Despite the brutal weather Saturday, this weekend was one of the most fun I’ve had so far in collegiate racing.
Team Time Trial
I got called up to do the Men’s A TTT with Zach, Cameron and Joe. To say I was nervous going into this was an understatement—all these three are much stronger than I am—and I was expecting to get dropped pretty early on. But somehow I managed to stay with the group and take (short) pulls throughout most of the the 14-mile course. Coming into the final hill, I was completely spent, and dropped off the back as the other three finished (the time for the team is taken from the third rider to cross the line). We came first by a margin of ~25 seconds, averaging 27 mph for the whole course. It was amazing (and painful) to be part of that group.
Finish photo from the men’s A TTT (courtesy velocityresults.net)
Men’s B Crit
The collegiate crit on Sunday started pretty fast, and strung out quickly around the corners. After a couple of laps, I put in an early attack to try to get away, and got into a group of 4 that immediately began working together. We got caught pretty quickly though, and I sat toward the back of the pack for a little while to recover. While I was doing that, another attack went, and another strong group of 3 got off the front and started to grow a significant gap on the field. I wanted to be part of that break, but because I was toward the back of the pack, it took me a couple of laps to get into a position from which I could attack and attempt to bridge. By this time, the gap had grown to about 25 seconds, and though I bridged as hard as I possibly could, after a lap-and-a-half I realized I wasn’t going to catch them by myself. I eased up and got back into the pack as it came past, then after a lap of resting I got Kuat (MIT B rider) to come with me up to the front to try to organize a solid chase. Unfortunately, one of the guys in the breakaway (Queens University) had strong teammates in the field, and they successfully blocked our best attempts to chase. Exhausted again, I realized our best chance in this race was to try to get our sprinter (David Koppstein) into a good position to sprint for 4th place. I dropped back through the pack to find him, but having already won two prime laps (his goal for the race), he had dropped off the back a little while before. With a couple of laps left to go, two other riders individually got off the front to try to avoid the field sprint. On the last lap, I knew we had to catch them, so I went to the front to lead the chase to catch them. Right before the last corner we caught them (one of them swore quite violently at having been caught so close to the end). Having been first wheel for basically the whole last lap, I was expecting to get swarmed as we rounded the corner into the final stretch, so I took the hardest line I could through it and opened up my sprint coming out of it. I’ve no idea how this worked, but no one came around me and I won the field sprint, for 4th overall.
Men’s ¾ Crit
Having not had enough racing up to that point, and desperate to get some USAC upgrade points, I entered the Men’s ¾ USAC crit (about 90 minutes after the B crit ended). This race got started quite similarly to the B crit. There were a few early attempts at breaks (some of which Joe Near or I got into), but none of which stuck. Several laps from the end (I can’t remember how many), two guys got off the front and started to open up a gap. Having learned my lesson from bridging too late in the last race, I attacked and chased all out. It took me three quarters of a lap and a lot of suffering, but I eventually crossed the gap, and then there were three of us trying to stave off the pack for the remaining 3-4 laps. By the time I got there, one of the guys in the break (by build, very much a sprinter type) was basically exhausted so the other two of us did most of the work to stay away. As I took my pull on the straight before the last corner, I heard one of them yell “Here they come” and knew the pack was close. I didn’t want to take the last pull into the corner with a sprinter in the group, but didn’t think I had a choice with the pack closing so quickly. I came through the corner first, and sure enough the sprinter came around me before the line to take first. I took second, and third place went to the last guy in our break. The pack was right behind us, crossing the line at the ‘same time’ on the official results.
I left Philadelphia feeling exhausted but really happy. Partly because of the racing, but probably most because of the delicious Cheeseteak we stopped for before leaving!
Finish photo from the men’s 3/4 crit (courtesy velocityresults.net)
Finish Photo from the Men’s ¾ Crit
I was pretty nervous going into this weekend because due to respiratory problems, I had been unable to finish my crit last weekend. My plan for the race was to contest the prime sprints*, with the intention of getting extra pack-sprint practice. Also, while C crits tend to be somewhat unpredictable, I wanted to try to work with David at the finish in case the race came down to a pack sprint.
The starting pace of the race was pretty high. As the pack strung out on the climbs and the turns, I had to make a few really hard bridging efforts. However, the pace dropped after a couple of laps and I managed to stay with the leading group. The pace surged occasionally due to attempted attacks, but they were sufficiently infrequent that the pace of the leading group was manageable. As the race progressed, I made a deliberate effort to figure out how to position myself for the last couple of laps — I had been hanging out mostly on the back of the front group, but I knew I would have enough energy to contest the sprint. The C field isn’t very good at cornering, so in order to maintain momentum, I wanted to make sure I could pick a line which would allow me to advance. The course features a little hill after a corner, and I knew I wanted to carry as much speed as possible into that particular corner, so that I could advance through the pack during the brief climb.
Fortunately, when the second-to-last lap rolled around, I was able to follow the plan I had made, and I was near the front of the pack for the last lap. I managed to make contact with David (who had responsibly stayed near the front of the lead group and thus didn’t realize I was still in that group). Together we worked up to the front for the sprint, and (in an awkward kind of switching leadout), we outpaced the rest of the pack. David took second and I took third, and we were first/second in the pack sprint (there was a rider off the front, which I managed not to realize despite yelling teammates on the sidelines).
*I never heard the bell for a prime lap.
David Koppstein and Kamal Ndousse contest the field sprint (photo by Jan Valerie Polk)
Going into this crit, I held vague hopes of winning the green sprinter’s jersey but didn’t even consider that it might be possible to win the race; I’m a time-trialist, not a crit rider! I made the race hard from the start, trying to string out the field and learn the course. The group of A/B women felt a little sketchy at times, braking too much on the downhills and taking “interesting” lines through the corners. At the first prime lap, I moved up to the front and gave the current green jersey holder Rose a perfect leadout. Brilliant move, now the gap between my sprint points and hers was up to 10 points. She is a smart, tactical rider, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make up for that, so I sat back for a while, making occasional half-hearted surges and saving energy on the rest of the primes.
With four laps to go, I felt disheartened; this race would amount to a mass sprint, and I would end up mid-pack at best. I decided to try another attack, just so I wouldn’t feel bad about myself for not trying everything I could to prevent that mass sprint. I came around the corner that turned onto the extended mild hill toward the finishing stretch around 6th wheel. Then, I up-shifted and moved far to the right-hand side of the road, riding pretty hard out of the saddle. Someone yelled to chase, but I was quite far away from the field laterally. Surprise, separation, speed, not attacking off the front – it worked! I looked back and was shocked to see no one there. I thought, “*expletive*, now I have to go really hard!!”, and I did. 3 laps to go, I rode across the line with a growing gap. Not having to worry about other riders, I could take the corners and downhills with my ideal lines. I wish I had heart rate data for those laps, because it would have probably been terrifying. ½ lap to go, and a strong Pitt rider Hayley Wickstrom flew past me. I thought, “Well, 2nd place in a crit is great for me!” and pushed hard enough to catch back on to her wheel. Around 100 meters to the finish line, I thought, “Actually, maybe I can sprint by her” and did. My first mass-start win since I raced Intro in 2010!
Shaena defeating the second place rider—with plenty of daylight in between (photo by Jan Valerie Polk)
The Stevens Circuit Race was my fourth mass start road race of my season and of my career but by far the longest: 25 miles in New Jersey’s Watchung Reservation in the form of four 6.2 mile laps featuring climbs, rolling hills and twisty descents. As someone who fancies herself more of a sprinter, I was a little more than anxious. Now for the race details: With no chance to pre-ride the course, the riders used the first lap to feel out the course. We learned the sketchy feeling of descending in a pack (the erratic lines, bustling, over-breaking and surprise pot-holes), where the big climbs were, and where the subtle but deadly shallow climbs that crept up when you least expected it.
Toward the end of the first lap, I decided to attack, to shake up the field a bit and see if I could get on a break with a few other riders. It failed—no one else wanted to pull and the pack caught us. The second lap, the Penn State girl started to break away from the pack after the major climb, the pack noticed this but was reluctant to chase her down. “She’ll fall back,” they were saying. But after another mile she appeared to be gaining ground and I decided to close the gap. I attacked and after another mile or two I managed to catch her. Looking behind me I saw the pack approaching up the final hill in close pursuit behind us and felt a wave of disappointment, and sat up. I looked forward again and to my further frustration, saw the Penn State girl spin out of reach reclaiming her lead and never to be seen again. I faded back into the pack and took the third lap to recover. On the final lap, I made the conscious decision that I wasn’t going to use my brakes at all descending the twisty hills. Instead, by pedaling through and counter-steering, I would use my Montezuma skills from Training Camp to get a break on the pack. It worked. With two miles to go, I had a substantial lead on the pack with one BU rider chasing. She caught me, and we traded off pulls until we came to the last descents, which I lead and later realized meant I was leading her out to the finish line sprint. Whoops. She took advantage of this and exhausted but pleased, I coasted into third place.
Kate in a break with Anne Raymond from BU
After sitting in at second wheel the entirety of the Columbia Criterium the day before and sprinting to first place on top of earning 11 points in the sprint premiums and making third place in this circuit race, I totaled 61 points for the team omnium and decided it was time to upgrade. Women’s B, here I come!
MIT dominated the first ECCC road weekend with smart tactics and strong legs in all race categories. 21 riders traveled to the Rutgers Frozen-Toed Opener to compete in a 2-mile ITT, a crit, and a hilly circuit race. MIT won the Team Omnium with 206 pts (Penn State #2, 167 pts).
Be warned: with all of the excitement about the races, this is a long post!
All Results (place): ITT:
MA: Zack 6, Joe 8
WA: Shaena 1
MB: Ben 2, Oliver 12, Kuat 21
MC: Scott 3, David K 4, Stephen 7, Kamal 13, Nate 16, Ernesto 22,
WC: Kate 1, Georgia 3, Edrie 22
MD: Matt R 2, Tom 5
WIntro: Katie 5, Marianna 8
Crit:
MA: Joe 16, Zack 38 +1pt prime
WA: Shaena 10 +13pt prime
MB: Kuat 12, Ben 33
MC: Scott 3 +3pt prime, David K 8, Matt Li 11, Stephen 15 +5pt prime, Nate 27, Kamal 28 +3pt prime, Ernesto 29
WC: Georgia 6 +11pt prime, Kate 8 +7pt prime, Edrie 21
MD: Matt R 2, Tom 6 +3pt prime
WIntro: Katie 4, Marianna 7
Circuit:
MA: Zack 5 +1lap, Joe 18
WA: Shaena 7
MB: Kuat 14, Ben 19, Oliver 25, David S 41
MC: David K 1, Scott 4, Stephen 12, Kamal 13, Ernesto 21, Matt Li 28
WC: Georgia 4, Kate 6, Edrie 19
MD: Tom 5, Matt 8
WIntro: Katie 3, Marianna 10
Captain Zack U’s Men’s A Circuit Race
I had high hopes for the circuit race this year after winning the B’s last year in a solo breakaway, but with PSU, Pitt and UVM all showing good teamwork in the crit I was worried that they were going to manufacture an early break that I’d miss. I had a long warmup and made sure to get a spot on the front row of staging. The Tufts rider next to me attacked right at the start and I jumped on his wheel. Alan (Shippensburg) attacked right after on the hill and I followed that as well, Samson (Pitt) jokingly shouted “that’s the move” since the attack was way too early in the race, at the top a spectator shouted that Robin was present, and with that the break of the day got away (Robin, Wyatt (PSU), Alan, and myself). With Wyatt in the break the PSU guys were blocking in the field, and Wyatt took full advantage of this and refused to do any work in the break (smart racing). After a while working well together, we had a sizable gap on the field and Alan/Wyatt were dropped on a particularly hard pull from Robin. Robin and I continued until we had almost lapped the field, but I wasn’t able to hold his wheel when he made a final push and I spent the next ~10 laps solo until I also got to the back of the field. The officials didn’t neutralize the field and we weren’t allowed to work with it, so we spent a few laps a few bike lengths from the back until we were able to get around, and Robin dropped me again. Brendan appeared after his own solo-lapping and dropped me a lap later. Wyatt/Alan then made it up to me and we spent the last few laps together, with those two sprinting around me leaving me with 5th place.
I wish I could have finished a bit better, and maybe could have if the officials had neutralized the field and let Robin and I pass earlier in the race, but regardless I honestly feel that I gave it 100% and completely buried myself. Last years’ effort: 290W NP for 40 minutes, this year: 315W NP for 70 minutes.
The break of the dayDeep in the pain cave: great pain face Zack!
David Koppstein’s Men’s C Circuit Race
After failing to sprint on the final lap in Saturday’s criterium because I lost track of the laps to go, I decided to count the laps in the circuit race. This clever stratagem led to victory.
Seriously though, this race was the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike, and it was all because of the incredible MIT men’s C field. We had so many strong riders, and we worked really well together! As we rolled out from staging, Matt Li and Ernesto Jimenez led the pack and kept the pace high. Acting on Zack’s advice, I remembered to get to the front at the bottom of the hill, sag climbed to the middle of the pack, and then worked my way back up the peloton on the downhill through drafting. As the race progressed, MIT riders started to become aggressive at the front. Kamal Ndousse put in a strong, unexpected attack that forced Princeton and Army to chase, letting me, Scott Burdick, and Stephen Shum sit in. When Kamal was caught, Stephen attacked, again forcing the field to chase. When a four-man breakaway threatened to get off the front, Oliver Schrang shouted encouragement from the sideline to catch their wheel, so I forced myself up to them and it eventually petered out. Towards the final laps, Stephen talked me through setting up the sprint finish, telling me to stay on the inside of the course. With one lap to go, I got on Scott’s wheel and he gave it everything he had up the final climb, delivering me to the top in first wheel. It was too early to be first, though, and Princeton’s Jacob Lapenna was glued to my wheel. I didn’t want to lead him out, so I got in an aero tuck for the downhill, soft pedaled, and watched behind me.
In the heat of the moment, I forgot all about Nicole’s advice on finding the right gear, using my arms, and kicking up with my knees. All I could think about was 1) find the 200m line, and 2) jump hard enough to get separation. At ~250 meters to go, I decided it was time. I kicked in a frenzy, sprinting on instinct and adrenaline. I didn’t look back until the end, and was exhilarated to see that nobody had been able to catch my wheel — I had won the race! Watch out ECCC, the MIT men’s C field is strong, rides smart, and works together seamlessly. We’re here to stay. [Hopefully not in the C field to stay! —Ed.]
Finish photo of David's winGroup shot
Katie Maass’s Weekend
This weekend was my first cycling race weekend and I had a blast. My favorite part was during the crit when I was sticking at second wheel and going through the corners quickly. I started to see in practice what I had only heard people talk about before about bike racing. I definitely have a lot to learn about how to implement race strategy, but it was really fun to go out there, bike fast, and try some things out. I can’t thank my teammates enough for all of their support – be it answering my numerous questions, cheering me on, or helping me get ready to race. I felt very prepared for my first race weekend and that made it really fun. I can’t wait to do it again soon!
Tom O’Grady’s Weekend
This was my first ever weekend bike racing with the team. What an experience. My main emotion from the weekend is “why did it take me so long to discover this sport?” I honestly can’t remember having so much fun in any sport before. I love endurance sports, and have a background in running, so what clinched it for me? Three things, I think. First, the tactical element: conserving energy, watching for breaks, going ahead at the right time; re-living the races in my head afterwards is already proving dangerously addictive. Second, the teamwork: the teammates cheering me along at every bend (Ben W sounds particularly menacing when shouting “attack! attack!”); the help, advice and sheer fun from everyone else on the team; the sense of working together for a common goal. I’ve never experienced this before as a runner. Third, the fact that everyone earns points. Sure, I didn’t win many. But we couldn’t have won the omnium this weekend without the points from C, D and intro riders. I love that everyone played their part, even the complete novices like me.
This is supposed to be a race report, so I should talk about the races, too. In the men’s D crit, Matt Redmond and I had a simple plan: stay at the front to avoid crashes, and get Matt to the line for a sprint finish. It worked perfectly. I knew where the 400 m mark was, knew Matt was on my wheel, and sprinted like mad. Matt shot past me with 200 m to go and finished 2nd by half a wheel length. Next time we’ll nail it. In the men’s D circuit race, I saw the big hill and smiled. I have a chance, here, I thought. I gave it everything I had: staying just back from the front, covering attacks, and attacking myself with 3 laps to go. I got out in front with a West Point rider for one lap but we couldn’t sustain it on such a short course. In the end I was happy with 5th after giving 110%. Next time, I would do it differently. Conserve my energy, let someone else chase the attacks, sit back and have something in the tank at the very end. But that’s why I want to get back out there: so many lessons learnt, so much more to do…next year I’ll train like a beast and be competing in the higher categories. I wish it would come sooner.
Kate Wymbs’s Women’s C ITT Win
5am: I woke up excited and turned on my pump-up music infecting my roommates with my excitement. Five hours of sleep – so what? After two and a half years at MIT, sleep deprivation doesn’t scare anymore. Let’s race.
5:30am: Big news! The night before on the drive up a hawk with a death wish and flying in the opposite direction as the car carrying my bike crashed into and taco-ed my new rear wheel with PowerTap hub. My reaction, ARE YOU JOKING?? But it was no joke, nor was it a joke that I still had my first road cycling race ever in two hours, wheel or no wheel. I had to get my head back on straight.
6am: We arrived at the site of the ITT with the pre-race rush. Between registering, signing forms 27 times, pinning numbers, and finding bathrooms, I was breathless before I even got on my bike. Zach and Shaena generously lent me a rear wheel to warm up and then to race on, and I was off to pre-ride the course. It was an out-and-back 2.2 mile loop with a sharp 180° turn and only very slight changes in elevation. I returned, changed wheels and listened to teammates talk ITT strategy
7:30am: I was about to set up some rollers to get the blood flowing before attempting to go as fast as I could for six minutes when I heard the call: “WOMEN’S C TO STAGING”. Crap. No warm up, but at least I got to pre-ride the course. Maybe fifth in line of the Women’s C, I listened to the other girls’ chatter as we all anxiously awaited our turn. Twenty seconds after the racer in front of me, I was off, or would be, as soon I as managed to clip in. Charged by that small delay, I revved up my legs and powered through my gears. Fifty seconds in I realized I would not be able to maintain that speed, 24-26.5 mph for much longer, so I dropped into a slightly easier gear. Half a minute later I saw my first target, the racer who had left 20 seconds a head of me, and I saw that I was gaining on her. I picked up the pace and passed her. Not long after I reached the 180° turn-around, and slowing down perhaps too much, I made a tight turn, rather than the faster, wider turn. To compensate and based on the knowledge that the second half was shorter than the first half, I accelerated rapidly to ~22 mph and tracked down and passed my second rider. My heart rate averaged 182 bpm and I began to feel the lactic acid building up in my legs. But there she was, another ride within my clutches. Forcing my legs to maintain their cadence, I passed the third and final racer just before seeing the road sign that was to signal my final sprint effort. I paused, took a deep breath and then gave it my all, coming into the finish line with a time of 5:46.73.
11:15am: I saw the scoreboard of the events earlier in the day and to my amazement, find my name at the top of the WC ITT list: 1 Katherine Wymbs Massachusetts Institute of Technology 32 points! I exploded into a smile and started hugging each teammate that I could find. Wow!
Scott Burdick’s Men’s C Road Race
The Rutgers Crit was a lovely race on a nice little course with an ugly, pot-holed downhill corner and a gentle climb to the finish. For the dozen or so laps, the pack tooted around, there was a bit of sketchy cornering (I helped with that) and Stephen took the first prime. As we came up on the second prime, Nate rolled over and suggested “go for it” to which I replied “ehyup.” Kamal contested the sprint and I followed up behind him and kept pedaling after the line. I flew through the dicey corner best I could and continued hard for about half a lap until I saw that only a fellow from Middlebury had followed me. I said to him “hey,” and he said “want to do this?” and I said “let’s give it a shot.” We were joined by a Princeton chap eventually, and after some confusion we fell into a nice paceline for what seemed like an hour or an hour and a half. The race was 30 minutes so I could be wrong. Meanwhile, my heroic, handsome teammates were doing some amazing blocking back in the pack. I heard after that the other riders were frustrated and pointedly wondering if there was MIT in the break, and I like to imagine our guys sheepishly grinning and professing not to know. With three laps to go, my hamstrings sadly exploded and I fell away from the other leaders. Anyway, I managed to stretch my legs out and recovered well enough to still finish ahead of the pack. It was pretty fun for my first road race, but not quite as fun as watching Koppstein blast ahead of everyone to win the circuit race on Sunday!
Georgia’s Race Report: Women’s C
This was my first race weekend with the MIT team, and it was AMAZING! I learned a few things during this weekend:
1. WARM UP. It’s very important to warm up on the trainer, especially when it’s 32 degrees outside. With an early morning start to the ITT (7am), I didn’t really give myself enough time to warm up properly, and could definitely feel it in the race. My head was saying “GO”, my legs were saying “NO!” But it still turned out great (3rd place finish), so next time I know!
2. GO FOR IT. The Criterium race was definitely the most exciting of the weekend. With Kate Wymbs also in Women’s C, we decided to work together and see if we could take away a few sprint laps and hold on for the finish. Our team strategy worked! At the start of the race, we played it easy and stayed in the pack to get a feel for the sharp corners and downhill section. On the first points lap, no one was making any moves, so I gave Kate the signal and we hit it on the last stretch. I gave her a lead 400 m out, and she sprinted to the finish, with me right behind her, a 1-2 sprint finish! We pretty much did the same for the second points lap, this time I took the lead with Kate right behind me. We stayed in the pack for the rest of the race, jostling at the front for who would pull the pack. It was great having another teammate with you, and we stayed together through the end. Teamwork goes a long way!
3. PAIN CAN BE AWESOME. The last race of the weekend was a circuit race with a steep hill, which basically meant pounding it up the hill 15 times in a row, with a few seconds to catch your breath on the downhill stretch. After my second time up, I was already feeling the pain in my legs, and I started to think, “I have to do this how many more times??” But never fear; adrenaline, cheering fans, and chasing down the rider ahead of you can make pain feel like fun! Epic race, epic effort, and epic riders. This makes you want to push yourself harder every time!
Cross nats for me was more than just 45 minutes of mud. It was a year of waiting, of hard work & wavering confidence, …and immense support from friends and family. I rolled my ankle and snapped a ligament in half just two weeks before Nationals in 2012. I couldn’t walk, let alone race my bike. It was devastating, and “next time” was a whole year away. I trained and raced to keep busy, almost not caring about cross in the middle of road and track seasons (which in themselves were so fun and rewarding, how could I care about cross nats?) But when the week of nationals finally rolled around again, I don’t think my resting HR dropped below 100.
I’d done my homework: the training, all the races that were “just practice” for nationals, stalking my competitors’ performance on crossresults.com… And I was more nervous for the collegiate race than any race I’ve ever done. My competitors were all Cat 1s (I’m a “New England 2”) and lots of talent was predicted to finish in front of me. The course conditions were ugly: sloppy slippery mud with no grass or traction to be found. It was also just starting to fall below freezing, so the mud was coagulating, and quickly. Within a few pedal strokes, derailleurs, cassettes, and pedals/cleats were saturated with gunk and unusable. There was nothing for tires to hold on to. I ran 18 psi… effectively flat, bottoming out… to try to get any traction at all.
The whistle blew for the starting sprint (a sprint on 18psi soft casing tubulars is… sketchy) and we launched ourselves into the mud pit. Two women in front of me immediately exploded in the mud, lost all traction, and found themselves going perpendicular to the course (yet opposite to each other). I vaguely remember one girl in blue kit staying upright and passing me on my right. This would have been Erica Zaveta, who won the race. The D1 women were given >1 min head start, but we still caught them by the 3rd turn in the course. I pitted immediately, having raced less than half a lap, and took a fresh bike for the hill. In the traffic of the back end of the D1 field, I lost sight of Erica, had to run the hill, and occasionally put a foot down because of other riders. The gap to 1st was probably established on this lap, when traffic was highest, and it grew. She had a great day. I tried to focus on my immediate task: This line, pedal here, slip-and-slide here, tri-pod this corner on the descent, attack up the stairs, sprint on the pavement, passing riders where I could. I was surprised to find myself never having crashed. Birch in the Collegiate CX Nationals Race
Pitting was essential, both in the Collegiate race on Saturday and in the elite race on Sunday. I can’t emphasize enough how my good races both days were a DIRECT result of Andrew, Joe, and Zach’s help in the pit and along the course. The mud was SO bad, you HAD to pit every half lap for a new bike to be competitive. I’d come barreling into the pit with frozen hands and no coordination, clumsily pass off a dysfunctional bike, grab a new one, and in 7-8 minutes, I’d be back on the other side of the pit for the bike. In the meantime, the guys’ jobs were to pressure wash the bike and make sure it was rideable, AND get information to me that the bike was ready and I could come to the pit (there are penalties for just riding through the pit)… and they had to do this in under 8 minutes while competing with other riders’ pit crews.
The mud made the lap times LONG: 15 minutes or so. It also meant you had to fight for every foot of progress you made on course. And it meant that you needed a GOOD, attentive pit crew. I had all those things and I finished 2nd… passing every other D1 rider except Kaitlin Antonneau (a pro rider for Cannondale who was on the USA team for Worlds). I’m supremely happy with my performance, since the race was both a real test of fitness and of handling. Though I wish I could have brought home the stars and bars, it gives me something to fight for “next time”.
Sunday was the elite race, and after Saturday, I had absolutely ZERO leftover anxiety. I was starting waaaaay, way back, 6th row: the last UCI ranked rider, 41st, in a field of 80 or so. It was wonderful to see so many New England Cyclocrossers in the rows in front of me: women I’ve been racing all season and beating or losing to, but friendly faces nonetheless. The temp had warmed up to 10-15*F by now, but I had a secret weapon…. BATTERY HEATED GLOVES! They’re almost embarassingly cozy, and maybe the red LEDs say too loudly “I’m not really here to race.” I hoped I proved those thinkers wrong!
The sprint was chaos and I held back a bit to stay out of trouble, since the U23 field before us had had a big crash on ice in the starting chute. What was a mudbog just 24 hours before was now deep frozen ruts. Stubborn, insistent, immobile ruts. If you put your wheel(s) in one, your bike was goign to follow, no matter what speed you were carrying. There were two pseudo-good-lines in the course from races prior, about 6″ across, but during the first few minutes of racing, they were saturated with riders– and those riders weren’t staying on their alloted 6″ trail. People and bikes were everywhere. I rode light on the front wheel and powered at a near sprint in the middle of the lane, right over all the ruts people were avoiding, dodging left and right when crashes happened on the sides. This strategy seemed to work. The mud on the hillsides was frozen now too, so I could actually sprint up on the bike, not run. But again, lots of rider traffic. I’m a terrible descender, but today, I felt light, unworried, veteran after yesterday, so I went down the mediocre lines at high speed, passing rider upon rider. It was an AWESOME feeling. My legs felt great (or numb?) and I sprinted up the stairs (I had two Toastie-Toes in each shoe, AND duct tape over the vents) passing more people there. I attacked at all the right places, rode technical sections well enough most of the time. My second or third lap I endoed HARD in a rut (oof), bent my rear derailleur, twisted my saddle and my shifter out of line, and dislodged my rear brake’s saddle cable… Just before the descents. Initially I crashed a fair bit (that kind of crashing where your front wheel washes out and you sort of “run” over your bike and down the course without falling over but have to run back up to retrieve your bike…) but then discovered you don’t really need any brakes on the descent. Holding your breath helps some… I pitted again, THANKS SUPER AWESOME MIT SUPPORT CREW, got a fresh bike and continued on. When my pulleys froze and my chain skipped over ice in the casstte, I also pitted.
I crossed the line, feeling AWESOME. Regardless of the result, I knew I’d raced to the best of my technical ability, and I felt fresh compared to the day before. I did not expect to have finished… 20th! My lap times decreased continuously and my last lap was two minutes faster than my first. Maybe the best feeling of all, however, was passing Erica (the D2 champ from the day before) at the start of the last lap, and putting 30 seconds into her by the end. Ultimately, the elite race was THE FUNNEST CROSS RACE I HAVE EVER DONE. And that’s over ones I’ve won. Because it was technical, mental, physical, and required a team.
Things I learned from CX nats:
1. My MIT teammates enabled me to have great races. Without them, there would be no story to tell.
2. The support of our MIT team sponsors that enabled us to race at nationals are part of the reason I have two great new race memories!
3. Pitting is CRITICAL
4. A “New England 2” is really a 1 everywhere else.
5. The worse the conditions, the better I race!
Edrie Ortega, Kate Wymbs, Chris Birch, Zach LaBry, Mike Garrett, Zach Hartwig, and Spencer Schaber show off their Stars and Bars on the Superdrome's 44.6° banking.
by Chris Birch
Seven MIT Cycling members descended on the 45-degree banked 250-meter wooden velodrome in Frisco, TX, for the USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships on September 20 through 22. Their mission? Gold medals, Stars and Bars jerseys, and the hotly contested DII National Championship title.
Track cycling is one of the most dynamic disciplines of cycling with events that challenge athletes not only to overpower their opponents, but also to outwit them. Cyclists ride counter-clockwise on fixed gear bicycles without brakes on a 250m or 333m oval “track” or “velodrome” with banking up to 55 degrees.
“Apart from racing, just riding on the track is flat-out fun!” says Spencer Daniel Schaber G. “The 45 degree banking is daunting at first because you have to ride 17 mph just to stay on it, but after getting the hang of it, it’s like a roller coaster.”
Katherine A. Wymbs ‘14 was pure enthusiasm at the event: “Nothing quite compares to diving into the sprinter’s lane from high on the banking like a lightning bolt into the Flying 200 [meter time trial] and maintaining speed around the [final] turns!”
The Collegiate Track National Championships consists of seven events across three days: some events are performed solo (long and short individual time trials called “pursuits,” and matched sprints), some raced as a team (team pursuits and the co-ed sprint), and some against all other athletes simultaneously (points race and scratch race).
With a record turnout of 120 riders, the MIT team had to rely on each other to ensure teammates were ready for their races. Schaber says he “repeatedly swapped aerodynamic wheels and handlebars, changing chain rings and cogs to get the optimal gear ratio for each event.”
Notably, Christina Marie Birch G clocked 4:03 for a 3-kilometer individual pursuit, earning a fourth place medal. Michael Lane Garrett G earned 7th in the Flying 200-meter time trial by completing his sprint in under 12 seconds. Zachary A. LaBry G and Garrett placed 8th and 10th respectively in the men’s 4-kilometer individual pursuit, only a second apart with times of 4:58 and 4:59.
The men's team pursuit of Mike Garrett, Spencer Schaber, Zach LaBry, and Zach Hartwig on track.
The women’s team, comprised of Birch and first-year track cyclists Wymbs and Edrie Buenaventura Ortega G, finished the 3-kilometer team pursuit first among teams fielding only 3 out of 4 possible riders. The men’s team included Garrett, LaBry, Schaber, and Zachary Seth Hartwig G, and finished 10th in the men’s 4-kilometer version of the event.
Each day the team arrived at the track before sunrise, warmed up under stadium lights, raced until 3 p.m. in increasingly hot conditions, only occasionally with a 1-2 hour break for lunch and air conditioning, and then returned to the track at 5:00 p.m. for racing well past nightfall. Wymbs confessed MIT’s secret for success: “I think that one of the reasons MIT did so well as a team was that we have more experience than other teams at operating on less than eight hours of sleep.”
Garrett, by far the most experienced track cyclist of the troupe, noted that camaraderie was at the heart of the MIT victory. “It was great to have seven riders who gave each race 100% and then spent the rest of the time supporting their teammates — truly an MIT team effort.”
USA Cycling will remember MIT’s gold-winning performance on the track as well as Ortega’s breathtaking rendition of the National Anthem on the final day of competition. Ortega is a newcomer to track cycling but already understands many of its nuances: “It takes more than having the strongest riders to win. It takes patience, control, and awareness to take the gold.”
The MIT Cycling Team’s victory would not have been possible without the generous support of the MIT Club Sports Council and sponsorship by FXDD, Thoughtforms Corporation, Schlumberger, The Branta Group, and Exponent.
The 2012 MIT Track Nationals team bring home the gold at the end of a hard-fought competition in Frisco, TX.
Last Saturday, I tried out my first MTB race and had so much fun! I splurged on a mountain bike last year, when I saw a deal on eBay, and played around on it a couple of times in the Fells last Spring, but after I kept falling off and bashing my knees, I decided to give it a break until the road season was over. Green Mountain was my last really important road race, over the Labor Day weekend, so I decided it was time to get down and dirty, and get the bike (+ recently purchased knee and shin guards) out of the closet and start riding it again.
I did a couple of rides in the Fells last week, attended the very helpful clinic by our new MTB coach Sara Bresnick, and tested myself at a local race (Wompatuck’s Landmine Classic) a week earlier, before deciding to show my face at collegiate race. The Wompatuck race had been quite a lot of fun, but I flatted, I was not really sure how to change a tube on a tubeless tire – luckily some very kind gentleman helped me – so that ended up being more of a ride than a race.
The collegiate XC race was an absolute blast. It was hosted at Holiday Brook Farm in Western Massachusetts and I loved the 4.5 mile loop. There was a lot of super smooth single track and the course was extremely undulating. I felt my advantage was pumping it up all the short steep climbs, while I simply tried to hold onto my nerve on all the downhills and ride as cleanly as possible. The race ended up coming down to a duel between me and another woman from UVM – I think I was a bit stronger on the climbing and I would sometimes manage to open up a gap, but she was so much more comfortable on all the descents and would make up ground in those sections. In the final lap I caught back up to her at the top of a 20 sec climb, and as we both tried to push out the last pedal stroke before cresting the hill, we somehow collided and I ended up a little worse off with twisted handlebars. I picked myself up and resigned myself to a solid second place, since I knew my skills with even straight handlebars wouldn’t match hers on the remaining descents, and safely completed the course, 25 seconds down on the winner, but 1 min 20 sec ahead of 3rd place!
For the remainder of the day, I enjoyed watching more gutsy riders tackle the dual slalom and I’ve attached some video of Ben and Lluis doing this!
by Matt Smith
Army was my third race weekend of the season (or ever, for that matter) and I came home very happy with the results! I raced in the D category and won the circuit race, placed first in the uphill ITT, and finished third in the crit. I also joined the C riders for the TTT (shout out to Sam and Kuat) and we came in second to a group from Army.
The circuit course at Army was a ~2 mile loop with the start/finish line at the top of a hill. After the start, riders went down a relatively long, winding, technical (although not super steep) descent over some pretty beat up asphalt. After flattening out about a mile after the start, the course turned sharply right onto a straight stretch of highway that had a slight uphill grade. The course then made another sharp right turn into a short but steep hill that would, in the words of the race flyer, “test the warrior within”. This final hill had four(ish) sections: a steep incline after the turn, a false flat, another steep section, and then another false flat. After the climb and a quick left turn, riders were back at the start/finish.
A huge part of my win was that particular hill and Adam’s expert advice on how to deal with it. Adam and I spoke before the race and he suggested that I start the hill near the front of the pack, then “sag climb” during the ascent so that I would be near the back at the top. He explained that by allowing the other riders to take the hill harder, I could conserve energy until the last climb of the race when I would be relatively fresh and could attack into the finish.
After the start we began down the first descent and by the bottom I had worked my way to third or fourth wheel for the highway stretch where the pace was pretty calm. I was in a good position going into the first hill climb and gladly allowed most of the riders to pass as they pushed hard up the incline. On the descent I worked my way to the front and was back at third wheel by the time we hit the highway again. The short course didn’t give a ton of time to make my way up to the front and I often found myself in the wind on the downhill part. I started worrying that I was using too much energy to make the final climb effective. Fortunately, the group seemed to take the straight highway section at a more relaxed pace and I could normally collect myself (physically and mentally) there.
I managed to repeat this pattern of sag climbing and getting back to the front over the first four laps of the five lap race. Each time I got to the hill I was grateful to hear Adam and Katie yelling feedback on how I was doing. As I approached the crest and start/finish area, the shouts of encouragement from the other MIT folks were also a huge boost!
On the final descent I made it to third or fourth wheel again and used the highway stretch to pump myself up for the final climb. As we got within 500 m of the climb I started thinking “this is going to suck” but I didn’t have time to think for long, since a Millersville rider came up fast on my left and started going for it. I stuck on his wheel and went hard through the right turn into the first steep section. He began to fall away and I pressed past him into the first false flat. A Hamilton rider then came up on my left, so I followed him into the second steep part of the climb, pushing past him as hard as I could while he started slowing. Cranking through the last bit of the climb and into the left turn I knew there was a chance that I had held off the other riders. But I didn’t want to risk turning around to look so I kept pushing as hard as I could through the finish line. I heard the announcer call the race for MIT and almost couldn’t believe that it had happened! The combination of exhaustion, tunnel vision, and happiness made the whole thing seem a bit surreal.
Winning was a fantastic feeling and I am incredibly grateful to Adam for his advice not only in the circuit, but also in the crit (“Be aggressive.”). In retrospect, having a plan really helped me navigate a smart, efficient circuit race, especially compared to my earlier efforts where I didn’t have anything particular in mind. I have to say that riding with MIT has been a tremendous learning experience and my success last weekend was due in no small part to the support and positive attitudes of the other riders on the team. It’s rare to find a group that is so talented and accomplished, yet so welcoming of newcomers. I’m looking forward to stepping up the fun (and pain?) next week as a C rider!
by Spencer Schaber
Last year Yale was my first race in men’s A and I was really happy with my results: 7th in the road race (2nd in field sprint), and decent enough in the ITT and crit to feel like I belonged in the A’s. This year was even better, because Joe and I made delicious food on a camp stove! Joe brought supplies for grilled cheese sandwiches, pancakes, and bacon, and I brought my camp stove. I also really liked how others readily shared bananas (Adam, Christina), nutella (Ernesto), and peanut butter (Adam) for the pancakes…yum!
Beyond the food, the racing was a huge thrill for me too. This week I skipped openers on Friday morning and instead opted to sleep in later. That seemed to work because I felt great on Saturday morning, and I got 10th in the uphill ITT, whereas at the Princeton uphill ITT a couple weeks ago I got 15th. I actually used my Powertap data during the race this time, whereas usually I just look at it afterward, and I think that helped a bit. I targeted my 11-minute power record set on Black Mo last week, but ended up about 20 W below that. I also rested a bit and tucked more on the descent sections, and went harder than average on the steeper sections.
Before the road race, I was feeling excited and confident due to my 10th place finish in the ITT. Cooking food on the camp stove was relaxing and fun. The Pepe’s pizza from Friday night seemed to still be fueling me as well—I must have eaten roughly half of a large! I aimed to eat a lot of gels during the race, but I brought one bottle each of Cytomax and water—the water to avoid that syrupy feeling when drinking sugar water while exerting myself. That was a good idea, because I started to feel sick from too much sugar and switched to water, eating only a single gel during the race. The race felt hard most of the time, but never as hard as Black Mo (or at least the really hard parts never lasted more than ~2 minutes). In all of the races before mine that day, I had seen people pegged, single file crossing the start line after the descent, so I wanted to avoid that sort of effort for all of the times I would be crossing the line. After the first two laps of racing (out of ~11), I managed to consistently position myself in the top ~15 riders most of the time, and to move up on the descent if possible. I also looked for Samson McHugh and others who seem to be good descenders, and they tended to treat me well with good lines and minimal braking (subject to the constraint of not crashing).
With maybe 4 laps to go, after Ed Grystar (Brown #55) had gotten away solo, Brendan Siekman (Army #30) did a bit of an acceleration halfway up the main climb. I jumped on his wheel and we got a bit of a gap. Mathieu Boudier-Reveret (McGill #94) came with us as well. Evidently everyone else in the field either (a) thought it was a pointless attempt, or (b) was hurting too much to follow, because they let us get away. After maybe a lap, we caught up with Grystar, and I yelled “hop on!”. He’s an experienced racer with many good results, so I was happy to have him in our breakaway. Our gap slowly widened over the remaining laps, and I knew that the other MIT men’s A were blocking for me. We were going pretty fast, and had pretty good collaboration in the breakaway, but if the field was motivated (and not blocked), it seemed they could have caught us. I really enjoy TTT efforts, so this suited me and most of the ride was quite smooth. The four of us slowed down considerably in the last 500-1000 m, with some mini-attacks and some “cat-and-mouse”. At times we were four-wide, looking at each other, no one wanting to make the first move. The pace seemed a bit slow for my liking, as I think I do better sprinting out of a constant effort of threshold or higher, so that pure sprinters are less recovered, so I ramped it up a bit. As I recall, Mathieu gave the next hard acceleration, then Siekman a little harder, then Mathieu really went for it and I followed him. I heard Katie say “goooooooo Spennnnnnsaaaaaaaah” and then I sprinted harder and got lower, and sprinted past Mathieu, with enough of a gap to give a victory salute for the finish camera!
I am so thankful to so many people for this. The first who come to mind are my men’s A teammates (all 9 of you!) for blocking—working towards an MIT win, regardless of who it was. Just looking at the results for the road race and crit, you can see that most of the men’s A team completely used themselves up blocking to ensure the breakaways succeeded. Thanks to Adam and Katie for organizing a great training camp with more intensity and hammer rides than last year, and teaching me a lot about training and racing to win! Thanks to Zach LaBry, Alex Chaleff, John Rhoden, and Adam Bry for encouraging me to do summer USAC races to become a stronger and smarter racer. And thanks to all of MIT Cycling’s sponsors for making this financially possible!
This year at Yale was by far my best race weekend ever!
