Barnesville Buggy Days Omnium, Sept. 13-14, 2003

by Trish Albert

Race: Barnesville Buggy Days Omnium
Place: Barnesville, GA
Event: Time Trial
Distance: 5.5 miles
Speed: 20.0 mph
Time: 16:00 flat

The time trial course was a 5.5 mile half moon “loop” that started by registration and ended on the “far side” of the parking area. The first two miles were smooth road that pointed slightly downhill. A left turn took riders on a shake and bake section of road for about half a mile. The course turned left again onto a two lane road that was flat at the beginning and climbed gradually for the last half mile. It was about 70 degrees and slightly foggy for the Women’s 1/2/3 time trial, almost perfect conditions for me. I had a realistic expectation set for myself of not finishing more than 3 minutes behind the next person in front of me. Time trailing is not my strength, as it involves nothing with dirt, rocks, or off roading. After preriding the course, I made it a goal to stay in my aerobars 90% of the time. I started out in my big ring and some little, itty, bitty gear on the back. I stood up for the first hundred yards or so to get a good start. Up! Up! Up! I sat down and settled into my aerobars. I shifted into a harder gear and settled into my rhythm. I thought about a favorite song that is a power song for me. I kept my cadence steady and breathing regular. I looked straight ahead. My legs were turning the pedals over quickly, so I went one gear harder until I hit the corner. I shifted up one, got in my drops, and sprinted around the corner. I grabbed the bottom of my aerobars very hard over the shake and back. I stayed towards the center of the road to avoid the worst of it. I took the second left turn feeling really good. If there is one thing I love about road riding (in addition to going downhill really fast), it is hitting a turn and diving into it. Going up the final road, my legs felt good, and my spin was smooth. I glanced to my right and saw several horses in a pasture, always a nice sight. They were not interested in the strange beings passing by on the road. I went into a harder gear and cruised down a slight downhill. I hit the climb feeling good. My legs were burning, but I was not about to go over the edge. I stood at the bottom of the climb to keep my momentum going up it. As the climb was not steep, I got back into my aerobars. I pulled on them hard in order to try to keep climbing quickly as I tend to pull on my handlebars whenever I climb. There was a slight dip in the middle of the climb, and it provided a momentary relief. The final section went by quickly. Almost as soon as it begun, I was done with the time trial. I was pleased with my effort. 

Event: The Crit
Other stuff: Don’t ask about it. 

I’m mad. I’ve very mad. I’m so mad at myself that I really, really wanted to cry today while I was racing. Why? I got discouraged. So discouraged that I nearly had a “girl moment” during today’s crit. I’m a mountain biker, I’m a fighter. I’m not a quitter. Well, today I quit. I’ve been feeling really down about myself, my life, and my riding lately. Two months straight of dealing with 90 degree temperatures causing VCD (breathing/asthma) attacks. Two weeks of being sick, getting food poisoning, having to work late every night, and getting in virtually no quality training. How would I do? I felt good this morning but not when I got in the crit. I was not expecting it to be so hot after such a cool morning. I got to the starting line after a quick warm up with Donna. I felt fine during the warm up. After trying to find a racer we were missing, the officials told us to do one neutral lap and come back. We did not find her and rode back to the starting line. I got a good position in the middle on the first row. I knew that I needed to be near the front in order to be able to hang on as long as I could. With the fast ladies in the race, I knew that my time in the crit was short-lived, maybe only somewhat short lived if I felt good. We took off, and I was immediately on the back as we went single file into the first and second corners. I clung to the back as we hit turns 4 and 5. Going into the second lap, I moved half way up in the pack only to be spit to the back again as we swung around the corners. I had two choices-sit on the outside in the wind and take a longer line or sit at the back, draft, and deal with the accordion effect. I chose the later, which would be my downfall. Into the third lap, I sprinted away from every corner to keep up with the back of the pack. I moved up to second or third from last and would find myself in last by the end of the corner. I couldn’t stay in the pack. On the fourth lap, the pace picked up from 21-22 mph to 23-24 mph, which is outside of my comfort zone. I clung on for dear life through the fifth lap and then sat up. My breathing began to get heavy and bother me. Rather than risk a full VCD attack, I decided to ride a lap hard by myself, recover, and get back in. I tried to get back in a few laps later but found myself not fully recovered. I immediately pulled off and sat up. I spun easily for about 5 minutes waiting for them to lap me again. I looked across the course and saw that the pack had settled in and was back at a more moderate pace. I knew I could hang in. As they passed me, I hopped on a few spots from the back. No sooner did I get back in, and the officials called a prime lap. I hung in until turn five when the pack took off. That’s it. I was done. I was toast. I gave up. There was no point in even trying. Just rest, save my legs, and spin around to finish and get my omnium points. About 35 minutes into the race, they lapped me again. I pulled off the course to practice my cyclocross skills in the grass. Even though a few friends tried to cheer me on, all I wanted to do was cry. I cannot remember the last time I wanted to cry during a race. I was terribly discouraged. I tried my best to hold my tears back. “Breath. Don’t quit. Breath. Don’t quit. Breath. You are a mountain biker. Road isn’t your thing. You suck at road racing. Breath. I really, really suck at road racing.” Get upset and want to cry again. “Breath, Breath, Breath.” I concentrated on my breathing and trying to stay upright on the bike. I was so very, very mad at myself for giving up and not trying. Then I became mad in general. After a few hours of sulking, I got mad at myself again…mad at myself for being angry with myself for giving up. Of course, when I get mad, I remind myself that I am a mountain biker and mountain bikers never quit. I called Donna and told her to pick me up. I was doing the road race the next day even if I got dropped in the first mile.

Event: Road Race
Distance: 33.5 miles
Speed: 20.5 mph
Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

The road race course was a 33 mile loop. The first 28 miles were rolling to flat along two lane country roads with a 6-7 mile stretch of shake and bake to make it feel a little like mountain biking. At about mile 29, a short, steep hill was poised to break up the field. The climb leveled off and went downhill a little bit until about 3/4 mile from the finish when it went straight up for about 1/4 mile. The final half mile was twisty and turning back onto the Gordon College Campus. The Women's 1/2/3 and Cat. 4 fields were combined because of the small size. About thirteen women lined up for the race. The 1/2/3's were to do 66 miles, and the 4's did 33 miles. My goal was to hang in until the bottom of the first climb. My legs were tired from the time trial the day before. Temperatures were in the mid-80's, and the air was very humid from earlier rain showers. That did not bode well for my breathing. I had been looking forward to a day with cooler temps and lower humidity. Still, I was determined to make up for the terrible crit the day before. My goal was to hang on until the bottom of the climb and then decide if I was going to do the second lap. We started nearly an hour late because of delays with the earlier races. The first mile was neutral until we crossed over Highway 41, a large 4 lane road. I did not expect the first lap to be that fast because of some comments the other ladies made before the race. It was going to be a long day in the saddle. No one wanted to be in the wind by themselves for three hours. The Cat. 4's sat in the back, and the stronger 1/2/3's pulled us along. Knowing how I was feeling, I did not think I could take a pull. I sat on in the middle of the field on a wheel. The first 10 miles passed uneventfully. No one was talking; everyone was riding. A few spectators were out on the course in front of their houses cheering the peloton on. A father and his daughters were out on the roads for a family ride, including the dog, which decided to run straight into our pack. A few of us had to swerve, and there was one handlebar bump, but everyone stayed upright. The group settled back in and just rode until one of the Genesis riders decided she had to go to the restroom. I had never experienced a pee break during a race, but there is a first time for everything! We waited for everyone and got back on to resume our race. More of the same for the next few miles although we were now on the shake and bake. Teeth rattled as did bottle cages, shifters, and loose things on bikes. I was thankful for my mountain bike calluses. On one hill I had a little VCD attack, but I was able to recover because the hill soon crested and went down. I sat in the pack and stayed with everyone. Out of nowhere, we came to the first hill. "Hello big hill; good bye pack," I thought as I started up it. I sat up and decided to ride it at my own pace. I got to the top only to see everyone pulled over to the side of the road. The officials had stopped, not just neutralized, the pack in order for the Cat. 4 men to pass. We waited nearly 5 minutes for the leader to come by and another 2 for the field. By this time, even I'd had a chance to catch my breath. Finally, we remounted and continued on with our race. I stayed with the group until the bottom of the big climb. My legs completely seized up and screamed as I crawled my way to the top. I knew that I was done. I got to the top and recovered for a few seconds. I decided that I might as well finish strong. I had second thoughts about quitting as I approached the finish line. There, I saw a friend of mine that had also gotten dropped. With the skies threatening rain, I decided to call it a day. I came to race, reached my goal, and got 6th in the omnium.