Well that was one heck of a trip and probably the toughest full week of racing I've ever done. We drove out on Wednesday morning and made it straight through to our hotel which was ended up being a decent spot for a week as it had a little kitchen in it where Katie cooked some really nice meals for us. The velodrome was roughly a 15 minute drive from where we were with a nice view of the mountains the entire way. The weather would prove to be dicey all week causing delays and reschedules which made it tough to prep for warm-up, cool-down, etc but they did a nice job of getting revised schedules out quickly to everyone. Besides the racing, Katie and I were able to go on a few nice gravel rides on the Sante Fe trail which was a lot of fun. We also rode up and around the Garden of the Gods and also spent one afternoon hiking around it which was a nice reprieve from the racing. We also ate at a pretty good barbeque spot for lunch one day and then went out to a place called Phantom Brewing to celebrate the week on Friday night. On Saturday night we stayed at Jason and Carol Porter's place and enjoyed a fantastic meal on their gorgeous patio which was a great cap to the week before driving home on Sunday. Anyways, the racing proved to be brutally hard. It seemed to be a who's who of track cycling in the Americas as there were Olympians, World Champions, National Champions, guys that finished the Giro this year all in a fairly international field (I think 7 countries were represented). The week would prove to have a lot of up and downs but I've come home faster and better for it.
Independence Day GP
The Independence Day GP was simply a Madison and a 90 lap Points race for us. The Madison was rained out on Friday and rescheduled for Saturday morning. Nikos and I weren't super ready for this and got beat up pretty bad in the event. We started off slow and weren't super comfortable thorughout the first part of the race. By the end of the event we both got significantly better and probably would have done better in the event had we been that consistent throughout. Oh well, we finished 8th of 10 and got the most technical of the races out of the way. I felt absolutely disasterous throughout the effort as the altitude was clearly getting to me.
At night was the UCI 30k Points Race (90 Laps). This race ended up being the hardest thing I've ever done given my state of non-acclimation. At 75 laps I looked up and thought there was no way I was finishing this thing. I just kept hanging in lap after lap and somehow managed to get across the line which was better than much of the field could say as I finished 19th of 33. The best part of the day though was relaxing and watching the Colorado Springs fireworks show with the Hesserts after the race which was literally in the park adjacent to the velodrome. The mountain top backdrop was spectacular and we just enjoyed a few bites and a few drinks. I was rather satisfied with having simply finished and this was an incredible and unique way to end the day. It reminded me of doing the Soldier Field Crits on Wednesdays in the city years ago as you'd finish, feel crushed, and then ride home as the firework show went off. That kind of surreal feeling of having done something crazy hard and then watching fireworks with the rest of the world was nice to recapture.
U.S. Grand Prix of Colorado Springs
The midweek races consisteted of a UCI omnium which included (in order) a scratch race, individual pursuit, elimination race, kilo, flying lap, and then a points race where riders accumlate points by finishing order up until the points race where they can earn or lose points in the same manner as any points race. I had an awful scratch race, an even worse pursuit (5:11), and a rather poor elimination race which really kicked this event off on the wrong foot. The next day I feel like something turned. I didn't feel quite as awful and lined up for the Kilo. I felt rather decent throughout the event and turned in the 12th fastest time. The flying lap was next and I got 13th. The Points Race due to weather got pushed back until the next day. I was petrified of it given that it was 120 laps and the 90 lap event was so hard on me. I raced it super conservatively and felt outstanding. With about 30 laps to go, feeling pretty good, I just soaked up the situation. The guy in front of me was our Olympic representative the last 2 times, the guy to my right was in the Giro d'Italia this year, the guy to my left was a National Champion last year, the guy behind me is leading the National Track Calendar...and I felt great. With about 10 to go I uncorked it a bit and just started driving pace when I had the opportunity. I ended up finishing the omnium in 15th place which was a decent salvage. It certainly made me hungrier for Marymoor's omnium coming up in a week and a half. After Thursday's race we had dinner over at the Hessert's which was excellent as they cooked up a nice meal for us.
U.S. Vic Williams Memorial Grand Prix
The final races of the week were an Individual Pursuit and 90 Lap Points race on Friday and a 45 Lap Scratch Race on Saturday night. I started warming up trying to figure out pacing for the IP as my pacing was just horrendous for my earlier one in the week. Katie timed me and I was throwing down 24's-26's trying to dial in an effort that wasn't too hard too quick (my first pursuit went something like 22, 22, 24, 25, 25, 26, 26, 26, etc. which was a substantial blow up. I put it in a bigger gear and went off just trying to turn it over consistently. First full lap goes by and I hear '2.2' meaning I just went through in 22.2 seconds, another super hot start. The next lap went by and I heard about the same thing. I decided to just keep the pedal down since it felt consistent instead of going off the pace and then trying to turn something over that didn't feel as natural. Luckily the next few laps were in the 23's and I really didn't start creeping up into the 24's and 25's until the end. I crossed the line in 4:55 which was a PR for me, super thrilled about it as it confirmed that my 5:11 was a fluke. The Points Race was just super hard again. I ended up 14th this time, but just didn't quite have it. The Scratch Race on Saturday night was fun. I made the select group but got gapped off with 3 to go when the rider in front of me couldn't hold pace. I ended up 7th in the race and felt great at the end - a good sign for the rest of the year - especially nationals when most of these guys can't come as they're from other countries.
It was a good trip for experience. Glad to have TTown and CO Springs behind us as I'm really looking forward to Marymoor and Nationals. Yay for rest weeks - the amount I've already accomplished since being home is so nice.
Until next time.
