T-Mobile International Women's Race (San Francisco Grand Prix)

by Kym Flynn, 9-14-2003

Okay, I know everyone has been waiting to hear about if I survived the race so here is the "short" version. The San Francisco Grand Prix (T-Mobil International) in all it's glory...

We arrived in San Francisco to a heat wave and no predictions of rain. This was a good thing; a "heat wave" in SF is still colder than it has been at home since about April! I spent Friday getting my bike assembled and relaxing (we got up at 3am to catch our flight) and had dinner with my college buddy Liz who live in SF now. Saturday is when the fun began. I met my teammates, all of whom were really cool, and we all seemed to hit it off and gel together very well. We went out for a pre-ride where we took approximately 400 wrong turns while battling the traffic of the streets of SF. The real test of the weekend was not getting killed before the pre-ride was over!! Fillmore St. was the first, and longest of the two walls we had to climb.... nothing I have ridden could have prepared me for that!! I want to meet the sick @#!!$% who dreamed up this race. It is a very unsettling feeling being able to reach out in front of you and touch the pavement.... After going up that Taylor
St. wasn't so bad, just as steep, but not as long. We finished our ride, no one got run over by traffic, and we decided to get some rest for Sunday, we were going to need it. 

Race morning started at 5am. I hate having to get up so early, but our start was at 7:30am. Even with the heat wave it was COLD when we got up; about 55 degrees. We tried to warm up, but we had to sign in and stage an hour before our start. Needless to say, we were COLD by the time we started. We staged 132 women; it was a "who's who" in the World Cup of
women's cycling. All of the big names, and their teams were there. Ok, time for a bit of background. This spring I was diagnosed with Exercised Induce Asthma (EIA)... normally not a big deal. I just have to prepare correctly before a race and I'm fine. Some of the big triggers for me are cold, lack of sufficient warm up, dry air, altitude, and dust. hmmm....(you see where this is going, right??) Fortunately for me, we staged early and were right up front (see attached picture...). They said "go" and we were immediately doing 32mph. I was feeling as good as one can feel at 7:30 am in the cold while riding in
pack at 32mph. Talk about a rush!!! It was so much fun. After our first two parade laps we headed out onto the course. This is where my world got ugly. Going that fast on a flat is not a big deal for me, once we hit the first little hill (not the big ones) my lungs decided to take a break from breathing. Not such good timing on their part. By the time we hit Taylor St. I really just wanted to pull over and pass out but the crowds were incredible. I have never seen so many people. They were 15 to 20 people deep and the noise was deafening. What an experience!! I actually felt okay going up the hills (in my triple...) but the constant anaerobic pace was too much for my "not warmed up" body. I pulled myself out the next time through the start finish area, knowing I wouldn't last the whole race and trying to save some dignity by not getting pulled by the guys on the follow motos. I was a bit bummed at first about my less that ideal performance, but after thinking about it, I started feeling better. I was not even close to being the first one dropped. Actually, there were about 40 women who pulled out before me, some in the first mile. I was not the last person dropped. Only about 55 women finished the race. I rode hard, had fun, and learned a
lot of things for next year. Yes, there will be a next year and I will be ready. Not bad for a mountain biker....

Sorry this is so long. Check out the picture of me next to team T-Mobil on
the start line....

Later,
Kym