were gone. It was a sprint for 4th. Ethan started the final lap on the front in an attempt to lead out Ryan for the win in the 15-16. Not all worked to plan, but it was a fun race. I sprinted hard at the end, but was dissatisfied to get beat by some 15-16’s in the sprint.
I feel like as a whole Swift rode very strong. We passed the test and everyone rode very well. Some tactical mishaps led to a no win outing, but that can be fixed. It was great to see that we were all on form. The first few laps of the race I could see that we are going to have an exciting year.
Elite 3 ~ 4th Place
The second race of the year. The sun came out. It was the beginning of a magnificent day. We hit the line with a good warm up in the legs after a hard junior’s race. Once again I was first off the line, but I sat up a little so that I would not have to pull. I jumped in about 5th wheel. My own little sweet spot. The race was mostly a blur for the greater part of it. As the laps began to count down I got into good position for a prime. A few other AMD juniors set out a great lead out for the prime and I sat on and Ryan and I sprinted in for the prime, which I won over my teammate with a bike throw. Once again I found my sweet spot and just settled in for the race. It was not much of a blistering pace, but the hill hurt. I did not remember it being such a big hill. It can wear you down. The last few laps there were some crashes on the backside. That got the adrenaline going. There’s nothing like the chance of hit the floor any moment. For me the key is knowing that you’re not going to be the one that goes down. No matter what happens, I am going to stay upright is how I like to think. I know that is not always the case as I have in fact crashed before, but I feel that being strong mentally through the nail biting parts of races is the means by which you can stay upright.
So I made it through the last few laps and I got pushed back a ways with 2 to go. I began to make my way back up to the front and I was into good position as we hit the hill for the final time. Of course we were spread across the entirety of the road so it was difficult to move through, but I managed to squeeze through the field. I like going through the middle of the field, it seems to save a lot of the energy wasted that involves going out on the outside and fighting the wind. I was there for the sprint and I gave it a good kick. I felt good and I think that if I could have found some more room then I could have pulled it off, but alas I did not. I almost got into 3rd and earned a pie, but another 4th was the final answer. Two races, 0 pies. 1 place higher in each and I would have gotten one. I guess if I don’t eat too much pie then I won’t get that unwanted weight, so the less pie the better I suppose. I felt good though and it was exciting to see that I still matched up with everyone and all of the work that I put in during the winter was successful. Now I need to improve my tactics and get that badly needed/wanted win. I am done with the top 5’s and as in the words of Ricky Bobby “If your not first, your last” and then there are the words of Vince Lombardi; “If you lose, your out of the family” So it is time to get that win!
Ethan, me and Ryan on the front of the Juniors race
Discussing the race
Thanks for reading,
tb
My dad and I with the Specialized Angel
Paolo signing my poster
