Back at the races: The Armed Forces Cycling Classic
Photo by William Loyd
This year I will finally get the chance to race a bit in Europe. As of August first, I will be riding as a trainee for the Liv Racing World Team a world tour racing squad full of incredibly talented women. This is no small opportunity and I’ve been doing my best to prepare.
Part of that preparation is actually racing again. Like most people, I had big plans for 2020. I’d spent the winter pushing myself and dreaming of glory. I made plans to race internationally and actually figured out how to make it happen. Then Covid happened. The pandemic took so much out of all of us.
Where some folks threw themselves into training, I threw myself into surviving. Not necessarily the disease, but the emotional toll the pandemic was taking on my mind, body, and spirit. I can handle a lot, but riding bikes felt really futile in a time where so many people around me were losing their lives. Where Black and Brown people were fighting a war for survival on many fronts, and the world was coming to terms with the fact that it was harder to ignore human suffering when it affected everyone.
But that’s not what this is about, this is about bike racing. I have thought a lot about keeping things to myself. Not being vulnerable in this space anymore, and quietly prepping for the biggest opportunity of my racing career. BUT, this journey has always been about helping other folks have an easier time than I’ve had, so I’ll share so they have the resource.
My goals for this block of racing are the following:
Get in some quality intensity
Rebuild my confidence
Remember how to race my bike without having to think about the little things.
Re-establish my pre/ post-race routines
Try new things
Don’t be afraid to fail
The first big race back was not met with the usual nerves, I was purely excited to get back out there and channel my pandemic energy into literally anything. The Armed Forces Cycling Classic was a two-day omnium including the Crystal City and Clarendon neighborhoods of Arlington, VA just outside of Washington DC.
My initial plan was to ride from where we were staying in Alexandria, to the races, I made it about 15 minutes towards Crystal City before Will called to ask if I had the keys to the Bronco Sport. I did. So I turned myself around and sped back to the Airbnb. There was time, I’ve learned to give myself plenty of time for things exactly like this.
We made our way to the race, I warmed up, got my bib numbers pinned, and found the staging area. It was nice to go through the motions again. It was a clumsy yet familiar process.
They shuffled us to the start line and set us into motion. I’ve done so many criteriums, I knew what to expect, but I must admit that my brain went into immediate overstimulation. I’ve been mostly training by myself for over a year. I’ve done a handful of group rides and local races, but in the first few minutes of the race, it felt like I was traveling at hyper-speed through a space tunnel headed for Jupiter. I was on autopilot and needed to get control of the ship again.
I picked something to focus on. The final corner. The course was pretty basic, very quick and minor incline after turn one, a second turn into a straightaway followed by a chicane that was littered with ill-placed (covered) manholes, next came a swoopy slightly of camber turn into a downhill that leads to the final turn of the course. The run into the finish line wasn’t short, but it was fast. I enjoyed the course, It was short, fast, and just dynamic enough to keep things interesting.
After about twenty minutes I’d settled in. I worked on getting to the front, letting myself fall back a bit, and getting back to the front again. At first, I felt myself being too timid, and couldn’t seem to quite get as far forward as I wanted without being completely in the wind. I decided the way to get in the front, was to get on the front.
I noticed the pace of the pack was slowing so I carried my momentum out of the final turn and did a little attack off the front. I wasn’t trying to get away, but I developed a little gap anyway. My legs didn’t feel great and I honestly didn’t feel confident at that moment that I could hold off the pack for the remaining half hour, so I enjoyed my little moment in the sun, let the group catch me just before we finished the lap, and found a seat in first class up front.
Photo by William Loyd
If you’re not a crit racer or a bike race, I will have you know that towards the front of the pack is a MUCH better place to be. Not just because it’s up front, but because it’s safer, smoother, faster. The further back you are, the more likely you are to experience the yoyo effect caused by people braking into the corners. You’ll notice the front of the group is usually a nice tight pack, and as you move further back, it’s more and more spaced out with the folks in the very back literally hanging on for dear life. I have tail gunned many a crit, and while it’s an excellent workout, I wouldn’t recommend doing it on purpose.
Back to the race. I spent the remainder of the race working on relaxing in the group, following good dependable wheels, not being complacent, and talking myself up for the finish.
With three to go, I made my way to the front, by the time we made it back around, I was mid-pack again. This would happen every lap that followed. I could get to the front, but would always lose that positioning into the final turn.
That’s my biggest weak spot. That’s what I’m going to work on this weekend.
Day two just wasn’t my day. I ate something I shouldn’t have and didn’t hydrate properly. I did ride to the race, but I think that was the nail in the coffin of ill preparation. It was 96 degrees and as soon as we started I felt my body start to deteriorate. After a few laps hanging off the back, I noticed I was shaking and decided to pull myself. Once I stopped I puked and spent a bit of time with the EMTs. I was sitting in nearly 100-degree heat, but I was cold… I was eventually okay. Yes, I was disappointed as I was really looking forward to that race, but I will always prioritize the safety of myself and my competitors when it comes down to it.
I’m still wrapping my head around the idea of things returning to “normal” when we all know normal wasn’t working, but I’m gonna let that marinate a bit more before I speak on it.
Tonight is the first race at Tulsa Tough. I feel ready. I am excited. We’ll see what happens!
You can watch it live on usacrits.tv!