On Thursday, we arrived at our hotel where would be rooming with the Tennessee-Chattanooga Cycling Team members to save on hotel costs. After 15 hours of driving we were more than eager to head out for a good bike ride.
Who would've guessed that all of the gorgeous bike paths would lead us astray?
Thanks to the directions of the cashier at a gas station we managed to find our way back after a half hour of wandering.
On Friday, we raced the road race at Blue Mounds State Park, Wisconsin. The course had over 8,000 feet of climbing. 60 miles for the women and 75 miles for the men. Intense? Yes. Suicide? Possibly. Fun? Absolutely. This was the kind of course where you knew... no matter what... you were going to finish knowing full well that you worked hard and deserve a good meal and some rest. Gotta love that post-race feeling. Anyways, back to the race. From the start whistle to the finish, it was an all out battle. At first, it was a battle to stay upright as 67 eager cyclist poured down the mountainside at 40mph. Then it transferred to fighting for a good place as we approached the first few hills. With the advent of hills came the roar of gears shifting and people panting for air as we sprinted up and down the hills. Finally, we approached the two massive hills that concluded lap number 1 out of 4. These incredibly steep hills easily separated the strong from the weak as the large group of cyclist quickly became strung out over the entire course. As I neared the end of lap 1, I crested a giant hill to find a group of about sixty people cheering, blowing horns, and handing out water. I struggled to maintain composure, but failed miserably. Sweat poured down my face, and my head swung from side to side as I gasped for air while struggling to catch the group in front of me.
Velonews photographers apparently thought the misery on my face was worth posting on their website:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/road/2011-collegiate-road-nationals-a-casey-b-gibson-gallery_171505/attachment/usa-cycling-college-national-championships-2011-5
The speedy descents that followed climbing brought a thrill and cooled me down. Lap 2 and lap 3 were not as hard as lap 1. I knew what to expect, and the exercise endorphins had kicked in. Each lap separated the groups of riders. By the time I had gotten to the final lap, I had passed most of the field and was with competitors I’d thought I could not have kept up with. We took turns breaking the wind and worked with one another. I could tell that my competitors were constantly gauging how tired they were in relation to the rest of the group. At one point I glanced over to see a girl smiling to herself. All of the sudden it hit me, this is fun! We are not only challenging our physical and mental strength against the best collegiate cyclist in the country, but against ourselves. Sure, my legs were tired, but my body’s natural pain killers had already kicked in. Each breath of air seemed to penetrate my entire body with life and energy. I glanced down at my watch. 3 hours. Every second of those 3 hours had been spent covering as much ground as possible and was utilized to it’s maximum capacity by balancing effort against strategy. I knew the last twenty minutes needed to count more than any of the others. No more strategizing, all effort. My legs felt like the gears on a broken watch as a struggled to shove each pedal down. Much to my amazement, riders started dropping back and I began to move farther up the field of competitors. I honestly did not know that it was possible to go any slower than I was at that moment. Before crossing the finish line I heard my teammates yell at me as I passed a girl from Indiana University. I crossed under the USA Cycling National Championships Banner in sheer elation. I had finished!
I finished 27th… with 67 of the top collegiate cyclist in the country still behind me.
That night we went out to “Noodles” in downtown Madison, WI with two of guys from the College of Charleston Cycling Team. We joked and laughed about how silly cyclist can often be. Bryan from College of Charleston finished 7th in the road race, his teammate Brooks finished 34th. Way to go!
Saturday was a delightfully relaxing day which consisted of; wandering around downtown on our bikes, checking out the bike shops and ehem.. accidently spending a lot of money, watching a magic show, drinking Boba tea (that stuff is WEIRD), and talking with the locals just to hear their funny accents. Don’t judge.
That afternoon, I had the privilege of seeing my dear sister LAURA and her wonderful husband John who live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. That’s right. My sister moved from SC to WI after graduating from Clemson. Gutsy right? God has indeed blessed her as she is now surrounded by a wonderful church family, friends, job, and husband. Praise the Lord! We went to the pound to check out a potential dog to join her new family, went shopping in downtown Madison, and then met up with John’s brother Pete and his girlfriend Jessica along with my teammates for dinner! After a tasty dinner at Dotty’s, we went to a lovely terrace that overlooks the lake. It was gorgeous. The students at University of Madison, WI are pretty darn lucky to live there… during the summer that is. I’m not sure that I could stand it in the winter.
After a tasty dinner at Dotty’s, we went to a lovely terrace that overlooks the lake. It was gorgeous. The students at University of Madison, WI are pretty darn lucky to live there… during the summer that is. I’m not sure that I could stand it in the winter.
Sunday consisted of our final race… the CRIT! Stephanie and I got up early and drove to the course in silence as we contemplated finality and significance of this race. Crits are scary and dangerous. Winning a crit depends less on fitness and more on luck and positioning than road racing. This was my second A’s crit and I was nervous. I was tempted to bail on the race but knew that I couldn’t let myself or my teammates down. As we rolled up to the start line I fought to readjust my attitude.
After the race, I toasted in the sun while chatting with Laura, John, my aunt and uncle from Chicago, and the friends that I’ve made this season through cycling. The cycling community is full of incredible people from all over the world. Some cyclist from Mars Hill who originally hail from South Africa happen to be pretty crazy. Talk about team spirit! They blared those annoying horns from South Africa and painted their bodies and faces. Obviously they did something right because Mars Hill College won the division 2 team omnium! Congrats! Job well done.
On Monday morning we packed up and headed out for a 15 hour drive home. As I watched the rolling Wisconsin countryside change to the flat fields of Illinois, it struck me that we have a very creative God who is the master of beauty.
If he can make the earth beautiful, how much more can he transform those he calls his own? His very breath has the power to move mountains and build oceans. A God this powerful is certainly one who can be trusted.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold”. Psalm 46:1-3,7
Why do I so often forget this astounding truth?
On the way back we stopped in Kentucky to go for a bike ride through the rolling hills.
So beautiful.
So full of life.
So peaceful.
We arrived home around 1:30 am. I am thankful for a safe and successful Nationals trip!
Hi Molly! It's so much different reading your blog now that I've seen you race... I almost hold my breath as I'm reading this because now I know how scary it can be. Have you ever thought of attaching a camera to your helmet?
ReplyDelete-Laura