I went into this week’s race fearing three things: getting lapped, riding alone and finishing at the back of the pack.
I got lapped by the two leaders (I think) three times and the rest of the pack lapped me twice. I hung on to a couple of teammates for about three laps, but then I couldn’t hang on any longer and pedaled alone for about four laps. I finished third from last. How’s that for facing your fears. đ
Im not going to lie. My pride is a little wounded. Before the race, a teammate told me to let go of my expectations. Yeah, well, that’s advice I definitely should’ve taken. After finishing sixth in the beginner’s race last month, I set high goals for this race. It’s easy to forget I’m new to this whole racing thing so I set unrealistic goals, and then I felt the disappointment.
My blood sugar tried to drop before the race. I was between 70-90 for the half hour leading up to the start and while I tried to correct it, I was nervous to race at that level. Just before the start, I chugged half a Coke. I figured the sugar would help the racing, and it would spike me enough to finish the half hour race. Note to future racers: Coke (especially when you don’t ever drink it) doesn’t sit well on your stomach when you’re pounding it on a crit. I was miserable. There were moments when I questioned whether I should stop and just call it a day. But with every lap, I could hear my friends cheering and it motivated me to keep going. I stayed around 80-85 the whole race and post-race, I was 102.
But blood sugars aren’t to blame for the race results. I’m just new, and I’m not that strong yet. Before the races, my fastest pace was 17 mph, and I can only sustain that in training for 45 minutes. Tonight’s race was 22 mph out of the gate. My average for the half hour was 19.6, my fastest pace to date.
While my pride is a little wounded, I’m still glad I decided to do it. I faced a fear and I raced in a full crit with women who’ve been racing for years. I didn’t crash, I improved my cornering skills and I identified areas to work on in the off-season. And of course, it was fun. I mean, not during the race because you sort of want to die in that moment, but definitely the experience overall. It’s exhilarating in a way that’s hard to explain.
I’m just competitive enough to want to improve and hang with the pack, but not competitive enough I need to be at the top of the podium all the time. I mean, I don’t have a future in professional bike racing, that’s for sure.
The one thing that stands out the most to me about last night’s race was the people. My friends on the sidelines cheering were amazing. Honestly, they kept me going when I felt like quitting. But even more than that, were the women in the field. At one point, as the main pack came around me, I heard two of my teammates call me by name and tell me what a great job I was doing. How they did this and were still able to breathe is beyond me, but it meant the world. And after the race, women from the other teams came up to hug me and offer congratulations. We might be competitive when it comes to standings, but at the end of the day, we’re all here for the same reason and we all want to see more women in bike racing.
It was an energizing and fulfilling experience. At the end of the race, I looked at my teammate Terri and told her I was never racing again. Today, I’m working on my off-season training plan to be stronger and faster for next year’s race season. I’ve got some big goals to reach, and I’m not going to hit them sitting on the couch.
Here’s to trying new things, facing fears and realizing that sometimes it is just about finishing.